caymanone Selects SOMA Networks to Deliver Affordable, Reliable Wireless Broadband, Voice and Application Services to the Caribbean; First Nationwide Integrated Voice and Broadband Network throughout the Cayman Islands

Business Wire,  Oct 25, 2005  

Tags: broadband, broadband network, broadband wireless, network, voicewireless broadband

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SAN FRANCISCO & GRAND CAYMAN, West Indies -- SOMA Networks, Inc., a leading provider of last-mile broadband wireless access technology, and caymanone(TM) a full service telecommunications provider in the process of rolling out state-of-the-art products and services across the Cayman Islands, today announced an initial contract to deploy SOMA Networks' broadband wireless solution to deliver affordable, reliable high-speed Internet access, VoIP and other in-demand services to 44,000 residents across the three Cayman Islands. By deploying the first integrated telecommunications solution that has the capability to deliver primary-line voice, data, and value-added services even in extreme weather conditions, caymanone is also setting a new benchmark in designing networks to withstand natural disasters.

Following a year of unprecedented storms and crippling hurricanes, carriers are increasingly looking for disaster-resistant technologies that can protect infrastructure investments and maintain services during times of crisis. During a recent Caribbean storm, SOMA Networks technology continued to operate, even during Category Five hurricane winds.

"The Cayman Islands have the potential to support a $200 million telecom market, but the demand for affordable and reliable broadband and basic voice services has not been met by wired options," said John Robertson, chief executive officer of caymanone. "Most of the islands' infrastructure was destroyed in recent storms, therefore we needed a system that could be deployed quickly to meet this demand, and continue to deliver uninterrupted telephony, broadband, and value-added services, even during a hurricane. The wireless broadband and VoIP that SOMA provides will ensure that residents and visitors will have uninterrupted and unfettered contact with mainland suppliers."

caymanone chose SOMA Networks' wireless broadband system because of its primary-line voice capability and rapid turnkey installation enabling quick deployment of basic and value-added services. After considering many different wireless broadband options, caymanone found the SOMA(TM) solution was the only standards-based system that could meet its business case requirements. The solution needed to provide service across numerous islands with a minimum number of cell sites, be easy to install by the end user, and not require a technician visit.

Empowered by the sophisticated SOMA SoftAir(TM) platform, the caymanone deployment will use the WCS (2.3GHz) spectrum band, which requires high spectral efficiency as provided by the SOMA solution. In addition to offering basic broadband services to residential and small business subscribers, caymanone will partner with local companies such as Blockbuster Video of the Cayman Islands to provide Video-On-Demand, and other advanced services over their wireless network. SOMA's unique, fully converged wireless broadband system offers service providers the latest standards-based technology capable of supporting WiMAX and other developing standards such as HSDPA, through a basic software upgrade.

"For the first time, residents and visitors to the Cayman Islands will finally have reliable, affordable telephony, true high-speed broadband, and advanced digital services," said Greg Caltabiano, president and chief operating officer, SOMA Networks. "With the SOMA solution, caymanone is quickly and cost-effectively improving the customer experience with the latest in-demand services such as digital TV, Video-on-Demand, and Web hosting. caymanone is providing a new level of reliability that will give customers and visitors the connectivity and services they need, when they need it -- even during extreme weather conditions and emergencies."

About caymanone

caymanone is currently building a state-of-the-art network to provide connectivity to residential and business customers across the Cayman Islands. A strategic thrust of caymanone the Company is to improve workforce productivity and transform the way in which people work and live. Its services will include domestic and international voice, mobile, IP and Data. Headquartered in Grand Cayman, the Company is building a distribution network across the Islands, with the initial commercial launch scheduled for later in the year. For more information, please visit: http://www.caymanone.ky.

About SOMA Networks

Integrating the latest advances in wireless broadband, distributed computing, and Internet technologies, SOMA Networks offers the industry's leading "last-mile" wireless broadband system. With the SOMA solution, service providers can quickly and profitably roll out a feature-rich package of broadband Internet access and primary-line voice service to the residential and small-office market. Key advantages of the SOMA solution include its large cell size for quick and inexpensive market entry, multi-megabit data rates, superior voice capabilities, non-line-of-sight access enabling self-installation of the SOMAport(TM) wireless broadband gateway, subscriber self-activation of services, and the ability to support both WiMAX and HSDPA on a common platform. SOMA Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX Forum(TM). For more information, please visit: http://www.somanetworks.com.