In-building GSM subsidiary ip.access provided one of the few bright spots in a sluggish set of results from TTP Communications.
The nano-GSM player, which markets in-building GSM base stations to mobile operators, recorded half year revenues of £924,000 against 2002 sales of £156,000. The business unit turned an operating loss of £2.1million, roughly equivalent to the previous year. Overall TTPCom’s results were down 7% to £21.1million for the six months ended September 2003.
Ip.access’ built on its revenue growth with the award of a contract from T-Mobile USA to supply its nanoGSM products, including basestations, basestation controllers and management systems, for use in T-Mobile USA’s network nationwide.
The solution uses a building’s existing Ethernet infrastructure to distribute basestations very easily around the building. The use of IP also simplifies and cost-reduces the backhaul connection.
“The ip.access solution is attractive from a number of viewpoints, not least of which is its use of IP, permitting a variety of cost-effective options for backhaul as well as enabling T-Mobile to improve coverage inside buildings simply and efficiently” said Tim Wong, CTO and Executive VP, T-Mobile.
Stephen Mallinson, Managing Director, ip.access added, “We are obviously delighted with this contract and see it as evidence of our ability to provide high quality, commercially-attractive solutions to major mobile network operators.”
Mallinson told Mobile Europe that the company was gaining some success with carriers who are interested in providing competitive services in a corporate environment, and taking revenue from a fixed line carrier.
“But if mobile doesn’t work [in the office] there can’t be a service.
“A corporation is not going to give its voice business to a mobile carrier if the phones don’t work in the office. And carriers need to have ways of providing coverage and capacity to help them compete and we’ve got the solution to help them do that. We are able to provide service wherever IP is delivered. The backhaul costs are a lot of the implementation cost and with increasing broadband connectivity it is making it relatively easy for a company to try the technology out.
“Carriers want to have a product that helps solve difficulties in the market. Indoor coverage is one of those, and we would like to be the dominant supplier,” Mallinson added.