MELBOURNE, Fla.-AirNet Communication Corp. has deployed and received customer acceptance for what it said is one of the first U.S. wireless GPRS systems.
AirNet’s AdaptaCell base stations and its AirSite Backhaul Free base stations are included in the GPRS system AirNet is supplying to MBO Wireless, an Oklahoma-based telecommunications service provider. According to the company, the Airnet GPRS solution makes MBO Wireless one of the first providers in the nation to offer enhanced data services like mobile-commerce applications, multimedia services, general wireless Internet messaging and WAP services.
“AirNet has successfully shown that its equipment can support GPRS and has now put MBO on the path to be on e of the first operators to offer high speed data services in the United States,” said V. David Miller II, president of MBO Wireless Inc.
AirNet also has been selected by TMP Corp. to deploy a network of GSM base stations in Illinois and Missouri.
The equipment AirNet is supplying TMP will allow TMP to provide both GSM and GPRS to the area in the first quarter of 2001. The first phase of the contract is valued at $2 million, with follow-on expansion orders expected to bring in an additional $5 million.
“The compelling AirNet approach makes it possible for providers to economically offer high-speed services in markets of all sizes,” said Lee Hamilton, president and chief executive offers of AirNet. “TMP is seeking to offer its growing customer base the very best services today while laying the groundwork for future, higher speed applications. We are pleased that yet another operator has chosen the AirNet solution to serve its customers.”
The AirNet base station is a broadband, software-defined solution that allows wireless operators to easily migrate to GPRS or EDGE on their existing AirNet base stations by simply upgrading software. AirNet said the upgrade can be performed remotely from a network control center, which reduces the cost and time of deploying the solution to every cell site.
