June 17, 2009

Alvarion & Open Range Partner on 4G

Alvarion  announced it was selected by U.S. broadband wireless operator, Open Range Communications Inc., for the nation’s largest Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funded deployment spanning 17 states, 546 rural communities, and reaching up to 6 million people. With this new broadband wireless network, Open Range will begin offering state-of-the-art 4G services to un-served and underserved customers across rural America in the fourth quarter of this year.

As part of this contract, expected to be more than US$100 million over a five-year implementation, Alvarion will provide radio access equipment, customer devices (CPE) and systems integration for Open Range’s broadband wireless network. In addition to selecting Alvarion for its market-leading WiMAX platform, Open Range will rely on Alvarion’s industry leadership and experience for the end-to-end integration of the Open Range network solution, creating a best-of-breed 4G network in rural America.

Open Range will offer Simply EasierSM wireless communications to subscribers that will enable not only a hyper-connected Internet lifestyle, but also new economic opportunities not possible before because of the lack of infrastructure. Some of the unique attributes available through this “always on” wireless broadband network include:

•Simple and instant service activation
•Voice and data capabilities
•WiFi for connectivity to existing PCs
•Highly secure network communication

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Open Range as they make history building 4G broadband infrastructure in a large footprint to provide personalized broadband services to consumers in un-served and underserved parts of the country,” said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion. “Open Range’s vision to connect rural America will stimulate local development for many rural communities across the US. Alvarion has a longstanding role enabling the delivery of broadband services to consumers here in the US and abroad. With our full portfolio of end-to-end, turnkey WiMAX solutions and extensive network deployment experience, we are enabling operators around the globe to deliver affordable broadband services to subscribers wherever they may reside.”

The new Open Range 4G network, based on Alvarion’s WiMAX Forum® Certified™ 802.16e BreezeMAX® solution, will be built with an all-IP architecture leveraging the latest 4G technology. This solution will give millions of rural Americans the ability to enjoy wireless broadband services across the communities where they live and work.

“Open Range’s unique business model focuses on delivering wireless high-speed Internet and voice services to un-served and underserved communities,” said Open Range founder and CEO, Bill Beans Jr. “These communities require an innovative partner with experience in delivering a wide array of simple, high quality, cost effective, robust solutions that are scalable and sustainable. Alvarion’s passion and heritage in deploying wireless broadband globally with its expanded advanced capabilities make them an ideal partner for Open Range.”

Alvarion was the first WiMAX equipment supplier to receive USDA acceptance as well as “Buy American” status from the USDA RUS for two of its BreezeMAX base stations in July 2008. Both RUS and "Buy American" designations are required for operators requesting federal funds from the Rural Broadband Access Loan program for the purpose of purchasing and deploying broadband systems.

back