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YourLink Subscriber Base Grows
44%, Major Expansion Opportunity Apparent from SWP Takeover of Agricore
Other topics: Bilateral Wi-Fi
Roaming Access, WiMAX Interoperability
Testing, Asian Wi-Fi Market,
Enhanced GPS Measurements,
WiMAX Financing
YourLink Inc.
May 22, 2007
Victoria, British Columbia -- YourLink Inc., the Saskatchewan based
subsidiary Internet service provision company of Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX:VCM),
is pleased to report strong growth in its wireless customer base with
6,577 subscribers at March 31, 2007, an increase of 44% from 4,572
subscribers a year earlier.
The growth can be primarily attributed to the establishment of a
long-term strategic relationship announced in September 2006 between
Vecima and Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Inc. (“the Pool”) to expand
high-speed technology to the Pool, its farm customers and communities
throughout the Province of Saskatchewan. As part of the 7-year agreement
which extended YourLink’s wireless network coverage to over 100 of the
Pool's grain marketing and agri-product centres across Saskatchewan,
many of the Pool's sites have become high-speed wireless access points
that additionally provide service to nearby farms and small communities
within range of the Pool’s locations. |
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Proud to play a
contributing role in the economic development of rural Saskatchewan,
YourLink's wireless network expands its broadband Internet service
coverage area in Saskatchewan beyond the areas already covered by its
extensive tower network with the addition of the Pool’s locations. Many
of the additional rural areas covered provide high-speed Internet access
for the first time as the regions are situated beyond the reach of
traditional cable or telco DSL service.
"The natural fit of using the Pool's grain towers as access points has
proven to be a very successful project that benefits YourLink, the Pool,
and the residents and businesses of rural Saskatchewan," said Vecima
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Surinder Kumar. "We are very
encouraged by the opportunity to provide similar services at the Pool’s
newly acquired locations in Alberta and Manitoba resulting from its
takeover of Agricore.”
Additionally, YourLink plans to deploy Vecima’s new high-performance
WiMAX product in regional Saskatchewan cities to provide surrounding
businesses and residents with advanced data services that were
previously only available in large urban centres.
About YourLink
YourLink Inc. provides innovative high-speed wireless Internet solutions
and cable television services to residential and business subscribers
across Canada. Headquartered in Saskatoon, YourLink Inc. is a
wholly–owned subsidiary of Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX:VCM). YourLink was
formed in 2003 to deploy Saskatchewan designed and manufactured
equipment from Vecima. YourLink provides wireless Internet services in
Saskatchewan and Alberta, and Cable Television services in Saskatchewan
and British Columbia.
YourLink’s wireless network provides broadband Internet service to rural
areas and small communities outside the range of traditional cable or
telco DSL service. Prior to the introduction of broadband wireless, many
rural residents could only access the Internet through dial-up telephone
lines. Internet service via traditional cable is generally not feasible
in sparsely populated regions, and satellite services have too much
delay for many Internet applications. YourLink’s wireless broadband
service allows subscribers to download Internet content at far greater
speeds than dial-up service without interfering with the subscriber’s
telephone line.
About Vecima Networks
Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX:VCM) designs, manufactures and sells products
that enable broadband access to cable, wireless and telephony networks.
Vecima's hardware products incorporate original embedded software to
meet the complex requirements of next-generation, high-speed digital
networks. Service providers use Vecima's solutions to deliver services
to a converging worldwide broadband market, including what are commonly
known as "triple play" (voice, video and data) and "quadruple play"
(voice, video, data and wireless) services. Vecima's solutions allow
service providers to rapidly and cost-effectively bridge the final
network segment that connects the system directly to end users, commonly
referred to as "the last mile", by overcoming the bottleneck resulting
from insufficient carrying capacity in legacy, last mile
infrastructures. Vecima's products are directed at three principal
markets: Data over Cable, Broadband Wireless and Digital Video. The
Company has also developed and continues to focus on developing products
to address emerging markets such as Voice over Internet Protocol, fibre
to the home and IP video. |
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