SAN JOSE, Calif. -- ArrayComm, Inc. today announced that its Australian subsidiary CKW Wireless Pty Limited (CKW) has secured Mitsubishi Corporation and e-millennium Asia L.P. as strategic partners, investing AU $14 million (US $7.9 million) in cash, AU $6 million and AU $8 million respectively, for the pre-commercial rollout of ArrayComm's i-BURST Personal Broadband System in Australia.
The pre-commercial Phase One rollout, already underway, includes deployment of 12 i-BURST base stations in Sydney, providing high-speed access coverage over 150 square kilometers (approximately 60 square miles). Around 500 customers will be involved in the pre-commercial rollout, which paves the way for CKW's commercial rollout later in 2003.
Mitsubishi Corporation and e-millennium add further momentum to CKW's consortium of market-leading companies committed to Phase One deployment of the i-BURST System. The CKW consortium comprises ArrayComm, mobile operator Vodafone Australia, leading ISP OzEmail, infrastructure builder and project manager TCI, base station site owner Crown Castle and network equipment provider CommWorks, a 3Com Company.
"It is not often that a groundbreaking opportunity like the i-BURST system comes along. When the chance came, we knew we had to be part of it. Having experienced the i-BURST Personal Broadband System first hand in Sydney, there were no doubts about its commercial potential," said Dr. Harrison Wang, chief executive officer of e-millennium Ltd.
"This announcement builds on the momentum ArrayComm and CKW established in 2002," said Judy Slatyer, director of CKW Wireless. "We established an industry-leading consortium; we progressed to the operations of the CKW venture; we installed the first trial i-BURST networks and are proceeding with wider range of field testing and integration. We're now well on the way to meeting our goal of a commercial availability by mid-2003."
ArrayComm Inc.