Kenyan Operator Chooses LMDS Mobile Backhaul

PARIS, May 31 -- Alcatel announced it has been awarded a contract by KenCell, a joint-venture of Vivendi Telecom International and Sameer Investment Ltd., a private investment group in Kenya, to deliver its local multipoint distribution service (LMDS) solution for high-speed data access and advanced broadband applications.

Alcatel will provide mobile backhaul for KenCell’s GSM 900 MHz mobile network. The first phase of the project -- providing several LMDS base stations and associated equipment -- has been underway in Nairobi since April; the second stage is scheduled for completion next June in Mombasa, Alcatel said.