Alcatel-Lucent Wins Malaysian WiMAX Contract
Malaysia's Packet One Networks has awarded a WiMAX contract to Alcatel-Lucent worth an initial US$71 million. Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will supply P1, a subsidiary of Green Packet Berhad and WiMAX 2.3GHz license-holder, with a complete, turn-key, end-to-end integrated WiMAX wireless broadband solution, including base stations, wireless access controllers, and an operation and maintenance center. Alcatel-Lucent also will be responsible for designing, supplying, constructing, installing, testing, commissioning, integrating, optimizing and maintaining P1's WiMAX network.
Deployment is already underway in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor and will expand rapidly throughout West Malaysia. P1 plans to provide WiMAX coverage for 25 percent of the population in Malaysia (6.5 million people) by the end of 2008 and 40 percent of the population in Malaysia (10 million people) by the end of 2010. P1 expects to provide WiMAX coverage to 60 percent of the nation's population - including urban, suburban and rural areas - within five years.
Dato' Sri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, Minister of Energy, Water and Communications, expressed delight that P1 is leading the pack by becoming one of the first to commercially deploy mobile WiMAX in the 2.3GHz band in Asia-Pacific and to establish one of the world's largest mobile WiMAX 2.3Ghz network. "With the solid foundation established today by P1 together with Alcatel-Lucent, Malaysia's vision to offer the best communications and wireless broadband infrastructure is now within our grasp."
P1 is one of the four Malaysian WiMAX 2.3Ghz license-holders.
Posted to the site on 29th January 2008