Profitable Business Model for Delivering Cellular Services to Remote Communities to be presented during Mobile Asia Congress

Altobridge, nominated finalist in GSMA Mobile Innovation Grand Prix – APAC Tournament, to present its Remote Community solution in the Innovation Zone

Hong Kong, 17 November 2009 – Leading provider of cost-effective wireless solutions, Altobridge, has been nominated as one of only five finalists in the GSMA’s Mobile Innovation Grand Prix – APAC Tournament. The nomination is a result of the pioneering and breakthrough technology behind the company’s Remote Community solution, and its successful, profitable, commercial operations with mobile network operators (MNOs) in Asia and ongoing deployments in Africa and Latin America.

As a finalist, Altobridge will present its Remote Community solution at the Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong, 18-19 November. The presentation, entitled: “GSM Expansion into Small Remote Communities – A Technical, Commercial and Operational Solution”, will be delivered by Altobridge’s General Manager for Asia, Peter Tuomey, on Wednesday 18 November in the Innovation Zone (S426 – 1st Floor) between 1415-1515hrs.

The paper will look at the Remote Community solution technologies, how they overcome the barriers which have faced MNOs until now, such as the high costs of transmission bandwidth, and will present the reasons why small remote communities become viable market segments for MNOs using this solution.  Monthly ARPUs achievable will be discussed using actual case study examples from the company’s deployments with Malaysian MNO, Maxis, which has been actively supplying profitable cellular services to small, remote user groups of less than 1,000 people using Altobridge technologies since 2007.

Altobridge’s Peter Tuomey, said, “The ongoing commercial success of our solution with Maxis is proof of the generous ARPUs that can be achieved within small remote user groups and the viable business model it presents to MNOs.

“Our Remote Community solution is, without doubt, set to change the lives of people living and working in small communities in the remotest parts of the world and we are delighted it has been recognised in this prestigious, objective, industry awards process.”

The five finalist presentations will be reviewed by a judging panel comprised of senior executives from mobile operators and venture capital firms, including representatives from: Swisscom Ventures, Telecom Italia, Intel Capital, Orange, and Belgacom ICS. Two overall winners will win a trip to compete for the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix title, part of the GSMA’s Global Mobile Awards, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2010.