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ELRO and ECI plan Danish WiMAX network
Denmark's utilities company plots course for nationwide WiMAX access by the year 2010.
ECI Telecom announced it has entered into a 3-year framework agreement with ELRO of Denmark. ECI Telecom provides network infrastructure to carriers and service providers. ECI will integrate its XDM and Broadgate Multi-Service Provisioning Platforms with wireless equipment from Alvarion and Ceragon Networks. ELRO is Denmark's utilities company.
ELRO was granted a spectrum license in 2007 for WiMAX operations. At the end of 2007, ELRO launched first services around the city of Randers where the provider has already passed 5,000 subscribers. The addition of services from ECI Telecom will accelerate WiMAX deployment with nationwide coverage anticipated by 2010. ELRO has a "use it or lose it" clause in its spectrum license and must demonstrate nationwide coverage in that timeframe.
Alvarion's BreezeMAX platform was selected for the WiMAX radio equipment. The Israeli equipment manufacturer acquired ECI's fixed wireless business, called InnoWave, back in 2003. Microwave point-to-point provider Ceragon will provide its FibeAir links for radio backhaul. The combination of microwave access and backhaul is commonly found in WiMAX deployments where new networks are being built.
Butler Networks and Danske Telecom also have WiMAX licenses in Denmark. Three years ago, Clearwire invested in Danske Telecom for WiMAX development. All the Danish license holders have tinkered with Alvarion equipment either in the proprietary stage or more recent WiMAX models. About 69% of Denmark's 5.5 million citizens have access to the Internet, according to Internet World Stats. A June 2007 report by OECD recorded 34% (~1.87 million) of the population are broadband Internet subscribers.
By Jeff Orr
ORR Technology, LLC
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