Alvarion Awarded "Wemmie" from Wireless Communications Association
Namibian School Deployment Wins Best Deployment for Underserved International Community
San Jose, Calif. and Tel-Aviv, Israel, January 22, 2004 - Alvarion, the global leader in wireless broadband solutions, was honored yesterday by the Wireless Communications Association (WCA) for "best network in an underserved international community" for its deployment of an ISM band network with SchoolNet in Namibia. At a luncheon during WCA's Tenth Annual Technical Symposium & Business Exposition being held this week at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA, Alvarion received the association's "Wemmie" award, which recognizes equipment providers for delivering advanced wireless technology enabling the delivery of innovative broadband services.
"The 'underserved' award demonstrates that wireless broadband is providing high-capacity solutions for residential, business and government enterprise users who otherwise would be bypassed by broadband deployments increasingly necessary in a modern, networked economy," commented Andrew Kreig, president of WCA
SchoolNet, in partnership with state-owned Telecom Namibia, a consortium of civil society organizations, and Alvarion built a broadband network to bring Internet access and voice services to 900 rural schools in Namibia covering 54,000 square kilometres. More than two thirds of the schools now connected did not previously even have a telephone line.
"This network demonstrates the impact of Alvarion's BWA solutions in connecting remote communities where the telecom infrastructure is sparse or non-existent," said Zvi Slonimsky, CEO of Alvarion. "SchoolNet and Telecom Namibia have changed the lives of thousands of Namibian schoolchildren, and Alvarion is proud to contribute to this and similar initiatives that improve the quality of life, education, and economic vitality of communities around the world.
About the Wireless Communications Association and WCA's Symposium & Expo:
Founded in 1988, the Wireless Communications Association (www.wcai.com) is the trade association for the wireless broadband industry. Its membership includes leading system operators, equipment manufacturers and consultants deploying wireless broadband service worldwide. WCA and its License Exempt Alliance have been active in virtually every major FCC proceeding relating to wireless broadband spectrum, as well as many comparable proceedings internationally. The annual Symposium is the largest wireless broadband access event in the world this winter.
About Alvarion (www.alvarion.com, Nasdaq: ALVR)
Alvarion is dedicated to delivering seamless wireless broadband networking infrastructure to carriers, ISPs and private network operators, in order to leverage their broadband opportunities into sustainable profits. Alvarion offers premier wireless broadband solutions for access in the last mile, backhauling connection to the backbone and private network connectivity. Featuring the industry's most extensive range of products and international support, Alvarion is a pioneering leader of the converged wireless broadband network. With over 1.5 million units deployed in 130 countries worldwide, Alvarion provides secure rich-media networks for business or residential Internet access, corporate VPNs, cellular base station feeding, community interconnection, public safety connectivity and extended Hotspots.
Having recently acquired InnoWave's wideband access portfolio and expertise, Alvarion provides a complete wireless solution that supports a wide range of frequency bands, customer profiles and service types.
