NetAmerica Alliance Member Goes Live With 4G LTE Service in Texas

DALLAS, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NetAmerica Alliance, LLC today announced that Peoples Telephone Cooperative (an Alliance Member) has begun offering 4G LTE data service in rural Texas.  This marks a milestone in NetAmerica's journey to revitalize rural America by empowering the delivery of lifestyle and livelihood enhancing 4G LTE solutions through its alliance of independent carriers.

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Peoples Telephone Cooperative became an Alliance Member in 2010 and immediately took on the critical role as one of the Alliance's lead projects. Peoples took advantage of the services offered by NetAmerica to cost effectively build out their network, support their services, and gain access to leading edge 4G LTE customer devices.  As a first step to a wider offering of service, Peoples replaced its fixed wireless WiMax offering with 4G LTE running on their 700MHz license.  They are using the NetAmerica Alliance's UniPort Home Gateway which offers both wired Ethernet and Wi-Fi within the home while connecting over broadband wireless to Peoples' newly deployed 4G LTE network.  Access to customer premise devices such as the UniPort came through the technology partnership with Ericsson which NetAmerica announced last spring.  The initial turn-up of service moved over 200 residential users from WiMax to 4G LTE in eastern Texas.

"Peoples Telephone Cooperative has experienced the power of being an Alliance Member," said Roger Hutton, Chairman and CEO of NetAmerica. "In addition to purchasing power and access to 4G LTE devices like the UniPort, they have, more importantly, been able to benefit from the shared experience of working with other Alliance Members in our 4G LTE pilot network and with Alliance support staff which has allowed them and us to develop the processes and experience necessary to deploy services efficiently and effectively."

"We needed to move from WiMax to 4G LTE in order to improve our service offering and to give us a path to the future," said Steven Steele, Assistant General Manager at Peoples Telephone Cooperative. "Early on we made the decision that 4G LTE was key to the future of our company and more importantly to the lives of the people we serve.  We also believed that the deployment and delivery of that service is something we could do more cost effectively as part of a larger group of communications companies and joining the Alliance has certainly proven that to be correct."

About NetAmerica Alliance, LLC

NetAmerica Alliance, LLC is an alliance of independent carriers, led by an experienced management team, who have joined forces to build-out 4G LTE service in the carriers' license coverage areas.  Through the Alliance, members gain collective strength and cost advantages comparable to that of large carriers.  In effect, many separate operating entities essentially become one, while maintaining their independence.

NetAmerica provides advanced multi-media IP services, buying power, nationwide branding, marketing and training programs, a network operations center, key networking elements, applications development and nationwide roaming arrangements.  Members run the network in their own territories, while NetAmerica empowers advanced revenue generating services and provides the critical mass and economies of scale needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. Website: www.netAmericaAlliance.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance.

Press Contact:
Chuck Harris
NetAmerica Alliance, LLC
954-654-5152 (mobile)
[email protected]
www.netAmericaAlliance.com

SOURCE NetAmerica Alliance, LLC