PCCW Launches NETVIGATOR Wireless Broadband in UK Using IPWireless


PCCW debuts service in Thames Valley using the IPWireless 3.4 GHz product line that will revolutionize the way people access and use the Internet


Hong Kong and San Bruno, Calif., ? May 08, 2004 /Wi-Fi Technology News/- PCCW has launched a UMTS TDD-based wireless broadband network in the UK, leveraging for the first time the 3.4GHz spectrum it acquired last year, announced PCCW and IPWireless.

Under its subsidiary UK Broadband, PCCW, one of Asia's leading integrated communications companies, is offering NETVIGATOR high-speed wireless service to residential and business customers living in an area west of London at rates starting at only ?18 per month.

NETVIGATOR provides this broadband access without the need for a telephone line or cable connection. The service is self-installed in a few minutes, with a plug-and-play IPWireless modem available in high street shops or ordered over the Internet. Because the IPWireless UMTS TDD technology is wireless, subscribers can have a broadband connection in any room in the house. This high-speed broadband ?always on? access makes it easy to surf the net, download videos or music, and bank or shop over the Internet.

"The service we are offering with UMTS TDD is truly revolutionary and is going to change people?s lives,? said Mike Butcher, CEO of UK Broadband. ?The IPWireless UMTS TDD solution offers unparalleled performance and economics, with a combination of wide-area coverage, high-capacity, and low cost that is unsurpassed for a plug-and-play broadband solution.?

NETVIGATOR is one of the most advanced broadband offerings available. Six areas in the Thames Valley west of London will be the first places in the country to experience the NETVIGATOR service. This service will initially available in Aldershot, Maidenhead, Reading, Slough, Windsor, and Wokingham. Subscribers will have an initial choice of a 512Kbits per second or 1 Megabit per second services.

UK Broadband owns a nationwide UK and Northern Ireland contiguous 3.4GHz license to enable wireless broadband. After completing this launch, UK Broadband will announce its national rollout plans for this new generation service in the UK and Northern Ireland.

UMTS TDD, a global standard that can be used by operators and manufacturers worldwide, has emerged as the leading standard for mobile broadband, with commercial deployments in dozens of countries around the world including Australia, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, and the United States. The commercially proven Mobile Broadband system includes a complete network infrastructure, pocket-sized wireless desktop modems, and PC cards (PCMCIA) for laptops and PDAs. In addition, major equipment makers are developing a variety of network management and end user devices, including mobile voice over IP handsets and Compact Flash cards, with IPWireless-licensed UMTS TDD chipsets embedded.

?We are pleased that PCCW has selected IPWireless UMTS TDD technology for its first foray into the UK,? said Chris Gilbert, CEO of IPWireless. ?Their deployment launches a new era for broadband in the UK. Individuals will get the always-on, high speed benefits of broadband, with the freedom that comes without the limitations of being tethered by wires.?

About UK Broadband
UK Broadband Limited is currently introducing its fast and easy wireless broadband service NETVIGATOR to the UK. NETVIGATOR brings high-speed broadband through a wireless network, providing flexibility and portability for use in the home and office.

The company acquired 13 of 15 licenses auctioned in the UK last year to enable wireless broadband services. It later acquired the remaining two licenses in that band. UK Broadband Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of PCCW Limited (SEHK: 0008, ADR-NYSE: PCW). http://www.ukbroadband.co.uk

About PCCW
PCCW Limited is one of Asia's leading integrated communications companies, with group revenues of approximately 2.6 billion U.S. dollars. The Company has approximately 12,500 employees and operations spanning Asia, Europe and the U.S. PCCW is also a 50 percent owner of Reach, Asia's largest international traffic carrier. PCCW provides innovative products and services in areas such as new generation fixed-line telephony, broadband, IT, wireless and delivery of home entertainment. PCCW is the operator of one of the world?s most advanced broadband networks and has over 700,000 broadband customers. Internationally, PCCW provides technical services to network operators and enables organizations to bring their business to Asia, and take Asian business to the rest of the world.

About IPWireless
IPWireless develops an advanced standards-based broadband wireless technology that will drastically improve the way people around the world connect and communicate at home, at the office, or on the road. With a full range of commercial network solutions and devices, IPWireless allows operators to offer a spectrum of fixed, portable, or completely mobile wireless services with unmatched economics and broadband performance. IPWireless has quickly established itself as a leader in the market, with commercial deployments in service for more than a year, trials with ten of the top twenty global wireless operators, and strategic partnerships and relationships with industry leading companies. For more information, visit the company?s Web site at http://www.ipwireless.com.