Forum Archive Index - March 2000

[Craig Beavis <cbeavis@methven.net>]

Article in today's Business Herald re: Walker Wireless. No definite answer
regarding a float, but info about an impressive deal to share BCL towers.

Regards,

Craig

Wireless network to share towers

10.03.2000 - By CHRIS BARTON 
Wireless data network Walker Wireless has reached a "landlord" deal with
TVNZ subsidiary BCL to co-site antennae on 400 of its broadcast transmission
towers throughout New Zealand. 

Managing director Paul Ryan said the heads of agreement ensured excellent
coverage for Walker Wireless' rapidly expanding network - at present
deployed in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and New Plymouth, and soon to
roll out in Hamilton, Tauranga, Wanganui and Whangarei. 

The network provides two-way wireless internet access for businesses at
speeds ranging from 64Kbps up to 11Mbps over general-licence radio
frequencies in the 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz and 900MHz bands. 

General manager networks Rob Sweet said the "selling of high-tech hotel
space" on BCL's 450 sites was core business. The Walker deal was for space
only, whereas other arrangements such as for Vodafone and TV3 included
maintenance. 

Mr Ryan said the annual space rental involved a "not insignificant sum" but
that Walker Wireless was arranging its own "back-haul" connections including
fibre, copper and wireless links to the network. 

Walker's focus now remains on delivering wireless data connections to
business customers in competition with Radionet, recently acquired by
hospitality company Wilson Neill, and Safetynet, which is 70 per cent owned
by Savoy Equities. But Mr Ryan said deployment to residential consumers was
in Walker's medium-term plans. 

He confirmed Walker had been in negotiation with United States company
Formus to buy some of its local multi-point distribution services (LMDS)
frequencies, acquired from the Government spectrum auction in 1998 for $2.6
million. But the deal did not stack up, mainly because of the high cost of
the customer premises equipment required to deliver over LMDS frequencies. 

Mr Ryan did not rule out bidding in the coming spectrum auction for 3G
frequencies. He said the firm was not aggressively pursuing that band as its
use was more appropriate to telcos. 

He said that raising the $20 million capital for expansion was progressing
well but he did not rule out the possibility of a float. 




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wedde, John [SMTP:john.wedde@cit.ac.nz]
> Sent: Friday, 10 March 2000 11:42
> To:   'sharechat@sharechat.co.nz'
> Subject:      RE: [sharechat] Wireless, mobile communications.
> 
> Back in early February Wayne Williams responded to my query about how to
> get
> exposure to wireless stocks in NZ with the following info:
>               
>               "watch for Walker Wireless
>               looking for a listing vehicle in near future.....due
> diligence under way now
>               by JB Were........"
>               Cheers,
>               Wayne
> 
> Wayne, or any one else, any further info on how this is progressing?   
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> http://www.sharechat.co.nz/          New Zealand's home for market
> investors
> To remove yourself from this list, please us the form at
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