TEL AVIV, Israel, June 17, 2008 - Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: CRNT), a
leading provider of high-capacity wireless backhaul solutions, today announced that Idea
Cellular, its long-time customer and one of India’s leading mobile operators, is deploying
Ceragon’s FibeAir solutions as part of a new network expansion into India’s Bihar region.
Ceragon will power Idea’s network with high-capacity microwave backhaul solutions, enabling
the operator to support the increasing number of mobile service subscribers. Revenue from
this recent sale tops $3 million.
Idea Cellular, a leading mobile operator in India, has been deploying and using
Ceragon’s high-capacity backhaul solutions for nearly four years. Idea provides services in 11
of the India’s 22 service areas – or circles – and holds licenses to operate in all of the circles
making it a pan India Operator. During the 2007 fiscal year (ended March 31, 2008) alone,
Idea added over 10 million new subscribers, bringing its total customer base to more than 24
million. Since then the subscriber base grew to more than 26 million and is now set to grow
even more significantly as the operator expands its network into Bihar where it had not been
operating until now.
“Idea is one of the fastest growing mobile companies in India and we are determined
to maintain our fast pace going forward,” said Anil Tandan, CTO of Idea Cellular. “We have
been using Ceragon’s high-capacity wireless backhaul equipment for several years and are
very happy with their performance and reliability. When the time came to select a backhaul
equipment vendor for the new expansion in Bihar, we knew that we could depend on Ceragon
to deliver quality solutions in the right time frame.”
“Ceragon continues to strengthen its position in India by expanding its activities with
strategic customers such as Idea,” said Ira Palti, President and CEO of Ceragon. “India’s
mobile market is exploding, creating a huge demand for our high-capacity wireless backhaul
solutions. We are very happy to be selected again by Idea and we look forward to continuing
our fruitful relations on this, and future projects.”
About IDEA Cellular:
As a leading GSM Mobile Services operator in India, IDEA Cellular has licenses to operate in
13 circles. With a customer base of over 22 million, IDEA Cellular has operations in Delhi,
Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal,
Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, HP, and Kerala. IDEA Cellular's footprint currently covers an
estimated 60% of India's telecom-market. IDEA also has licenses to operate in these service
areas of Mumbai and Bihar.
Customer Service and Innovation are the drivers of this Brand. IDEA is the only operator in
the world to launch Pay Easy which is a bill payment system through the effective use of the
pre-paid channel. With GPRS currently available on all its' networks, for both pre and post
paid customers, IDEA Cellular was the first company to commercially launch next generation
EDGE technology for its Delhi circle. More about IDEA Cellular Limited at
www.ideacellular.com
