interWAVE Communications has signed an agreement with Marconi Mobile Access, a wireless infrastructure solutions supplier based in Italy, to deploy interWAVE's complete GSM solution for TIM-Telecom Italia Mobile on eight passenger cruise ships. Marconi Mobile Access will integrate and maintain the complete solution on the ships.
"With interWAVE's unique architecture, a complete GSM network, including a switch, base station controller and base station transceiver, can be cost- effectively installed on a cruise ship," said Martin de la Serna, managing director for interWAVE's Europe, Middle East and Africa region. "Partnering with Marconi Mobile Access gives us strong local support and integration expertise."
Able to seamlessly interoperate with an operator's existing mobile network, interWAVE's GSM solution will utilize compressed satellite technology for backhauling wireless calls from wherever the ship is cruising to TIM's main switching centers on land. As a result, interWAVE's solution enables operators like TIM to expand their service offering into new, untapped markets. In addition, the compact architecture of interWAVE's solution enables ease of installation, support and maintenance.
"interWAVE technology has been successfully adopted also for private, corporate GSM networks for us in the past," said Roberto Pellegrini, vice- president of Telecom Italia Mobile's business division. "By deploying interWAVE's industry-unique GSM solution, TIM and Marconi Mobile Access will bring the same service quality and feature set to our customers on cruise ships that we bring to our customers on land."
"interWAVE's unique compact and scaleable GSM network solution is ideal for the cruise ship application," said Luciano Garofalo, Managing director of Marconi Mobile Access. "Coupled with MMA's capabilities on the wireless market, technical abilities and integration experience, the two companies will provide TIM with the only solution of its kind currently available on the market."
Posted to the site on 6th February 2004
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/10564.php