Cambridge, 22 May 2009 – ip.access (www.ipaccess.com), the multi-award winning developer of picocell and femtocell solutions, today announced that Monaco Telecom will deploy its nanoBTS® picocell system, to boost the operator’s mobile network capacity during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix. The deal comes on the back of Monaco Telecom’s successful deployment of nanoBTS systems to service VIP’s, Enterprises and hotels in the principality.

ip.access will install a number of nanoBTS picocells on-site in the Monaco F1 Grand Prix press office, providing additional GSM coverage and network capacity to deal with the expected surge in mobile phone usage throughout the Grand Prix weekend. The extra capacity will result in fewer dropped calls, less network interruptions and a vastly improved quality of service for customers using Monaco Telecom’s network.

“The Grand Prix weekend will see more than 100,000 people from around the world descend on Monaco, each demanding a reliable and high quality mobile network when using their phone,” said Jean-Philippe Alfonsi, Marketing Director at Monaco Telecom. “ip.access’ picocell solution is quick and easy to install, making use of our existing on-site broadband connection to provide the most cost-effective way of temporarily boosting coverage, which will be vital as the crowds begin to arrive. We look forward to working with ip.access again to deliver excellent mobile services throughout the highlight of the 2009 F1 season.”

Traditionally, Monaco Telecom has deployed expensive on-site trucks at the event, which are equipped with a large base transceiver station (BTS) and take up a significant amount of the limited space at the event. The ip.access nanoBTS picocells will be installed on the office walls within the newsroom and VIP areas to free-up additional room for people to move around the site easily.

“Events like the Monaco Grand Prix result in thousands of people attempting to use their mobile phones from the same location, at a single point in time,” said Dr Andy Tiller, VP marketing at ip.access. “This stretches network capacity to the limit and often results in people suffering a poor user experience when attempting to make a call. Our nanoBTS picocells provide a simple way of dealing with this problem, providing the temporary boost in coverage required to cope with the surge in network activity.”

The nanoBTS picocells are a complete GSM “basestation” solution, using the standard Um interface to the handset and an Abis interface carried over IP for the backhaul. ip.access is working with Grand Prix organisers, Automobile Club de Monaco, to ensure the solution is fully installed in the press centre for the start of the event, which will run from 21 – 24 May, 2009.

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About ip.access
Based in Cambridge, UK, ip.access ltd (www.ipaccess.com) is a leading manufacturer of cost-effective picocell and femtocell infrastructure solutions for GSM, GPRS, EDGE and 3G. These solutions bring IP and cellular technologies together to drive down costs and increase coverage and capacity of mobile networks.
ip.access is the company behind the multi-award winning Oyster 3G™ femtocell. The Oyster 3G increases cell capacity and coverage, drives down costs and dramatically improves the 3G user experience at home.
The ip.access nanoGSM® is the world’s most deployed picocell solution. It provides GSM, GPRS and EDGE coverage and capacity for offices, shops and (using satellite backhaul) passenger aircraft, ships and remote rural areas.
With deployments in more than 35 live networks around the world and growing, ip.access is the partner of choice for operators competing in the new converged marketplace.
ip.access counts Scottish Equity Partners, Rothschild Gestion, Intel Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, ADC, Cisco, Qualcomm and Motorola Ventures among its shareholders.

About Monaco Telecom
Monaco Telecom, the incumbent operator of the Principality of Monaco, offers mobile and wireline telephony, internet and television services to the general public and businesses.
As an established partner of major sporting events in the Principality, Monaco Telecom has demonstrated its technological capability in the management of the telecom infrastructure for the Grand Prix for many years. The Monégasque operator manages the entire telecommunications network within the time and technical constraints for this world-famous event.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Alex Sowden / Dave McCann
CCgroup
T: +44 118 920 7650
E : ipaccess[at]the-cc-group[dot]com
W: www.the-cc-group.com

Distributed on behalf of ip.access by NeonDrum (http://www.neondrum.com)
Nicky Davis
Tel: +44 7747 017654
nicky[at]neondrum[dot]com