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.