Contact Information: For Investment and Media Inquiries, contact: Airspan Networks Peter Aronstam Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Airspan Networks, Inc. Tel: +1 561 893-8682 Fax: +1 561 893-8681 Email: Email Contact TW-AIRNET Daniel Chang Email: Email Contact
TW-Airnet Deploys Airspan MicroMAX Network in Taiwan
Planning for Multi-City Deployment of WiMAX(TM)
| Source: Airspan Networks, Inc.
BOCA RATON, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 15, 2006 -- Airspan Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ : AIRN ), a
leading worldwide provider of WiMAX Forum Certified™ broadband wireless
access solutions, and carrier-class Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP)
and Wi-Fi Hotzone systems, today announced that TW-Airnet of Taiwan has
chosen Airspan's MicroMAX family of WiMAX™ products to launch
WiMAX-based services in Taiwan.
TW-Airnet is part of the Chunghwa United Telecom Group ("CHUT") of
companies, which was founded in 2000 to further the development of Taiwan's
telecom technology industry. As an innovative leader in the industry, CHUT
adopted wireless technologies in 2002, and today has the broadest wireless
broadband coverage among telecom operators in Taiwan. TW-Airnet started as
a pre-paid calling card company and quickly gained an outstanding technical
and customer service reputation in the telecom industry. Today, the company
provides customers with wireless Internet access, ADSL, and the MOD system,
a home entertainment set top box with home-banking service capabilities.
Focused on enhancing its leading position in internet service and broadband
access, TW-Airnet has selected Airspan for deployment of a WiMAX™
network in the 5.8GHz band in 11 Taiwanese cities. TW-Airnet will use
Chu-I Enterprise as its technology integration partner on this project. The
initial deployment in Kinmen Island and Taichung City commenced in the
first half of 2006.
Airspan's WiMAX™ products and services will be a key component of
TW-Airnet's broadband wireless architecture. By selecting Airspan's
MicroMAX base stations, TW-Airnet will be able to deliver new and
innovative Internet access, VoIP and multimedia services to its customers
with greater speed. TW-Airnet will also improve its operational and capital
expenditure efficiencies while advancing the network technology and service
control that it and its customers need for long-term business success.
"Competition in Taiwan's broadband market has been increasingly intense
since liberalization. It is therefore very important for TW-Airnet to
maintain its leadership position in the market. We can do so only if we use
a solution like Airspan's, which gives us the most scalable and
cost-effective tool for deployments in diverse geographical environments
and enables us to create a bundled service offering for our subscribers,"
said Mr. Chen, Ching-Chin, Chairman of CHUT. "Airspan's MicroMAX solution
is high-performance,
cost-effective and easy to manage. It will further help us maintain our
leading status by providing better services to our customers throughout our
network."
"Airspan is delighted to have been chosen by Taiwan's largest and most
experienced broadband operator to enhance its services and expand its
footprint," said Henrik Smith-Petersen, Airspan's President Asia Pacific.
"With the broadest portfolio of WiMAX Forum Certified™ products
currently in the market, Airspan has an in-depth understanding of different
geographies and customer needs in diverse markets. Our WiMAX™
technologies, already field-proven in more than 60 countries, will
certainly bring benefits to TW-Airnet's expansion."
Airspan first announced the launch of its MicroMAX base station in March
2006 in the 3.5GHz FDD band. The base station is based on the
high-performance SQN2010 WiMAX Forum Certified™ base station system
design of Sequans, and was the first cost-optimized, pay-as-you-grow
WiMAX™ solution available in the market place. It offers service
providers and network operators a unique value proposition of very high
performance at an affordable price point. In October 2006 Airspan
introduced MicroMAX in the 5.8GHz TDD WiMAX™ profile. The company will
add MicroMAX frequencies in the 3.3-3.4GHz TDD band by year's end.
The MicroMAX is Airspan's third AS.MAX base station, the others being
MacroMAX and HiperMAX. MicroMAX complements the larger WiMAX™ base
stations by being optimized for lower density deployment, such as rural
areas, in-fill for coverage holes in Wireless, DSL and cable networks,
Enterprise solutions and Public Safety applications.
WiMAX™, WiMAX Forum™ and WiMAX Forum Certified™ are trademarks of
the WiMAX Forum.
About TW-Airnet Ltd.
