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TMCNet: Cellcom, Airvana and Taqua Partner to Deliver Femtocell-as-a-Service for Small North American Wireless Carriers Using FemtoCloud Technology

[May 07, 2012]

Cellcom, Airvana and Taqua Partner to Deliver Femtocell-as-a-Service for Small North American Wireless Carriers Using FemtoCloud Technology

(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) CHELMSFORD, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 05/07/12 -- Airvana LLC, the global market share leader in femtocells, along with Taqua LLC, a leading supplier of small cell and convergence switching solutions, in concert with Cellcom, a forward-thinking regional wireless carrier will showcase the world's first FemtoCloud platform at CTIA. Cellcom plans to begin offering FemtoCloud as a service to CDMA North American regional carriers later this month.

Femtocell deployments have been primarily driven by large operators while smaller wireless operators have been challenged to justify the high cost of building the femtocell core network and corresponding system integration. Cellcom is leveraging its existing small cell core to deliver a FemtoCloud solution, developed jointly by Airvana and Taqua. With the femtocell-as-a-service from Cellcom, smaller rural North American operators will be able to deploy femtocells and other small cells, including the use of pico cells, without the significant upfront capital expenditures and expertise required to establish their own small cell core.

"At Cellcom, we are actively exploring new deployment models that enable regional and rural wireless operators to deliver competitive offerings to their customers," said Rob Riordan, Executive Vice President and Director of Corporate Development at Cellcom and Nsight. "We are actively seeking carriers to be part of the first deployment of this service. There is tremendous demand for capacity on cellular networks today. I don't see how carriers can survive without an economic deployment of small cells." "The FemtoCloud solution provides what regional carriers need," Riordan said. "We need to take advantage of the opportunity to partner, thus lowering our costs, providing better service to our customers while, at the same time, re-harvesting our radio spectrum. What is exciting about this platform is that it is flexible enough to develop newer services such as 4G LTE and Presence. We are excited to work with Airvana and Taqua to deploy a FemtoCloud and help rural wireless operators deploy small cells and all of its benefits to their subscribers." Cellcom's FemtoCloud solution consists of Airvana's Femtocell Service Manager and Small Cell Analytics (SCAN) service and Taqua's fully integrated small cell core offering.

Airvana's Femtocell Service Manager delivers standards-based device management, plug-n-play provisioning and activation, and sophisticated RF planning of small cells. Coupled with the Airvana SCAN service and FemtoCloud capabilities, an operator can provide their femtocell-as-a-service customers with simplified femtocell deployment, automatic interference management between femtocells and macrocells, comprehensive device management, and detailed performance metrics.

Taqua's TCS6100™ Convergence Server (TCS6100), the heart of Taqua's Small Cell Core, is a SIP-based mobile convergence application server that integrates with existing mobile core elements, including the HLR, SMSC, and MSC. The TCS6100 extends macro network features and functions to small cell-served subscribers while providing seamless femto to macro handoff. The TCS6100 delivers voice, messaging, and data convergence while providing supplementary, regulatory, and emergency services. In addition to the TCS6100, Taqua's small cell core network is comprised of the T7100™ Multimedia Controller, and the T7000® Intelligent Switching System with mobile interface cards. The T7100 and T7000 provide the media gateway and server controller and function respectively.

"Airvana continues to enhance its product offerings to enable broader deployment of small cells," explained Michael Clark, Airvana's General Manager for small cells. "The FemtoCloud solution will help regional and rural operators deploy small cells in a cost-effective manner," added Clark.

"Small cells are just as important to regional and rural carriers as they are for the large national carriers," said Frederick Reynolds, vice president of marketing at Taqua LLC. "The FemtoCloud solution can be a very cost-effective way to fill coverage gaps, increase capacity, and deliver wireless services in areas that historically were too hard or costly to reach." About Airvana LLCAirvana LLC's femtocell solutions dramatically improve the coverage, performance and capacity of 3G CDMA and LTE wireless networks. The company's achievements include the delivery of the first 3G CDMA femtocell to be deployed commercially by mobile operators, the first IMS-based femtocell, and the first open femtocell management system. Airvana is a founding member of the femtocell industry body, the Femto Forum, and has played an active role in the development of femtocell standards. The company is headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA. For more information, visit www.airvana.com.

About Taqua® LLCTaqua is a leading supplier of next-generation fixed and mobile convergence switching, IP peering, backhaul systems, and enhanced applications. For over a decade, hundreds of wireline, cable and wireless carriers have utilized Taqua's IP-based solutions to establish converged networks and deliver enhanced services to subscribers. Taqua is headquartered in Dallas, TX, with research and development facilities located in Boston, MA, Toronto, Canada, and Dallas, TX. More information on Taqua can be obtained by calling +1.972.692.1800, by email at simplify@taqua.com, or by browsing the website at www.taqua.com.

About CellcomCellcom is a wireless company that provides nationwide service through nearly 80 retail and agent locations throughout Wisconsin and Michigan. Cellcom is respected for its long-standing reputation of providing extraordinary customer care, and its renowned network is customized to its rural markets and customers. As a subsidiary of Nsight, Cellcom is part of a family of companies offering complete telecommunications services. For more information visit www.cellcom.com.

Airvana Contact: Mike McFarland Senior Director of Product Management 978-250-3100 Email Contact Taqua Contact: Frederick Reynolds Vice President, Marketing 972-692-1971 Email Contact Calysto Communications for Taqua Kristin Martell 404-266-2060 ext. 551 Email Contact Cellcom Contact: Nsight Brighid Riordan Director of Public Affairs 920.617.7056 Email Contact Source: Airvana

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