PR releases

Pipex Wireless to trial new WiMAX product set

Working with National Grid Wireless, Intel® Solutions Services and Warwick District Council, Pipex Wireless launches second commercial trial

Pipex Wireless is to launch a second commercial trial of its WiMAX services, working with National Grid Wireless, Warwick District Council and Intel® Solutions Services. The trial will involve three sites in the Leamington Spa and Warwick area, and will deliver products including; leased line replacement, voice over IP, home workers broadband and dedicated broadband connectivity using WiMAX.

As the UK’s first wireless solutions provider to launch WiMAX services - with Milton Keynes currently being implemented - Pipex Wireless intends to initially deliver trial services to Warwick District Council and subsequently approach businesses and home-users in the Warwick area. The trial network will be commissioned in Q2/07 and the trial will run for six months. Other towns and cities are planned for deployment later in 2007.

High-speed broadband will be delivered over Airspan’s HiperMAX WiMAX base stations, one of which will be located at the National Grid Wireless’ headquarters in southern Warwick. Intel Solutions Services is working with the council providing support for the introduction of wireless and other technologies, and evaluating performance.

Chris Elliott, Chief Executive, Warwick District Council, comments, "Attracting the latest wireless broadband and voice services to the area is great news. We are looking to make the District a technologically advanced area to live and do business in. Working with Pipex Wireless on this trial and beyond is a vitally important step to achieve this aim."

Stephen Marshall, CEO National Grid Wireless, says, "We are pleased to be working with both Warwick District Council and Pipex Wireless to deliver WiMAX services in our home town. Our business is founded on the delivery of infrastructure and managed service solutions to the wireless and broadcast industry, and we believe the roll out of wireless broadband networks will be complementary to the wide range of technologies already deployed by our organisation."

Mike Read, CEO, Pipex Wireless, adds, "Following the initial success of our Milton Keynes trial, we are delighted to expand our WiMAX services into new towns and cities in the UK. Working with National Grid Wireless and Warwick District Council further develops our wireless capability and we are looking forward to more organisations, businesses and consumers using WiMAX."

ENDS

About Warwick District Council

The District Council serves a population of over 140,000, covering the main towns of Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick and Kenilworth. An annual budget of £113.5m is managed by four main departments with responsibility for services including Planning, Environmental Health, Leisure and Housing.

Home to Stoneleigh Park (National Agricultural Centre), Coventry Airport, Pro Drive F1 and Roccaro, the area has an enviable attraction for prestigious business development, including leading gaming software developers.

The Council has consistently taken an innovative, partnership approach to developing and implementing new IT solutions. Our clear aim is to provide the highest quality services to our customers. Integral to this is equipping our staff with cost effective technology, maximising potential savings and taking full advantage of recent technological developments.

Currently rated as ‘Excellent’ by the Audit Commission’s Comprehensive Performance Assessment, the Council is placed in the top 10% nationally, and as the best District in the Midlands.

For further details please see: www.warwickdc.gov.uk

About Intel® Solution Services
Intel® Solution Services is Intel Corporation's worldwide consulting organisation, focused on driving business transformation and competitive advantage to companies through the practical application of new technologies.

About National Grid Wireless

National Grid Wireless is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid and is the leading independent provider of infrastructure to the mobile telecommunications operators in the UK.

National Grid Wireless is also one of two UK providers of terrestrial infrastructure for the transmission of analogue and digital television and radio broadcasts in the UK and as such achieves a 98% population coverage. In addition to the traditional analogue services, National Grid Wireless has a strong position in the growing digital television market, owning two of the six digital terrestrial television licences and providing infrastructure services to all the Freeview channels and the BBC and BSkyB.

About Pipex Communications plc

Pipex is a multiple award-winning provider of integrated telecommunications and Internet services. With a broad customer base including small/home-offices and blue chip companies, Pipex provides a comprehensive range of consumer, business and corporate voice, broadband, security domain name registration and shared and dedicated hosting solutions.

Pipex’s focus is simple: enabling businesses and consumers to achieve their aspirations through proven communications services and emerging technologies. This is achieved through an extensive portfolio of high-speed Internet connectivity, managed services and hosting, security and voice products - combining exceptional performance, innovation and a commitment to customer service.

Owning one of the UK’s most extensive communication networks, Pipex boasts more than 100 Points of Presence (PoPs) nationwide. In addition, state-of-the-art data centres, which are manned and monitored 24x7, ensure the security of Pipex’s customers’ business critical applications. Its commitment to investing in its technology infrastructure ensures that Pipex continues to deliver the most scalable, resilient, secure and reliable services.

For further information please visit www.pipex.com