December 19, 2002
Espicom Business Intelligence

New Zealand-based Walker Wireless is to commercially deploy IPWireless Inc's mobile broadband technology across the major New Zealand markets, following the completion of a successful commercial trial conducted in Auckland.

The NZ$6 million joint trial by Walker Wireless and Vodafone Group plc - dubbed ULTAMO - was conducted between September 2002 and December 2002. Four cell sites with IPWireless base stations were deployed around Auckland, which provided coverage of the central business district and neighbouring residential areas. To commence the trial, almost 400 business and residential customers received a package containing everything they needed to self-install and start using the service: the IPWireless portable broadband modems; installation guides; and CD-ROMs, with software that enabled them to self-install their modems. This setup allowed the users to have access to high-speed services to connect to the Internet, transfer data, and experience e-mail at DSL-type speeds anywhere in the coverage area. Walker Wireless has now placed a follow-on order to enable it to deliver broadband services to consumers and businesses in the cities of Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, reaching almost half of New Zealand's population. Walker Wireless will begin marketing commercial services almost immediately in the Auckland market. In addition to its follow-on order for IPWireless base stations, Walker Wireless is banking on the IPWireless technology to win government contracts to deliver high-speed Internet access to schools across New Zealand. Walker Wireless has been selected as the preferred supplier to roll out broadband services in Southland, with the system becoming operational in the first half of 2003. "In my 14 years in the telecommunications industry, this is the most successful project I have ever been associated with," said Bob Smith, CEO, Walker Wireless. "Our trial participants raved about the service. Our initial trial confirmed our belief that the time is right for a broadband solution like IPWireless's, which enables us to offer cost-effective services that subscribers can use at work, at home, and anywhere else they need to get service while out and about. We envision a domino effect as we expand across New Zealand and into Australia, because, as we learned in our survey, the more people use the IPWireless system, the more they tell their friends, and the more people want to subscribe."

In May 2000, Walker Wireless secured the backing of key shareholders Todd Capital, Stephen Tindall, Craig Heatley, and Rod Inglis, and more recently, Clarity Partners, a large private equity fund specialising in TMT investments.

This article was published in International Telecommunications Intelligence www.espicom.com/iti and has been reproduced with the permission of the publisher. Copyright ITI.

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