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To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (3195)	3/21/1999 8:21:00 PM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Respond to of 12823

From Global Telephony Mag, at: globaltelephony.com Here's one way to avoid tearing up the streets. ================================================================= Mauritius gets a CDMA wireless local loop system Mauritius Telecom, the primary telecommunications provider for the island of Mauritius, has already built one of its region's more advanced public telephone networks, giving the country one of the highest teledensity rates of any African nation--240,000 telephone lines for a population of 1.1 million. Faced with future competition, the telco has turned to wireless local loop (WLL) technology to quickly expand its network by 50,000 lines with an 800 MHz (megahertz) code division multiple access system from Qualcomm Inc. The WLL service is expected to start in June. Mauritius Telecom also operates a 100% digital public telephone network using third-generation digital switches. The country's eight main exchanges and 45 remote exchanges are linked by microwave radio and fiber-optic cable forming two rings using synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) technology. The country, which became a republic in 1992, has been moving to deregulate telecommunications with the aim of liberalizing the sector by 2004. Mauritius Telecom estimates demand for new telephone lines will be between 25,000 and 35,000 per year for the next 10 years, helping prompt the decision to deploy a WLL system. "With competition lurking, operators are looking for technologies that are relatively cheap and as efficient and economical as possible," says Paul Budde, an independent telecommunications analyst based in Sydney, Australia. "CDMA is offering this at the moment, since prices of CDMA infrastructure are only a third of what they were less than a year ago," he says. Budde says CDMA has much to prove, but operators such as Mauritius Telecom appear to be opting to take a chance on the technology because CDMA is suited to third-generation digital systems and will likely allow an opportunity for the operator to quickly recoup investments before competition lowers consumer prices. With the CDMA WLL system, Mauritius Telecom expects to offer new telephone hookups within 24 hours, strengthen its existing network against cyclone damage, reduce network maintenance costs and raise the company's profile. The new installation will operate alongside an existing GSM 900 MHz mobile network operated by a Mauritius Telecom subsidiary with about 18,000 customers. A competing analog mobile phone system has nearly 27,000 subscribers. For Qualcomm, the WLL system will provide a showcase for CDMA technology in Africa. The vendor's equipment is already in use in Nigeria while operators in Kenya and South Africa are considering similar systems. "Mauritius Telecom is a top-tier operator," says Michelle French, senior marketing communications manager for Qualcomm Wireless Systems. "People in the region look to them as a leader."--Stewart Taggart, Contributing Editor