NORTEL NETWORKS: Wind Telecom chooses Nortel to deploy WiMAX Network in Dominican Republic; Operator to offer mobile broadband service in four key metropolitan areas.

(From M2 Presswire)

SANTO DOMINGO - Wind Telecom, a new network operator in the Dominican Republic, and Nortel* [NYSE/TSX: NT] have signed a Letter of Agreement expressing their firm commitment to deploy a wireless broadband network based on Nortel WiMAX technology.

Wind Telecom intends to offer high-speed broadband services to urban and rural customers across the country.

The network is expected to be commercially available in September 2007 in the initial launch cities of Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata and Bavaro/Punta Cana, with other areas such as La Romana, projected for the near future. Nationwide coverage will be reached incrementally over the next few years. The award of the contract is subject to the execution of a final, legally binding agreement.

Wind Telecom will use Nortel's MIMO-powered WiMAX innovations to deliver services such as VoIP, video-streaming and mobile broadband, which are expected to help bridge the digital divide in the Dominican Republic where broadband services have been limited. Subscribers will be able to benefit from the wealth of information and economic advantages such as e-commerce that are accessible through the use of advanced technologies.

"Wind Telecom is striving to make affordable broadband services available to the mass market in the Dominican Republic, where the adoption of these services has been slow due to high prices, limited availability and insufficient competition. We will be a full service provider of voice, data, and video services," said Manuel Bonilla, CEO, Wind Telecom. "Nortel's WiMAX solution allows us to achieve the goal of affordable broadband for both business and individual consumers, without the complexities of building a wired network. This makes it especially well suited to historical cities like Santo Domingo where the inner-city is dense with buildings, as well …