Samsung, Yota Launch WiMax Service in
Nicaragua
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest
electronics company, is collaborating with
Russian mobile operator, Yota, to deploy a
next-generation mobile Internet service in
Nicaragua next year, company officials said.
Samsung and Yota began a test run for the
mobile WiMAX network in Managua, Tuesday,
just three months after the two companies
started building the network's
infrastructure based on Samsung equipment.
Mobile WiMAX, a wireless technology that is
competing with Long Term Evolution (LTE) in
the fourth generation (4G) standard wars,
promises broadband-level Internet
connectivity on mobile phones, laptop
computers and other portable devices, even
when moving at high speeds.
Samsung, along with computer industry giant,
Intel, is one of the biggest backers of
mobile WiMAX, although it also has a foot
set in the LTE camp, which seems to have
stronger support from mobile telephony
carriers around the world.
Samsung and Yota plan to start commercial
services in Managua and three other major
cities in the Central American nation by
May. Nicaragua in July announced a public
tender for its 2.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum
to build a nationwide mobile WiMAX network,
and Yota ended up with the license.
Yota will provide its mobile WiMAX services
through a variety of products, including
laptop computers, USB modems, routers and
Internet telephony devices.
Yota is currently operating a mobile WiMAX
network in Russia, and is looking to expand
its wireless reach to other countries, such
as Nicaragua, Peru and Belarus.
Yota had 200,000 mobile WiMAX customers in
Russia at the end of October, four months
after launching commercial services, and
plans to expand its network to 180 Russian
cities by the end of 2012.
Samsung is Yota's strategic partner and sole
provider of the mobile WiMAX network
equipment.
The project in Nicaragua marks the first
time Samsung has partnered with a foreign
wireless operator to export its
technologies, company officials said.
``Samsung will use its wealth of experience
in deploying commercial mobile WiMAX
technology to fully support Yota in its
efforts to expand its global reach. Yota
will be a solid partner for Samsung to
expand into Central and South America, and
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
regions,'' Samsung said in a statement.
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