Wateen Telecom-Pakistan selects Motorola to manage newly-announced wi4 WiMAX network

Enabling Wateen to focus critical resources, the Motorola managed services contract will also empower the service provider to increase efficiencies and keep up with rapidly advancing technologies.

Wateen Telecom-Pakistan is part of Warid Telecom International LLC, an Abu Dhabi Group company led by His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan. HH Sheikh Nahayan formally signed the new contract with senior Motorola executives, including Eric Pradier, Vice President Network Services, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Latin America Caribbean, (LAC), Motorola Networks & Enterprise.

Under the managed services contract, Motorola will take responsibility for the operations and maintenance of the wi4WiMAX/IMS network according to an established set of key performance indicators. The services included in the contract will ensure that Wateen's evolving WiMAX infrastructure stays current and responsive to business demand.

'The Wateen network is a multi-faceted project that combines a number of new technologies. This managed services agreement with Motorola will enable the combined team to realize Wateen's vision of 'Broadband Pakistan' quickly and efficiently,'

said HH Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan.

'This managed services agreement allows Wateen to leverage Motorola's standards-compliant infrastructure, skilled staff, clear operational processes and demonstrated ability to manage a network of this complexity and diverse emerging technologies,' said HH Sheikh Nahayan.

One of the key elements in Wateen Telecom-Pakistan's decision to opt for a managed services agreement was time to market. 'Often in these wide-ranging nationwide infrastructure roll-outs, the operator has to devote large portions of their internal team to managing the day-to-day operational requirements of the network,' said Eric Pradier.

'Wateen's management had the vision and clarity to opt for a single point of contact that integrates the response to all service requirements, freeing the operator to focus on running its business and serving customers across the country,' continued Pradier.

The announcement of the managed services agreement between Wateen and Motorola comes just weeks after the two companies signed an agreement for the planning, design and deployment of a nationwide wireless broadband voice and data network in Pakistan. From a technology perspective, the announcement heralded the world's largest nationwide commercial WiMAX 802.16e contract and leveraged Motorola's IMS solution.

The 802.16e-based wi4™ WiMAX access network and subscriber units will enable Wateen Telecom-Pakistan to offer broadband data services covering residential Internet access and voice services, corporate hosted VoiP and virtual private networks (VPN) and public hotspots. The solution will provide the access network, subscriber units, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core and services to quickly and cost-effectively connect the unconnected.

A portion of purchase price will be financed by Motorola.