Notas de Imprensa

Alvarion's Brazilian Customer Taho Receives WCA Award For Service To Disadvantaged Communities

Brazilian ISP Brings Broadband Internet Access to Rio De Janeiro’s Poorest Sections 
 

Washington DC. & Tel – Aviv, Israel, January 17, 2002 – Alvarion Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALVR), a leading provider of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) solutions and the WCA (Wireless Communications Association International) today announced that Taho, a Brazilian ISP using Alvarion products, has received the prestigious WCA “Serving Underserved Communities” award at the 8th Annual Technical Symposium of the WCA held on the 14th-16th of January. The award was given in recognition of Taho’s participation in the Viva Favela project, which is bringing subsidized Internet access to Rio de Janeiro's poorest neighborhoods, thus fostering their educational and economic development.

Taho is a well-capitalized Brazilian ISP that is bringing high-speed Internet to small-to-medium sized cities throughout Brazil, especially in areas where no broadband access service is available. Taho’s network is based on Alvarion’s advanced BWA technology in the unlicensed 2.4GHz frequency band, which enables it to establish services rapidly and cost-effectively throughout its target areas.

According to research conducted by the Dell’Oro group, Alvarion is the clear market leader in the sub 11GHz field. Alvarion has installed more than three times as much BWA equipment in this category as its closest competitor, representing a 48% market share during the first three quarters of 2001.

Commenting on the news, Pablo Brenner, President of Taho, said, “One of Taho’s aims is to bring advanced telecommunications services and 24/7 Internet access within the means of average Brazilians wherever they live and work. Alvarion’s leading wireless solutions for ISPs, which enable us to bring services cost-effectively to outlying and densely populated regions, is critical for achieving our goals. We are proud to have been able to play a part in the Viva Favela project, which is working to improve the opportunities available to the poorest sectors of Brazilian society. Now, we are working to extend the Taho network to many other cities, with confidence that BWA demand will continue to build significantly.”

Zvi Slonimsky, CEO of Alvarion, added, “We commend Taho on its superb social action project, and are proud that it is based on our wireless technology. BWA is ideal for bringing Internet connectivity to many regions in Brazil which are either remote or lack the telecommunications infrastructure required to support high bandwidth services. As such, the availability of cost-effective BWA technology, based on the popular 2.4 GHz unlicensed band, is creating opportunities for entrepreneurial ISPs like Taho. We look forward to the completion of the Brazilian frequency tender process, which will expand the network options available for deploying BWA in this vast region.”

About Taho
Taho is a well-capitalized Wireless Internet Service Provider in Brazil which is bringing affordable high-speed Internet access to small-to-medium sized cities throughout Brazil. Using high-performance wireless technology, Taho offers its subscribers high-quality 24/7 Internet access, without requiring the use of dedicated telephone lines. Taho was established in 2001 by Brazilian former banker Luiz Cezar Fernandes (co-founder of Banco Pactual and Banco Garantia), Pablo Brenner (co-founder of Breezecom) and scientist Sergio Cabral with an initial investment of $20 million.

About Wireless Communications Association International (WCA)
Founded in 1988, the Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) is the principal non-profit trade association representing the wireless broadband industry. WCA membership, which includes the industry's leading carriers, vendors and consultants, has grown to over 530 member companies spanning six continents. The WCA's mission is to advance the interests of the industry's operators, equipment providers, and professional services firms. The products its members provide in all major world markets include wireless high-speed connectivity for data, voice, video and broadband Internet access services employing systems utilizing spectrum in licensed and unlicensed bands as well as Free Space Optics (FSO). For more information, please see the WCA’s website at www.wcai.com.

About Alvarion
Alvarion is a powerhouse of point-to-multipoint broadband wireless access (BWA) solutions for telecom carriers, service providers, and Enterprises worldwide. Alvarion’s systems are used to providee Internet access and voice and data services for subscribers in the last mile, as well as for cellular network feeding, building-to-building connectivity, and wireless local area networks (LANs).

Alvarion, which was formed by the merger of BreezeCOM and Floware, offers the broadest range of BWA solutions by market segment and frequency band. Its solutions are designed to address all carriers’ and service providers’ business models. With the combined market experience of its founding companies, a strong customer base, diversified distribution channels and field-proven deployments, Alvarion is the leading BWA pure-play provider for all types of end-users, from residential subscribers to business customers.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the current expectations or beliefs of Alvarion’s management and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: inability to further identify, develop and achieve success for new products, services and technologies; increased competition and its effect on pricing, spending, third-party relationships and revenues; as well as the inability to establish and maintain relationships with commerce, advertising, marketing, and technology providers and other risks detailed from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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