Teligent Partners With Mannesmann Arcor to Offer Fixed Wireless Services
In Germany
VIENNA, Va., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ -- Teligent, a global leader in fixed wireless communications, today announced a partnership with Mannesmann Arcor AG & Co., the telecommunications subsidiary of industrial giant Mannesmann AG, to offer fixed wireless communications services in Germany.
The joint venture will build and operate fixed wireless networks using the 26 GHz spectrum licenses awarded to Teligent's German subsidiary and the 3.5GHz and 26 GHz licenses awarded to Mannesmann Arcor. The licenses cover business centers near such major markets as Berlin, Bonn, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Mainz, offering access to more than one million businesses. The joint venture plans to apply for additional German licenses in the upcoming regulatory award process.
"The Teligent-Mannesmann Arcor partnership combines the strengths of two industry leaders," said Teligent Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alex J. Mandl. "We're very excited about this opportunity to serve a rapidly growing customer base in Europe's largest telecommunications market."
As the second largest telecommunications provider in Germany, Mannesmann Arcor has built a fiber optic backbone that stretches more than 4,200 miles throughout the country. The fiber backbone is supported by 23 broadband switching centers and 6,600 employees. In addition, Mannesmann Arcor has developed international transmission capabilities that extend its network reach to Italy, the United States, France and Austria.
"Our alliance with Teligent will enable us to enhance our fixed wireless network in Germany," said Harald Stober, Chairman of the Management Board of Mannesmann Arcor.
"It also means that even this year, we will be able to win a wide range of new customers in Germany," said Stober. "Our alliance with Teligent marks a continuation of our strategy to rapidly offer local network services - including fixed wireless communications."
Mannesmann Arcor is a 70 percent owned subsidiary of Mannesmann AG, the Dusseldorf-based multinational that has leading positions in its core business fields of telecommunications, engineering, automotive and other industrial products. Mannesmann set up the first private mobile communications network in Germany.
Under the terms of the agreement, Teligent will have a 45 percent stake in the joint venture. Mannesmann Arcor will own the remaining 55 percent. The board of directors will comprise two voting positions from Teligent and three voting positions from Mannesmann Arcor. Headquarters for the joint venture will be located in the Frankfurt area.
The new partnership will leverage Mannesmann Arcor's existing network infrastructure to quickly deliver services to German customers. Planning for the joint venture's fixed wireless networks in the 26 GHz band already is underway. Build out of the 3.5 GHz band will follow the 26 GHz network deployment. The build out of the licenses will be in full accordance with the German telecommunications regulatory authority license award process.
Mannesmann Arcor and Teligent plan to deliver the full range of Arcor's advanced voice and data services featuring Teligent's digital SmartWave(TM) technology to small and mid-sized businesses across Germany.
"The joint venture brings together Mannesmann Arcor's strong presence in Germany, robust network infrastructure and surging customer demand for bandwidth with Teligent's internationally recognized technical, field and product expertise in fixed wireless communications," said Teligent International President Richard J. Hanna.
Today's announcement comes less than two weeks after Teligent announced a partnership with Louis Dreyfus Group and Artemis to seek licenses and develop a fixed wireless business in France and less than one month after a partnership of Teligent, HKNet and CCT Telecom won a market-wide license to provide fixed wireless services in Hong Kong. Teligent also has applied for spectrum licenses in Spain with Jazztel, and is exploring other opportunities in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
In the United States, Teligent launched new local communications networks in 40 major U.S. markets in 14 months. Teligent's SmartWave networks deliver high bandwidth, low cost local, long distance, Internet and data services and serve more than 10,000 small and mid-sized business customers.
Teligent's U.S. service territory encompasses more than 580 cities and towns with a combined population of more than 100 million. More than 80 of those cities have populations of 100,000 or more.
Teligent's local communications networks represent the marriage of the latest advances in high-frequency microwave technology with traditional broadband wireline equipment. The integration of these technologies enables Teligent to increase its local network efficiency and significantly lower network costs.
About fixed wireless technology
Teligent delivers fixed wireless services by installing small antennas on the roofs of customer buildings. When a customer makes a telephone call or accesses the Internet, the voice, data or video signals travel over the building's internal wiring to the rooftop antenna. These signals are then digitized and transmitted to a "base station" antenna on another building, usually less than three miles away. Each base station antenna gathers signals from a cluster of surrounding customer buildings, aggregates the signals and then routes them to a broadband switching center.
At the switching center, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switches and data routers distribute the traffic to other networks, such as public circuit- switched voice networks, packet-switched Internet and private data networks.
About Mannesmann Arcor
Based in Frankfurt, Mannesmann Arcor AG & Co. is the second largest telecommunications provider in Germany. With its own Germany-wide voice and data network, Arcor uses the latest technologies to offer its clients a full range of services for voice, data and image as well as video and multimedia transfer. Since September 1999, Arcor offers complete ISDN connection services in the ten largest cities in Germany and is expanding these services to more than 40 cities this year. The main shareholders in Mannesmann Arcor are Mannesmann AG and Deutsche Bahn AG.
For more information, visit the Arcor website at: www.arcor.net
About Teligent
Based in Vienna, Va., Teligent, Inc. (Nasdaq: TGNT) is a full-service, integrated communications company that is offering small and medium-sized business customers local, long distance, high-speed data and dedicated Internet services over its digital SmartWave local networks in 40 major markets throughout the United States. Teligent's offerings of regulated services are subject to all applicable regulatory and tariff approvals.
For more information, visit the Teligent website at: www.teligent.com
Teligent and SmartWave are the exclusive trademarks of Teligent, Inc.
Except for any historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that reflect the company's current views regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could affect the company's growth, operations, markets, products and services. The company cannot be sure that any of its expectations will be realized. Factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those contemplated by its forward looking statements include, without limitation: 1) The negotiation and execution of the definitive agreements with respect to the joint venture; 2) The receipt of all required approvals and consents from governmental authorities; 3) The merger of Mannesmann AG and Vodafone Airtouch PLC; 4) The company's pace of entry into new markets; 5) The time and expense required to build the company's planned network and ISP infrastructure; 6) The impact of changes in telecommunications laws and regulations; 7) General economic and competitive conditions; 8) Technological developments; 9) Other factors discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SOURCE Teligent, Inc.
CONTACT: Sheila S. Blackwell, Voice: 703-762-5540, Pager: 888-687-9528,
or Investors: Michael S. Kraft, Voice: 703-762-5359, Pager:
800-981-5994, both of Teligent, Inc
Web site: http://www.arcor.net
Web site: http://www.teligent.com