Nokia and CommTel expand broadband in the Pacific

December 28, 2005, Espoo, Finland - CommTel Network Solutions Australia, a value added re-seller of Nokia’s network solutions, has signed an agreement for the supply of Nokia broadband DSL solutions and related services to a new customer, Telecom Cook Islands Ltd in the Pacific, marking a new market entry for Nokia. Deliveries will begin in January 2006 and the system will be up and running during March 2006. This follows on from a similar agreement signed with Solomon Telekom in December 2004.

The Nokia D500 IP DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) was chosen for the provision of faster Internet access services in these Pacific islands as it delivers integrated IP functionality unlike any other IP DSLAM solution in the broadband industry.

“Having initially launched Internet services in 2003, Telecom Cook Islands is now able to migrate customers from our existing ATM network to the benefits that IP provides for multimedia services,” says Robert McFadzien, Manager, Information Systems, Telecom Cook Islands.

“This represents a milestone in our sales channel structure, highlighting the effectiveness of our collaborators in offering Nokia broadband solutions. As utilities, authorities and operators move towards IP-based networks, the Nokia D500 is a perfect extension to the continuing portfolio of Nokia narrowband and Nokia microwave radio solutions,” says Alf Kysenius, Sales Director, Networks, Nokia.

The Nokia D500 is a complete IP-based multiservice access node platform for providing both quality of service and secure authentication. It supports the latest DSL standards, for example ADSL2+ G, for increased bandwidth, as well as existing ATM-based DSL services. With IP Multicasting capability and telephony utilising fixed-to-mobile convergence standards, such as SIP, the Nokia D500 provides residential homes and businesses access to video, voice and data services, on phones, PCs, TVs and mobile devices.

“Solomon Telekom is now offering fast Internet access to business customers, adding extra capacity, coverage and bandwidth to the existing network,” says Aydin Ada, Manager Information Systems, Solomon Telekom.

Having supplied broadband to customers in the area such as Telecom New Zealand since 1999, Nokia has a renowned track record in carrier-class broadband and narrowband products. Nokia works together with key partners to enable broadband services for more than 50 customers across the globe, covering the European, Asia-Pacific, China, and the Americas markets.

About CommTel
CommTel Network Solutions Pty Ltd, based in Melbourne, Australia, is a specialist company, providing Design, Engineering and Integration of advanced telecommunications systems to Carrier and Dedicated Networks Customers in the Oceania and APAC Regions. CommTel’s core expertise is the application of new and advanced DSL and optical fibre transmission technologies to applications in the carrier, power utility, oil and gas, and transport markets.

About Telecom Cook Islands
Telecom Cook Islands Ltd (TCI) is the sole provider of telecommunications in the Cook Islands. TCI is a private company owned by Telecom New Zealand (TNZ) Ltd (60%) and the Cook Islands Government (40%). In operation since July 1991, TCI provides local, national and international telecommunications as well as internet services.

About Solomon Telekom Company
Solomon Telekom Company Limited is a joint venture company between Solomon Islands National Provident Fund, which hold 51% of the shares, and Cable & Wireless Plc of the United Kingdom which holds 41.9% of shares and the Investment Corporation of the Solomon Islands which owns 7.1 % of the shares.

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

Notes to editors
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is an application-layer control protocol for creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or more participants, allowing multi-user, multi-device (fixed and mobile) environments. These sessions include Internet multimedia conferences, Internet telephone calls, and multimedia distribution. Members in a session can communicate via multicast or via a mesh of unicast relations, or a combination of these.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a family of digital telecommunications technologies designed to allow high-speed data communication over the existing copper telephone lines between end-users and telephone companies. xDSL is a generic abbreviation for various different DSL types, eg. ADSL, ADSL2+ SHDSL, and VDSL. xDSL calls for modems at either end of a copper twisted-pair wire to deliver data, voice, and video over a dedicated digital network.

DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) is multiplexing equipment that contains a high concentration of central office splitters, xDSL modems, and other electronic equipment to connect traffic to the wide area network (WAN).

IP (Internet Protocol) is the basic communication language or protocol of the Internet. It can also be used as a communications protocol in a private network. It is a network layer protocol, in the transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) stack.

Contact Information

Michael Harrisson

CommTel Network Solutions Pty. Ltd

Contact via E-mail