TW-AIRNET, which is part of the Chunghwa United Telecom Group ("CHUT"), was
founded in December, 2002. TW-AIRNET dedicates its focus to broadband
business, including telecommunication, information, and internet network
business. Via integrated knowledge and technology such as huge power
redundant systems, network monitoring platforms and network operation
centers, 24-hour network maintenance stations, advanced data center
environments, and Super UPS, TW-AIRNET aims to satisfy end user's multiple
needs and provide a robust total solution. As a pioneer in Taiwan's
telecom technology industry, TW-AIRNET offers data, multi-media, video and
voice services and other applications on IP and ATM thru its 2,000
transmission points around Taiwan's biggest five cities -- Taipei, Taoyuan,
Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. TW-AIRNET also integrated several
international companies, including NCIC, FAREASTONE, Hwanan Bank, Cisco,
and above all, Airspan, into its network with a view to sharing resources
and creating reciprocal benefits. Using this platform, TW-AIRNET has
partnered with domestic enterprises and government, and provides them with
a wireless service platform for diverse use. With Value Added services
such as wireless internet, VOIP, IPTV, Video conference, voice messaging,
MVNO, and IP-PBX AND Intelligent Building solution, TW-AIRNET enhances the
convenience of digital life island wide and leads the telecommunication
revolution.
More information can be found at http://www.tw-airnet.net
About Airspan Networks, Inc.
Airspan Networks provides fixed and wireless voice and data systems and
solutions, including Voice Over IP (VoIP). Its wireless products serve
operators around the world in both licensed and unlicensed frequency bands
between 700 MHz and 6 GHz, including both PCS and 3.5GHz international
bands. Airspan has a strong wireless product roadmap that includes products
meeting 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards, and WiMAX Forum Certified™
equipment that includes software upgradeability to the Mobile WiMAX™
802.16e-2005 standard. Airspan is on the Board and is a founder member of
the WiMAX Forum and a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Company has
deployments in more than 100 countries with more than 400 operators, 100 of
which use Airspan's WiMAX Forum Certified™ and non-certified products.
Airspan's wireless systems are based on radio technology that delivers
excellent area coverage, high security and resistance to fading. These
systems can be deployed rapidly and cost effectively, providing an
attractive alternative to traditional wired communications networks.
Airspan's AS.TONE VoIP system is a carrier class, turnkey solution that
provides carriers with Class 4, Class 5 and IP-Centrex solutions and has a
Softswitch and Gateways supporting SIP/H323 and SIP. AS.Tone's design
provides customers, carriers, next-generation telcos, cellular providers
and ITSP with a wide range of solutions with the best price/performance
system for IP telephony. Airspan also offers radio planning, network
installation, integration, training and support services to facilitate the
deployment and operation of its systems. Airspan is headquartered in Boca
Raton, Florida with its main operations center in Uxbridge, United Kingdom.
More information on Airspan can be found at http://www.airspan.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of
historical facts, including statements regarding our strategy, future
operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs,
prospects, plans and objectives of management, may be deemed to be
forward-looking statements. The words "anticipates," "believes,"
"estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "projects," "will,"
"would" and similar expressions or negative variations thereof are intended
to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve
the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking
statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking
statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual
results or events to differ materially from the plans, intentions and
expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. Investors
and others are therefore cautioned that a variety of factors, including
certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ
materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These
risk factors include, without limitation, (i) a slowdown of expenditures by
communication service providers; (ii) increased competition from
alternative communication systems; (iii) the failure of our existing or
prospective customers to purchase products as projected; (iv) our inability
to successfully implement cost reduction or containment programs; (v) the
potential loss of Axtel and Yozan as our largest customers; and specific to
this press release, (vi) our potential inability to locate and secure
additional sources of capital at the time and in the amount needed; (vii)
the possibility that Yozan will materially delay or cancel future equipment
orders; (viii) our inability to cancel certain component orders and/or to
use or sell any excess inventory we accumulate as a result of the Yozan
contract amendment; (ix) disruption to our operations in Israel, includingthe absence of employees due to required military service caused by
political and military tensions in Israel and the Middle East; and (x)
specific to this press release, our ability to manufacture and deliver
AS.MAX products to TW-Airnet, and TW-Airnet's ability to successfully
deploy and operate the AS.MAX products. The Company is subject to the risks
and uncertainties described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 31
December, 2005 and on its Form 10-Q for the quarters ended April 2, 2006,
July 2, 2006 and October 1, 2006. You should read those factors as being
applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear
in this press release. We do not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.