SOMA Wins in the Caymans 619405

SAN FRANCISCO and GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands -- SOMA Networks, Inc., a leading provider of last-mile broadband wireless access technology, and caymanone(tm) a full service telecommunications provider in the process of rolling out state-of-the-art products and services across the Cayman Islands, today announced an initial contract to deploy SOMA Networks' broadband wireless solution to deliver affordable, reliable high-speed Internet access, VoIP and other in-demand services to 44,000 residents across the three Cayman Islands. By deploying the first integrated telecommunications solution that has the capability to deliver primary-line voice, data, and value-added services even in extreme weather conditions, caymanone is also setting a new benchmark in designing networks to withstand natural disasters.

Following a year of unprecedented storms and crippling hurricanes, carriers are increasingly looking for disaster-resistant technologies that can protect infrastructure investments and maintain services during times of crisis. During a recent Caribbean storm, SOMA Networks technology continued to operate, even during Category Five hurricane winds.

"The Cayman Islands have the potential to support a $200 million telecom market, but the demand for affordable and reliable broadband and basic voice services has not been met by wired options," said John Robertson, chief executive officer of caymanone. "Most of the islands' infrastructure was destroyed in recent storms, therefore we needed a system that could be deployed quickly to meet this demand, and continue to deliver uninterrupted telephony, broadband, and value-added services, even during a hurricane. The wireless broadband and VoIP that SOMA provides will ensure that residents and visitors will have uninterrupted and unfettered contact with mainland suppliers."

caymanone chose SOMA Networks' wireless broadband system because of its primary-line voice capability and rapid turnkey installation enabling quick deployment of basic and value-added services. After considering many different wireless broadband options, caymanone found the Soma solution was the only standards-based system that could meet its business case requirements. The solution needed to provide service across numerous islands with a minimum number of cell sites, be easy to install by the end user, and not require a technician visit.

Empowered by the sophisticated SOMA SoftAir platform, the caymanone deployment will use the WCS (2.3GHz) spectrum band, which requires high spectral efficiency as provided by the SOMA solution. In addition to offering basic broadband services to residential and small business subscribers, caymanone will partner with local companies such as Blockbuster Video of the Cayman Islands to provide Video-On-Demand, and other advanced services over their wireless network. SOMA's unique, fully converged wireless broadband system offers service providers the latest standards-based technology capable of supporting WiMAX and other developing standards such as HSDPA, through a basic software upgrade.

"For the first time, residents and visitors to the Cayman Islands will finally have reliable, affordable telephony, true high-speed broadband, and advanced digital services," said Greg Caltabiano, president and chief operating officer, SOMA Networks. "With the SOMA solution, caymanone is quickly and cost-effectively improving the customer experience with the latest in-demand services such as digital TV, Video-on-Demand, and Web hosting. caymanone is providing a new level of reliability that will give customers and visitors the connectivity and services they need, when they need it - even during extreme weather conditions and emergencies."

SOMA Networks Inc.