RUSSIA
InfiNet Wireless, which provides broadband wireless access and pre-WiMAX equipment, said Enforta BV selected it to provide equipment for a nationwide broadband network in Russia. The network is expected to span 28 major cities and be constructed during the next two years. InfiNet will supply its Wireless Series 5000 family of broadband wireless routers. An initial deployment already has been completed in Novosibirsk and rollouts are under way in 10 additional Russian cities, said the company.
BRAZIL
South American carrier Vivo announced a series of new partnerships with vendors including Convergys Corp., Motorola Inc. and Nortel Networks Corp. Vivo is a joint venture of Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Moviles SA and counts 28 million customers in Brazil. Vivo announced it would use equipment from Motorola and Nortel to expand its CDMA 1x and EV-DO network throughout its coverage area. Separately, the carrier also announced a deal with Convergys for professional and consulting services. Convergys will provide software configuration, development, integration and subscriber data migration.
JAPAN
Japanese telecommunications giant NTT DoCoMo Inc. sold its 2.16-percent interest in Dutch telecommunications provider KPN Mobile N.V. to KPN’s parent company, Koninklijke KPN N.V., for around $6 million. KPN will continue to license DoCoMo’s i-mode technology and participate in the global i-mode alliance, which also includes KPN’s German subsidiary E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co. KG and British operator 02 plc. E-Plus launched an i-mode service in 2002, while 02’s German subsidiary is expected to launch a similar service next year. In a related announcement, DoCoMo said it plans to liquidate its United Kingdom-based DCM Capital NL Ltd. subsidiary by March 31, 2007.
