Norby Telecom is expanding to Latvia and Lithuania with the support of IBM

Norby Telecom AS, the biggest wireless WiMAX Internet operator in the Baltic States signed a hardware outsource contract with IBM according to which IBM will start to organize the installation, logistics, maintenance and guarantee of the Norby WiMAX equipment in the Baltic States. In the near future, it is planned in cooperation with IBM to establish extensive WiMAX Internet coverage areas to Latvia and Lithuania.

“The contract signed between Norby Telecom and IBM is unique because before no full-outsource contracts between a telecommunication and a hardware manufacturer to such an extent have been signed,” said Oleg Shvaikovsky, Chairman of the Board of Norby Telecom AS. “Being a telecommunications company we no longer have to deal with the resale, installation or maintenance of hardware, instead we can concentrate on the main field of activity – offering fast data communication solutions and high-level IP telephone service in the Baltic States.”

Valdo Randpere, Managing Director of IBM Eesti OÜ, noted that for IBM the cooperation with Norby means innovation and support to a mobile lifestyle. “Using the IBM service resource, Norby can install the new WiMAX customer equipment considerably faster,“ explained Randpere. “Wireless Internet makes Internet available both at work and at home and also during spare time – the extent of the revolution may be compared to the retreat of a traditional telephone and the triumph of a mobile phone. Modern human being wants to use every moment in a rational way, IBM wants to help the human being in doing so.”

Norby Telecom is the operator of the first and the biggest WiMAX coverage area in the Baltic States who by today has covered 17 000 square kilometres in Estonia with the WiMAX Internet. By the end of this year, when the establishment of all-Estonian WiMAX coverage area is completed, Norby has covered more than 40% of Estonia. “No doubt that by the end of this year, Estonia will be the most “Wimaxated” country in the world, because over 75% of Estonia will be covered with wireless Internet of different operators,” added Oleg Shvaikovsky.

Norby Telecom AS (www.norby.ee), a telecommunications company based on Estonian capital, offers in the Baltic States innovative and flexible communication solutions starting from private individuals up to big companies. Main fields of activity of Norby Telecom are the IP telephone service and the linking of service with existing information systems, a wireless WiMAX Internet with a broad coverage area and data communication solutions with high transmission capacity. Norby Telecom is the operator of the first and the biggest WiMAX in the Baltic States. By the end of this year, the majority of Estonian area will be covered with Norby WiMAX Internet.

IBM (www.ibm.com) is the biggest IT company in the world the 2004 turnover of which was 96,3 billion dollars. IBM offers hardware and software and different IT services; over 320 000 people work for the company all over the world. IBM Eesti OÜ is operating since 1992; there are 47 employees in the company. IBM is also the biggest provider of IT administrative services in the world. In the Baltic States and the Nordic countries the customers of the IBM administrative service are e.g. ABB, Electrolux, Nordea, Nokia. The IBM international services’ monitoring centre is situated in Estonia that also provides services for the Nordic countries.