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| Wireless Internet - Press Releases |
Navini Networks Press Release 5-29-2003
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RICHARDSON, Texas and SEOUL, South Korea– May 29, 2003
KT Corp, formerly known as Korea Telecom, (KOSPI: 30200, NYSE: KTC), the
world's largest broadband service provider, has announced plans to trial 2.3 GHz
systems from Navini Networks, the global leader in zero-install™,
non-line-of-sight (NLOS) wide-area wireless broadband technology. This field
trial uses spectrum defined by the Korean government as high-speed wireless
Internet service called PI (Portable Internet). Both parties will collaborate to
further refine the technical and market requirements for broadband mobility for
today's competitive marketplace.
South Korea has the highest broadband penetration rate in the world. The
Korean government has been extremely proactive in encouraging broadband
investment by local businesses. KT is trialing the next-generation of broadband
products to offer their customers truly portable, untethered access, furthering
their dominance in offering the most advanced technology available.
quot;Until recently, broadband users could only choose a wired solution, but now
advanced technology from companies like Navini will ensure that KT can rapidly
deploy wireless broadband data communications, and allow our customers full
freedom of movement similar to that afforded by our cellular voice networks,"
said Mr. Park, Jung-Tae, vice president of KT Corp. "Navini's non-line-of-sight
wireless broadband technology enabled by sophisticated smart antennas has the
potential to extend and help differentiate our existing ADSL broadband
services."
Using Navini's Ripwave technology and its new PCMCIA modem, KT's
trial participants will experience multi-megabit network speeds, a zero-install
plug-and-play experience, and untethered wide-area wireless broadband access
anywhere within the coverage area. In addition, KT operates the highest number
of Wi-Fi hot-spots in the world, and will test the extension of those hot spots
using Navini Ripwave equipment, to allow users to seamlessly roam between
hot-spots and the Navini system, creating a "hot zone." Navini uses phased-array
smart antennas with beamforming capabilities and multi-carrier synchronous CDMA
(MC-SCDMA) to provide capacity, range, speeds and spectral efficiency unmatched
by other technology providers.
"Korea is at the forefront of IT infrastructure and mobile technology, and we
are very pleased to work with the progressive team at KT on this trial to
demonstrate that HPI, using Navini products, is a viable business for KT," said
Alastair Westgarth, president and chief executive of Navini Networks.
The field trial is being conducted in Seoul, starting in May 2003.
About KT Corp
KT is the largest and the most sophisticated communication network company in
Korea. KT was founded on Dec. 10, 1981, to contribute to social welfare and
convenience in everyday life by operating an efficient telecommunications
service and developing telecommunications technology. KT announced the space
communications era by launching Korea's first satellite, Koreasat 1, followed by
Koreasat 2 and 3 over the next few years. KT led Korea into the information age
as the nation's major communications company. KT's broadband service (Megapass)
caused a great sensation in the domestic high-speed Internet market. Megapass
surpassed 5 million subscribers in Jan. 16, 2003 with a domestic market share up
to 48%. KT wrapped up the privatization process selling the entire government
stake. KT promotes 2.3 GHz Portable Internet service as one of 4 key businesses
in 2003. KT will be reborne, not as the public telephone company, but as a
progressive and creative company that will lead the way in the global
information and telecommunications field.
About Navini Networks
Headquartered in Richardson, Texas, the heart of the Telecom Corridor, Navini
Networks offers patented wide-area wireless broadband technology delivering
multi-megabit speeds to customers up to 8 miles from the base station. Navini
was founded by successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur Wu-Fu Chen and industry
expert Dr. Guanghan Xu, and provides nomadic, zero-install™, non-line-of-sight
infrastructure to allow for anytime, anywhere Web access. Navini Networks'
Ripwave™ products consist of a desktop modem or PCMCIA card, base station, and
element management system (EMS) and run in the 2.3, 2.4, 2.5/2.6 and 3.5 GHz
spectrums. Navini's solution results in a price/performance combination that is
superior to other broadband offerings - wired or wireless - in the marketplace.
To date, Navini has received $91.5 million in funding from top-tier investors
such as Austin Ventures, Granite Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Sternhill Partners,
in addition to Alcatel, Intel and Sanmina. For more information on Navini,
please visit www.navini.com.
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