New Zealand : Woosh Wireless and IPWireless announced today that the New Zealand broadband service provider has placed an order for an additional 180 UMTS TDD base stations to expand its New Zealand network. Woosh will use the additional base stations to increase coverage for subscribers as well as to make the service available to new subscribers.

The expansion follows the new round of funding Woosh announced late last year and underscores the success that Woosh has had in New Zealand. The company continues to capture a significant share of new broadband subscribers in their initial markets and announced that they had passed the 10,000-subscriber mark this year. The company currently offers a range of products and services over its UMTS TDD network that is tailored for subscriber requirements for freedom of portability, high-speeds, or a competitive price.

"The customer response to our UMTS TDD-powered portable broadband network has been extremely positive," said Bob Smith, chief executive of Woosh Wireless.

In 2003, Woosh became the first company to deploy a major commercial UMTS TDD network, and they continue to be a leader in the mobile broadband services industry. In addition to offering the most compelling value proposition for New Zealand business and residential subscribers - true broadband speeds wherever they are in the service area, for less than the cost of DSL - Woosh plans to bring a range of innovative services to market. The company is also planning to be one of the first providers globally to offer wireless voice over IP, further enhancing value and performance for its subscribers.

"Woosh continues to be one of the foremost leaders in mobile broadband globally, and their success is attracting the interest of operators around the world who understand that the opportunity for mobile broadband services exists today," said Chris Gilbert, chief executive officer, IPWireless. "The expansion order not only ensures that Woosh is creating a robust, reliable mobile broadband network that will improve the lives of thousands of users, it proves that consumers are attracted to the services, convenience, and performance that only UMTS TDD can offer."

Already commercially deployed and used by tens of thousands subscribers in several countries around the world, including Australia, Germany, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, TD-CDMA has emerged as a leading standard globally for mobile broadband. TD-CDMA networks have the highest average sector capacity, the strongest cell edge performance, and the lowest cost per megabit of any standards-based mobile technology available today.