Alvarion snags a big one

Last week Alvarion announced an agreement to supply Open Range Communications with WiMAX and core networks. This contract is a step forward for Alvarion as they fill the role of prime contractor of a deal that is valued at US$100 million over a five-year period.

A unique aspect of the Open Range deployment (for the U.S.) is the tie-in with a satellite company for use of terrestrial broadband spectrum and satellite overlay. This hybrid network approach has been used to reach under-served areas in Africa and elsewhere that the cost and time to deploy of building backhaul infrastructure is prohibitive. Partner Globalstar has agreed to the use their Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) authority spectrum to provide a hybrid satellite-terrestrial access network that will eventually reach an estimated 546 rural communities. Open Range has secured US$367 million in investments and loans: US$100 million from One Equity Partners (OEP), theprivate equity arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM). This guarantees release of a United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Program (RDUP) approved Broadband Access Loan of US$267 million (March 2008)...