green packet networks to launch operations in ksa amidst strong ict growth
the scalable son products, designed for telcos, enterprises and mobile work groups, will address the demand for flexible communications infrastructure in the ksa
Green Packet Networks (GPN), a leading broadband wireless technology provider and Next Generation mobile solutions developer, has announced its plans to launch a range of Self Organising Network (SON) wireless products in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA or Saudi Arabia or Saudi) in the near future, in a move that will provide advanced communications facilities to support the increasing mobility of the Saudi public.
The scalable SON products, designed for Telcos, enterprises and mobile work groups, will address the demand for flexible communications infrastructure in the KSA, which has been fuelled by strong ICT growth. According to the most recent statistics from Madar Research, internet users in the KSA reached more than 4.86 million in 2006, with the penetration rate of mobile phone subscribers measuring 56.59 per cent, totalling 13 million.
The global company, which launched its Bahrain-based operations in February 2007, has also recently introduced its SON product range in the UAE that offers flexible multimedia and VoIP services, based on cost effective, fast and reliable technology that is independent of the backbone infrastructure.
Dr. Ali Al Mashat, Chairman of GPN and the former founding CEO of the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation (ARABSAT), said, “We have decided to expand our operations in Saudi Arabia as our advanced integrated wireless solutions are perfectly equipped to address the limitations of the existing wireless infrastructure in the country. Saudi-based professionals are becoming much more mobile, and market research indicates that they want their communications devices to support their mobility.”
“We aim to establish strong channel partners in the country to support our exploration of potential solutions designed to enhance the communication landscape. Following our previous successful launches, we are expecting a strong growth pattern to emerge in Saudi as well,” Dr. Al Mashat added.
Green Packet Berhad, a joint venture partner of GPN together with Saudi Economic Development Company (SEDCO), was listed on the Malaysian stock exchange in May 2005. The popularity of the three (3) major products, the SONaccess, the SONbuddy, and the SONmetro, encouraged the company to launch its MENA operations in May 2007.
The SONmetro solution, designed for metropolitan coverage, is an innovative mesh-network solution over Wi-Fi that provides the ultimate wireless broadband experience using technology that adapts to available transmission opportunities. This enables the provision of wireless broadband connectivity at GSM type coverage with DSL/Cable data speeds and high speed mobility at a cost substantially lower than most wireless solutions.
The SONaccess solution is designed to enable fixed-mobile convergence by presenting an integrated solution for secure seamless roaming between different WLAN networks, and between WLAN and wide-area 2.5G/3G networks. Its primary feature is the concurrent delivery of all media types, such as voice, data and video, independent of location and network type. The solution can be offered by Telcos directly to end users or by enterprise to its own workers as an extended mobile VPN.
GPN also plans to introduce the SONaccess Unified Mobility Solution (UMS) in Saudi Arabia, to specifically target the Telco/ISP market, in addition to the SONaccess Office Unlimited Solution (OUS) and the Mobile Enterprise Solution (MEP), to tap into the enterprise markets.
SONbuddy is a software platform that is designed to enable any Wi-Fi equipped device to form a spontaneous SON, without the need for an access point or other wireless infrastructure. All the users within the SON can communicate with each other using built-in applications like VoIP, Instant Messaging, File Exchange and Screen Sharing. SONbuddy, which is suitable for either corporate or individual users, enables users to establish a wireless network in only minutes.
“We are offering broadband wireless solutions and services that are cheaper, faster and more reliable to end users in the region, as the combination of technologies used in our products incorporate the changing dynamics of the marketplace,” Dr. Al Mashat concluded.
