Intel Capital and MCI have invested in Bulgarian WiMAX operator Nexcom

“Nexcom was the first operator in Bulgaria to deliver WiMAX-based voice and Internet services” said Chris Haller, co-founder and Chairman of Nexcom. “Over the next 12 months, Nexcom plans to continue rapid deployment of its national WiMAX network, providing bundled voice and Internet services in 24 Bulgarian cities and resort towns.” Added Emil Nikolov, co-founder and CEO of Nexcom, ”Our existing national IP infrastructure, mature sales, distribution network and interconnectivity with national and international carriers all give us a significant advantage over other would-be competitors. We believe that with this investment from Intel Capital and MCI, we will solidify Nexcom’s position as the main WiMAX operator in the Bulgarian market.”

Nexcom Bulgaria EAD has been a leading provider of alternative telecommunications services in the Bulgarian market since 1998. In 2005, Nexcom won a tender for a national WiMAX frequency and is in the process of building out the first Bulgarian WiMAX-based wireless Internet and voice network.

Nexcom earlier this year launched commercial WiMAX-based voice and Internet services in Sofia, the rapidly expanding resort town of Bansko, and in a number of resort towns along the coastline of the Black Sea. As a result of Nexcom’s positive brand equity and the insufficient development of the telecommunications infrastructure in many underserved areas in Bulgaria, the company has already signed contracts with numerous large corporate accounts interested in receiving Nexcom’s services.

“Strong demand for wireless telecommunication services in the Bulgarian market, excellent executive team of Nexcom, technological and marketing support of Intel and MCI expertise in developing technology businesses lay foundations for the future success of the company,” said Bogdan Wiśniewski, Partner, MCI.

“We are pleased to initiate our investment activity in Bulgaria with this investment in Nexcom, a project which we think will significantly improve the availability and affordability of telecommunications infrastructure to both consumers and businesses," said Marcin Hejka, director of Intel Capital in Central and Eastern Europe, “This investment is part of our global focus on supporting WiMAX development and deployment, which should make broadband more accessible to Bulgarians.”


About Nexcom Bulgaria
Founded in 1998, Nexcom Bulgaria is the leading alternative provider of telecommunications services in Bulgaria. In January of this year, Nexcom became the first company in Bulgaria to launch commercial WiMAX-based services. Nexcom provides a bundled offering of voice and broadband Internet services to corporate and residential customers throughout the country. By the end of 2007, Nexcom’s WiMAX network will provide coverage to more than 60% of the Bulgarian population.

Contact:

Sevelina Borisova
Nexcom Bulgaria
75 Krum Popov
Sofia, Bulgaria 1421
Tel:35924900490
Email: sborisova@nexcom.bg
www.nexcom.bg

About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software and services targeting enterprise, home, mobility, health, consumer Internet and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$6 billion in approximately 1,000 companies in more than 40 countries. In that timeframe, about 157 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and another 187 have been acquired by other companies. In 2006, Intel Capital invested about US$1.07 billion in 163 deals with approximately 60 percent of funds (excluding Clearwire) invested outside the United States. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com <http://www.intelcapital.com/> .
Contact:
Pavel Svoboda
Intel PR Manager
Central & Eastern Europe (CEE)
tel: +420 222 090 304 (1)
e-mail: pavel.svoboda@intel.com


About MCI Management SA

MCI Management SA is a leading financial group managing Venture Capital and Private Equity funds, owning such funds as TechVentures'99, TechVentures'03, MCI.BioVentures, MCI.EuroVentures and MCI.SuperVentures. With operations focused in Central and Eastern Europe, the company invests in innovative companies operating in the following segments: the Internet, mobile telephony, e-commerce, wireless technologies, software, IT, biotechnology/life science and media. MCI has been listed at the Warsaw Stock Exchange since February 2001 and its current market capitalization amounts to approx. PLN 1 billion. The MCI Group has performed 32 investments in total under the TechVentures’99 and TechVentures’03 funds, with 9 exits.

Currently, MCI holds shares of the following companies:

 ABC Data – IT distributor
 Bankier.pl – financial portal
 Clix Software – provider of CRM solutions
 Digital Avenue – digital entertainment
 DomZdrowia.pl – online pharmacy
 FinSkog – developer of GIS systems
 Finepharm – biotechnology/drug production
 Hoopla.pl – online store with home appliance and audio/video equipment
 Geewa – online games
 Grupa Lew – electronic channel for distribution of cards and pre-paid codes
 Innovation Technology Group – IT systems integrator
 Naviexpert – personal GPS navigation
 NetPress – e-publishing
 Nostromo – mobile games
 One2One – mobile solutions integrator
 Retail Info - portal for consumers focused on retail and wholesale trade
 S4E – provider of storage solutions
 Telecom Media – distributor of mobile content
 Travelplanet.pl – online travel agency
 Web² – a group of WEB 2.0 portals


Contact:
Katarzyna Figat
Senior Communications Manager
MCI Management SA
Tel.+48 697 888 101
Skype :katarzynafigat
e-mail:katarzyna.figat@mci.pl



WiMAX is a standards-based wireless technology for providing high-speed, last-mile broadband connectivity to homes and businesses and for mobile wireless networks in a cost effective way. Intel plans to make WiMAX an option with its next-generation Intel ® Centrino® Duo processor technology for notebooks due in 2008. Pairing WiMAX and Wifi will help bring users the ultimate in affordable mobile broadband Internet. For more information pls. visit http://www.wimaxforum.org/home/