Press Releases

Alvarion Improves Communications Between Local Authorities In Romania By Rolling Out A Wireless Videoconferencing Network

Connex's broadband wireless network also used for community Internet booths in Romanian Town Halls...
 
 Tel-Aviv, Israel, March 12 2003 - Broadband and Internet access is no longer a dream for thousands of Romania's citizens. It's a reality, thanks to the broadband wireless network installed by Mobitelco, a Romanian integrator, and Industrial Computer Group (ICG), Alvarion's long-time partner in Romania. Connex, Romania's largest cellular operator, using equipment provided by Alvarion, is operating the network.

The network, which provides full broadband services including videoconferencing, is being used to connect 133 town halls with each other in Teleorman, one of Romania's largest counties. Not only can the mayors of each town talk to each other, sharing information, discussing policies, strategy and joint initiatives, but their citizens now have access to high-speed internet connections.

In fact, the project has been so successful that the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr. Adrian Nastase who was present at the official inauguration of the network, has recommended that similar networks be developed in other counties as well.

In Teleorman country, travel costs and time have been virtually eliminated for local administrators. In addition, local executives and their staff are happy to use the videoconferencing system safe in the knowledge that sophisticated software guarantees the security of messages and broadcasts.

Meanwhile, special information kiosks provide always-on broadband Internet connectivity for local residents.

Vishant Vora, Connex CTO & VP Network & Systems, said, "It is wonderful that our efforts have been praised by our prime minister. We always knew that fixed wireless infrastructure is ideal for Romania, whose existing cable infrastructure is insufficient to support broadband services. The services that we provide over our Alvarion networks help us improve our competitive positioning. As a result, we are now expanding our BWA capabilities, and look forward to continued long-term cooperation with Alvarion."

Gabriel Badea, General Manager of ICG, said, "We are extremely proud that we were the first Romanian company to design and implement a videoconferencing application over a wireless network. It involved a lot of work from ourselves and our partners, but in the end we proved that by taking advantage of Alvarion's state-of-the-art equipment is possible to cost-effectively integrate voice, video, and data on a single infrastructure."

Connex's wireless network was deployed in early 2001 and operates in both the 2.4GHz and 3.5GHz spectrum across the whole of Romania delivering an extensive range of IP-based broadband services such as Internet access and VPNs to thousands of customers, primarily businesses.

Alvarion supplies base stations, antennae, customer terminals, cables, management software and consultancy to Connex.

About Connex

Connex is the leader in mobile communications market in Romania, with 2,635,000 GSM customers and a 53% estimated market share, at December 31, 2003. Connex continues to be the country's most important Internet service provider, with over 2,200 dedicated/VPN data lines in the business sector, and more than 210,000 consumer customers using its dial-up Internet service. Connex has continuously extended its range of services and now, in its sixth year of operations, is in the unique position to provide its customers with integrated communications solutions, from mobile voice and data, to fixed data and international calling. Connex's major shareholders are Telesystem International Wireless (TIW), Canada, and Vodafone, UK.

For more information, please visit www.connex.ro

About Industrial Computer Group

Industrial Computer Group is a customer-oriented provider of networking solutions and equipment for seamlessly integrated data, voice and video communication services. By combining state-of-the-art equipment and world leading technologies with engineering expertise, local support and development competencies, Industrial Computer Group designs and delivers end-to-end access solutions for a large range of public and private networks, communication and data systems.

For more information, please visit www.icg.ro

About Alvarion

Alvarion is a powerhouse of point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access (BWA) solutions for telecom carriers, service providers, and Enterprises worldwide. Alvarion’s systems are used to providee Internet access and voice and data services for subscribers in the last mile, as well as for cellular network feeding, building-to-building connectivity, and wireless local area networks (LANs).

Alvarion, which was formed by the merger of BreezeCOM and Floware, offers the broadest range of BWA solutions by market segment and frequency band. Its solutions are designed to address all carriers’ and service providers’ business models. With the combined market experience of its founding companies, a strong customer base, diversified distribution channels and field-proven deployments, Alvarion is the leading BWA pure-play provider for all types of end-users, from residential subscribers to business customers. 

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