Motorola to deploy WiMAX network in Pakistan

Motorola, Inc. announced an agreement with long-standing customer Mobilink (an Orascom Telecom company) to deploy a WiMAX 802.16e-2005 access network for the operator in Pakistan.

Under the terms of the agreement, Motorola will design, plan, deploy and optimize a WiMAX network for Mobilink, deliver integration and support services as well as indoor and outdoor customer premises equipment (CPE) units to enable faster adoption of the operator’s WiMAX offering.

Covering major metropolitan areas such as Lahore and Islamabad, the new Motorola-based 802.16e-2005 WiMAX network will enable Mobilink to extend its current service offering beyond cellular and data offerings to high speed broadband and VoIP services for fixed line residential and business subscribers.

The total amount of the purchase price will be financed by Motorola.

This is Motorola’s second WiMAX 802.16e network in Pakistan, with the first being a turnkey end-to-end nationwide WiMAX/IMS network awarded in 2006. This is also Motorola’s fourth commercial WiMAX deployment in the Middle East and Africa region.

“Over the last 14 years of our collaboration, Motorola has developed a solid understanding of Mobilink’s business strategy and has effectively supported us in growing our subscriber base to almost 30 mln subscribers with reliable and innovative GSM technology solutions. As we adopt new technologies to meet evolving customer needs, we wanted to work with a trusted wireless broadband solutions provider.  Motorola was a natural choice to support us in designing and deploying our 802.16e WiMAX network in Pakistan to offer our growing customer base next-generation broadband services,” said Zouhair Khaliq, president and CEO, Mobilink.

The benefits of the WiMAX network will include rapid broadband access in geographic areas where broadband coverage was not previously available.  WiMAX is anticipated to offer affordable broadband as well as a convenient end-user solution with unified pre-paid billing.