Telstra, Nortel Networks accelerate nationwide CDMA service rollout in Australia;
Additional investment, base stations expected to provide 95 percent coverage by July
Story Filed: Friday, May 12, 2000 10:10 AM EST
library.northernlight.com
MAY 12, 2000, M2 Communications - MELBOURNE, Australia -- Telstra and Nortel Networks* [NYSE/TSE: NT] expect to complete rollout of nationwide CDMA mobile wireless communications service in Australia by the end of July, less than two years after network buildout began and a full two months ahead of schedule.
Responding to continued, strong subscriber demand, Telstra ( www.telstra.com) has accelerated the network build schedule - and nearly doubled the planned number of base stations to be deployed - by increasing its total investment in Nortel Networks' CDMA infrastructure equipment to nearly US$370 million (vs. the initial US$200 million investment announced in 1998).
When completed, the network is expected to include 2,100 base stations, and to provide service coverage capable of reaching 95 percent of the Telstra network includes first commercial deployment of Nortel Networks' CDMA Rural Cell base station, also known as 'Boomer' Cell.
Designed specifically to meet the demanding requirements of the Australian outback, the 800 MHz 'Boomer' Cell can deliver coverage radius greater than 150 kilometres under suitable conditions, far exceeding the range of a typical CDMA base station. It can also reduce the number of cell sites required to provide rural coverage by as much as 50 percent.
"CDMA and 'Boomer' Cell technology are ideally suited to Australia's challenging regional and rural environments," said Greg Young, senior product manager, CDMA, Telstra.
"This CDMA network rollout has been a testament to engineering excellence and demonstrates our ability to respond quickly to the evolving business needs of our customers," said Kevin Dearsley, Telstra account vice-president for Nortel Networks. "In less than two years, across a land mass the size of the continental United States, we have built an advanced infrastructure that will make voice, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and Wireless Internet services accessible to the great majority of Australians, rural and urban alike." Following completion of the CDMA network rollout, Telstra and Nortel Networks plan to conduct trials of cdma2000* 1XRTT, a high-speed, third generation wireless technology expected to support data services at up to 144 kilobits per second, or ten times the speed commonly available today.
Nortel Networks is a global leader in telephony, data, eBusiness, and wireless solutions for the Internet. The Company had 1999 U.S. GAAP revenues of US$21.3 billion and serves carrier, service provider and enterprise customers globally. Today, Nortel Networks is creating a high-performance Internet that is more reliable and faster than ever before. It is redefining the economics and quality of networking and the Internet through Unified Networks* that promise a new era of collaboration, communications and commerce.
Visit us at www.nortelnetworks.com.
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CONTACT: Hannah Watterson, Nortel
Networks Australia
Tel: +61 02 9424 5520
e-mail: hannahw@nortelnetworks.com |
