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June 17, 2010

Burco Picks Aptilo WiMAX CSN System for eWiMAX Service Deployment

By Shamila Janakiraman
TMCnet Contributor

Burco Electronic Systems Ltd., an ISP and IT solutions provider in Malawi, has selected the Aptilo WiMAX (News - Alert) CSN System for deploying its eWiMAX service, a 16e-based broadband Internet service.

Aptilo Networks specializes in providing an integrated solution for control of billing, user services and providing access to wireless networks including WiMAX and Wi-Fi. Burco’s eWiMAX service is now available for residential and enterprise customers in the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe. The service will include mobile Internet browsing at high speeds.

The deployment will be fully based on the WiMAX Forum (News - Alert) NWG standard which allows Burco to leverage a multi-vendor approach for building their network with optimized components. The network makes use of radio equipment from RuggedCom, ASN Gateways from WiChorus (News - Alert) besides including various wireless network equipment from many other device manufacturers.

The low cost devices used here have helped Burco expand into the residential market also besides leveraging the costly satellite backhaul links during off-business hours.

In a release Dave Varndell, Managing Director of Burco said, “We decided from the start that going for a vendor-independent full WiMAX Forum NWG-compliant network design was the only way for us, in order to minimize risks and ensure a healthy competition among vendors.”

Varndell added that the natural choice of WiMAX AAA vendor was Aptilo as they are delivering a more complete CSN solution which also works seamlessly with most vendors.

Aptilo’s Policy Control functionality is important for Burco, as it offers international connectivity to landlocked Malawi. Burco is using a differentiated charging structure for controlling bandwidth for use between residential customers. This enables lower prices after office hours and businesses will have enough bandwidth allocation during the day.

“We are impressed to see how a local operator like Burco is one of the first in the world to deploy a truly vendor-independent network architecture according to the latest standards,” said Torbjorn Ward, CEO, Aptilo Networks (News - Alert).

Ward added, “Africa is a strong region for WiMAX in general and for us in particular as many operators appreciate our pre-integrated approach where the benefits of implementing a complete solution, rather than taking a piecemeal approach, are significant.”

Aptilo sources added that the voucher management functionality will be integrated with ATM machines through its unique voucher codes for different banks’ systems. End-users will be able to refill their prepaid accounts via the ATM system, which is a method commonly used by consumers in Malawi to pay bills.
 

Shamila Janakiraman is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Shamila’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Patrick Barnard


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