Unwired reveals key suppliers & plans for national WiMAX rollout

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 29 September 2009 01:55

IT Industry - Strategy

Unwired has named the remaining key suppliers for the Vividwireless mobile WiMax network rollout in Perth and says networks in the major capitals will follow in short order.

David Spence, Unwired CEO, said: "Our focus is on making Vividwireless into a national consumer fourth generation network over the next couple of years." Vividwireless CEO, Martin Mercer, added: "After we launch in Perth it will only be a short time before we colonise the rest of the country."

Spence told iTWire that, in addition to retail services offered through Vividwireless, Unwired would make the network available to wholesale customers. "We want to keep an open platform. If people want to offer surveillance services or want to resell to homes, absolutely [we would welcome them]."

Huawei was named early in September   as the supplier of mobile WiMAX technology and DragonWave as the supplier of microwave backhaul for the 150 base stations last week . To that list have now been added Juniper Networks in partnership with IBM as the supplier of core and edge routers and security appliances, Optus and Verizon Business for Internet access, Optus for optical fibre links from 15 hub sites to the Vividwireless PoP which will be located in the Perth IX data centre, HP for core servers, Crown Castle for site acquisition, Aurecon (formerly Connell Wagner) and Daly International for site acquisition, PowerOne for power supplies, cabinets and batteries and Kordia Solutions for site commissioning. Unwired CTO, Eric Hamilton, said negotiations were still continuing with companies to build out the 150 cell sites and 15 hub sites.

Vividwireless has been set up to market services and support customers on the network, which will be built and operated by Unwired. Unwired is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seven Network and Vividwireless a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unwired, an ownership structure that was not made clear when Seven unveiled plans for the WiMAX network rollout early in September.

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