Nera to serve SE Asia

Nera to serve SE Asia

SINGAPORE (DPA): Norwegian firm Nera Telecommunications plans
to launch a new, ultra-fast wireless communication network in
Southeast Asia next year, reports in Singapore said yesterday.

Dubbed CityLink, the system uses microwave radio signals
transmitted between antennae mounted atop buildings. It can be
used for mobile telephones and multimedia Internet connections.

CityLink's delivery speed of 155 million bits per second is
2,700 times faster than a 56.6k computer modem, according to a
report in Singapore's Straits Times newspaper.

The network is also touted as being cheaper and faster to
install than copper cable or fiber optic lines.

For example, CityLink could be installed in Singapore in a
number of months, compared with years for a physical cable
network. Each link costs about US$66,000 to set up and has a
range of 5 to 7 kilometers, Nera officials said.

"The increasing deregulation of the telecommunications
industry has resulted in a lot more networks being set up," Nera
(Southeast Asia) managing director Samuel Ang said in the Straits
Times report. "CityLink, with its short-span installation
process, would be an attractive option."

Nera is reportedly negotiating with telecommunications
operators and Internet service providers in the region to sell
the network.