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NDT to deploy WiMAX across Italy
Base station partner for III Taiwan secures $30 million contract for Italian network integration and supply.
Newport Digital Technologies (NDT) announced an agreement to deploy fixed and mobile WiMAX base stations across Northern Italy. The customer will use infrastructure radios from Taiwan's Institute of Information Industry (III) based on the 802.16-2004 and 802.16e-2005 standards. NDT had announced the Italian network plans in May as part of an announcement for WiMAX deployment on the islands of Fiji.
NDT is a subsidiary of International Food Products Group. The company also distributes III's low-cost notebook PC in the Americas and South Pacific. "We have already shipped 500 base stations this past quarter," said Richard Damion, CEO of NDT. "We anticipate another record quarter as we expand our operations in Italy to $1-million US per month from August and start our shipments to Poland and Fiji in September. We anticipate generating revenues in excess of $75-million US during the next fiscal year."
The company's WiMAX deployments in Fiji and Tuvalu offer new services including eLearning and telemedicine. "The benefits for WiMAX technology are clear," said Robert Pimentel, WiMAX Program Director for III. "This technology is now able to bring broadband to remote regions of the world that we could not previously service and now serves as a foundation for our eLearning, eHealth and eGovernment platforms where we can deploy extensive applications for governments and business."
Italy's Ministry of Communications auctioned the 3.5 GHz frequency band in February 2008 raising EUR136.3 million. Italy's military currently uses the often sought-after 2.5 GHz band, though a consultation of possibly reallocating the spectrum is being considered this year.
By Jeff Orr
ORR Technology, LLC
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