UPDATED: 22 October 2009, 11:30pm - Green Packet To Secure Singapore WiMAX License
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Bursa Malaysia Main Board
listed Green Packet Berhad ("Green Packet"), a leading developer of WiMAX
products and solutions, has, via its subsidiary, Packet One Sdn Bhd, the
holding company of Packet One Networks (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, entered into an
agreement with Pacnet for the transfer of Pacnet's redundant Facilities-based
Operator ("FBO") license in Singapore and its associated Wireless Broadband
Access ("WBA") spectrum right to Green Packet's newly incorporated company,
Packet One (S) Pte Ltd ("P1 Singapore").
Transfer of this WBA associated FBO license will not impact Pacnet's
facilities based position in Singapore as the company retains all necessary
licenses to operate its core businesses in the SME, Enterprise and Carrier
space. Formed by the operational merger of Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet,
Pacnet remains a leading independent telecommunications service provider in
Singapore and across the region. Pacnet owns and operates EAC-C2C, the
region's largest privately owned subsea cable network, which has its Network
Operations Center in Singapore.
The successful transfer of this license and its WBA spectrum right, upon
final approval from the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore ("IDA"),
will be seen both as a proof point and catalyst to P1's leadership in the
global WiMAX operator space. The Company currently ranks amongst the top five
WiMAX operators in the world in terms of network size and subscriber base.
"The transfer of this WBA spectrum right and FBO license in Singapore to
P1 is in line with our strategy of divesting non-core assets and growing our
partner network to better serve our customers," said Jacques Gr¨¦zaud, Country
Manager, Pacnet Singapore. "Pacnet has a long history serving thousands of SME
customers across the region. Our latest partnership will enable Green Packet
to support the highly demanding mobile data market in Singapore, enabling
consumers to enjoy world class WiMAX solutions."
According to Informa's 3G Wireless Broadband report, high speed mobile
subscriptions for Singapore's top three operators increased on average by
close to 150% in 2008-09 to 710,000 subscribers. And this growth is expected
to continue as subscribers move from home to personal broadband.
Green Packet's Group Managing Director and Group CEO, Mr. CC Puan said,
"P1's extension into Singapore is a first step towards the Company's mission
to build a multi-market, pan-regional footprint and to become South East
Asia's leading 4G WiMAX operator.
"P1 and Green Packet aim to deliver superior user experience for mobile
broadband access in any market. To this end, Singapore offers an excellent
reference platform and test-bed as an advanced market for us to develop
innovative seamless mobility technology and applications."
As part of the business strategy, P1's entry into Singapore is also
expected to deliver the immediate benefit and competitive proposition of
roaming for its subscribers. As an indication of the market size and demand
for roaming services, cross-border visitor arrivals between the two countries
totalled 11.65 million in 2008 according to tourism statistics.
Mr. Michael Lai, CEO of P1 Malaysia said, "Since we launched, we've worked
hard to build the P1 brand equity and to deliver superior service experience.
Our entry into Singapore to become a multi-market player will enable us to
offer a robust alternative to compliment mobile operators and create a
compelling proposition for both our individual and corporate customers via
roaming services. We look forward to bringing the P1 experience beyond
Malaysia further down south."
Mr. Lai added that Singapore presents a tremendous growth opportunity to
P1 due the Republic's advanced mobile data demand. The proximity to Malaysia
will also allow the Singapore operations to tap into the existing KL services
such as the billing systems, customer service support and so forth for
substantial CAPEX savings.
P1 Singapore would offer supplementary bandwidth to which existing telcos
could offload data traffic to minimize network congestion. It also plans to
bundle mobility to FTTH players to complement their services.
About Green Packet Berhad
Listed on the Main Board of the Malaysian Bourse, Green Packet Berhad's
("The Group") aims to be the visionary global leader providing best
connectivity to enrich lives. Bringing forth best-of-class technologies,
devices and services to simplify and enhance connectivity and communications,
The Group fulfills a wide array of targeted needs by employing its two key
business pillars of Products & Solutions and Converged Communications Services;
the latter via WiMAX operator and service provider arm, Packet One Networks
(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd; WiMAX global services, Packet One International Pte Ltd,
and provider of discounted and wholesale voice services via its Alternative
Voice Services group. For more information, visit: http://www.greenpacket.com
About Pacnet
Named "Company of the Year for Excellence in Growth" by Frost & Sullivan
in 2009 and "Best Wholesale Carrier" at the Telecom Asia Awards 2009, Pacnet
is Asia's leading independent telecommunications service provider, formed from
the operational merger of Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet. Pacnet owns and
operates EAC-C2C, the region's largest privately-owned submarine cable network
at 36,800 km, with a design capacity of 10.24 Tbps. The company offers a
comprehensive portfolio of industry leading IP-based solutions for carriers,
large enterprises and SMEs. Pacnet is headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore,
with offices in all key markets in Asia and North America. For more
information, please visit: http://www.pacnet.com
For more information about this press release please contact:
Pacnet Internet Corporation (S) Pte Ltd
Roland Lim
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel: +852-2121-2975
Fax: +852-2121-2929
Email: roland.lim@pacnet.com
Web: http://www.pacnet.com
Green Packet Berhad
Shirley Ah Yong
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel: +1-603-7450-8812
Fax: +1-603-7450-8899
Email: shirley.ahyong@greenpacket.com
Web: http://www.greenpacket.com
SOURCE Pacnet & Green Packet Berhad
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RELATED LINKS
http://www.pacnet.com
http://www.greenpacket.com