| 23 Jul 2007 |
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Kalimat Telecom picks Huawei Technologies to deliver USD1bn Iraq national wireless network
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Consortium plans to deliver five million CDMA lines by 2011, deploy state-of-the-art technologies across the Middle East's largest telecom network
Dubai, July 23, 2007 - Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom
, winner of Iraq's first national license to provide a full-scale fixed wireless network, today awarded a USD 275 million infrastructure contract to Huawei TechnologiesHuawei Technologies. The KalimatKalimat-HuaweiHuawei Memorandum of Understanding, signed this morning in the presence of KalimatKalimat's President and CEO, Mr. Wilson Varghese and Mr. Li Huang, Vice President HuaweiHuawei Tech. Investment Corp, is one of several KalimatKalimat agreements formalized this week. A USD 1 billion consortium of specialist vendors assembled by Kuwait-based Trade Links Middle East, Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom aims to enter every home, business, governmental and non-governmental institution in Iraq and deliver five million CDMA lines of service by 2011. The consortium won the 10-year wireless license from Iraq's Communications and Media Commission in September 2006.
HuaweiHuawei, a global leader in telecom network solutions, will execute the project in four phases beginning in September 2007. The Chinese technology vendor will supply and provide deployment services for CDMA base stations and help create a top-of-the-line all-IP network infrastructure.
Wilson Varghese, President and CEO of Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom, said HuaweiHuawei's technology will enable significantly faster and more cost-effective services.
"This is the first time Iraq is witnessing a full-scale deployment of fixed wireless technology across the country, not just in urban clusters but in remote areas as well," Varghese said. Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom
will be the first to serve not only the Iraqi household but also its up and coming small/medium enterprise market, he added. "HuaweiHuawei will play a vital role in KalimatKalimat's planned rollout of the Iraqi wireless local loop (WLL) network, extend its next generation network to more than 5,000 towns and create the Middle East's largest wireless telecom network," Varghese said. "We are extremely proud of our association with HuaweiHuawei, and are confident of delivering on our promises."
"Our aim is to provide a nationwide state-of-the-art network that can withstand the voice call and data transfer and media volumes predicted over the next 25 years, while remaining versatile and flexible enough to accommodate technologies that will rise during that time," Varghese said.
In addition to providing voice telephony services for local, national and international calling, access to the Internet (including broadband access), KalimatKalimat will also deploy WiMAX technology - which provides wireless data over long distances - in Iraq.
In January 2006, Iraq was home to more than 1.2 million fixed lines - a penetration rate just over four per cent - with the bulk of fixed line subscribers based in the capital. The cellular market is much stronger in comparison, with 8.7 million subscribers, 30 per cent penetration rate.
KalimatKalimat, Varghese said, will distinguish itself in its market-competitive, transparent and easily understood pricing and service terms.
does not consider itself as much a vendor of services as a partner in Iraq's development," he said. "We are careful not to confuse our clients with a wealth of complicated and structured offerings, and will instead tailor our service pricing and packages to suit the entire spectrum of market users." According to Li Huang, VP, HuaweiHuawei Technology Investment Corporation, "We are very happy to be partnering with KalimatKalimat in the rollout of this network in Iraq. We are confident that we can deliver the best in terms of technology to this project. Moreover, we are very pleased at this opportunity to enter the Iraqi market and support the people of Iraq through this project."
KalimatKalimat has also awarded the first Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) contract to Trade Links Communications LLC, bringing in additional revenue above USD 5 million.
Other Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom consortium partners include Voex, which will serve as the operator of the network to be established in Iraq, and Artel Inc., a telecommunications consulting firm based in the United States.
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About Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom
Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom of Iraq is a newly launched First National Fixed Wireless Local Loop Telephony and Data provider serving 26 million Iraqi citizens. Kalimat TelecomKalimat Telecom is a leading telecoms player that handles the voice traffic and data transfer needs of the Iraqi consumer between different regions of the country, ensuring improved call completion rates, prompt bill settlement and increased revenue for its operation
About Trade Links
Trade Links is a privately held global services company with business operations in the USA, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Poland and Romania. It caters to a variety of industries through several business divisions. These business divisions operate under the Trade Links name and provide multiple product lines and services including aviation, engineering and construction, communication, logistics, transportation, HVAC and refrigeration, housing and project support. With its mission to simplify the globe and redefine boundaries, Trade Links was established in Kuwait in 1997 and has grown into a multi-dimensional corporation with business interests in many industries.
For more information please contact:
Sameh Hamtini
Mohammed Kharroubi
Asda'a Public Relations
Tel: +971 4 3344550
Fax: +971 4 3344556
Email: s.hamtini@asdaa.com
Email: m.kharroubi@asdaa.com
© Press Release 2007
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