interWave to Deploy First Voice and Data Network in Micronesia

📅 January 9, 2002 - interWave Communications (iwv.com), a broadband wireless datanetwork provider, announced yesterday a $4.4 million contract from FSMTelecommunications Corporation (www.fm) to provide and deploy GSM-based cellular and broadband access network equipment throughout the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

FSM Telecommunications Corporation, the national communications operator,provides all telecommunication services for the FSM, which consists of 607individual islands stretching 1,700 miles across the western Pacific Ocean.The initial deployment will provide integrated cellular and broadbandnetworks in Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae, with Pohnpei serving as acentralized management and administrative center.
"Deploying the first wireless communications solution throughout FederatedStates of Micronesia demonstrates the flexibility, robust nature and highcapacity of both of our GSM and broadband solutions," said Priscilla Lu,chairman and CEO of interWave. "Being able to provide and deploy affordablecellular and broadband communication infrastructures to areas of the worldwhere terrain, climate or distance represents a challenge is one of ourgreatest strengths. Most importantly, our solution will provide basiccommunications capabilities to those that have gone without, furthering ourvision of 'reaching the unreached."'
Communications infrastructure equipment including base stations, switchesand radios will be installed on each island, providing instant localizedcommunications capabilities. Connected together by broadband links, thesystem delivers total coverage between all of the islands, as well asefficient routing of long distance voice traffic. For example, using an IPbackbone, the number of satellite hops between islands will be reduced thusimproving call quality and minimizing costs for other services such as voicemail and Short Message Service. Further, localized switching, made possibleby interWave's patented PALIM switching technology, will increase networkperformance and quality of service while decreasing network congestion, callinterference and expensive backhaul costs typically associated withtransporting cellular traffic.
"The economic viability and scalability of interWave's solution were two ofthe key reasons we chose their solution to expand our business," said TakuroAkinaga, CEO of FSM Telecommunications. "We have rebuilt FSM's domestic PSTNinfrastructure enabling thousands of families and businesses in populatedareas to receive improved and first-time service, yet this is only the firststep as there are many remote communities with limited or no communicationscapabilities. With interWave's complete wireless cellular and broadbandsolution, we are able to increase our service offering to support not onlymobile voice services, but also SMS, data through GPRS and roamingcapabilities. We believe that an expanded telecommunications network willcreate new markets, new business opportunities and make the FSM a better andsafer place in which to live."
FSM islands are scattered over 1 million square miles, yet total land areais only 271 square miles. Great distances between islands and their isolatedlocation in the Pacific Ocean coupled with mountainous terrain and densejungle add to the difficulties in deploying cost-effective nationalcommunications infrastructure.
"The flexibility and modular components of interWave's wireless networksolutions were two of the main reasons we were intrigued with theirsolution," said Dr. Paul Carter, president of Global Wireless Solutions, acompany retained by FSM to review network solutions for their uniquesituation. "Additionally, interWave has a definitive 2.5G (GPRS) and 3Gtechnology path in place, which is important to our clients as they continueto evolve their services to meet the ever growing technology demands."
FSM Telecommunication's future plans include expansion to FSM's remote outerislands where roughly 21 percent of the population currently live and arewithout telephone services.