CTIA WIRELESS 2010 – LAS VEGAS – March 23, 2010 – United Telecommunication Services (UTS) announced today that its local broadband subsidiary, CaribServe.NET, signed an agreement with Motorola, Inc. for the development and deployment of WiMAX / 4G telecommunication infrastructure, devices and services for the island of St. Maarten / St. Martin. In doing so, it will once lead the way in St. Maarten/St. Martin in offering consumers the cutting edge in connectivity.
WiMAX, which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a wireless digital communication system that provides broadband wireless access over extended distances to fixed, portable and fully mobile access devices. The technology, which is also known as 802.16, allows for more efficient bandwidth usage, interference avoidance and enforcement of Quality of Service right down to the end-user's service level. Wimax can provide access up to 30 miles, as opposed to WiFi, which in most cases has a reach of only 100-300 feet.
"We identified WiMAX as the natural evolutionary path for CaribServe.NET some time ago and have spent a considerable amount of effort since then researching the technology as a whole, its related market trends, maturity, vendor's stability & commitment to ongoing research & development of WiMAX before sending out an RFQ and eventually selecting Motorola as winning candidate for our Next Generation Network," said Roy Richardson, co-founder and General Manager of CaribServe.NET.
He further stated, "In selecting Motorola, we have not only selected a vendor that has built a solid name and reputation as being the trendsetter in the world-wide telecommunications arena but we also selected "The Vendor" whose Canopy wireless technology actually help put CaribServe.NET on the Map." CaribServe.NET plans to launch its WiMAX service with enhanced bandwidth packages to the Dutch side of the island later this year with the French side to follow shortly thereafter.
"Our objective is to provide "Broadband @nywhere, @nytime" to our island's residents and tourists," said Glen Carty, COO of UTS Eastern Caribbean. He went on, "I am proud of the fact that UTS through its subsidiary, CaribServe.NET, will be the first to launch a true WiMAX/ 4G network on our island and are happy to be partnering with a vendor that is fully committed to WiMAX".
According to howstuffworks.com, "WiMAX has the potential to revolutionize broadband Internet access in the same way that cell phones have changed telecommunications industry. In the same way that many people have given up their "land lines" in favor of cell phones, WiMAX could replace cable and DSL services in the near future, providing universal Internet access just about anywhere you go."
