Motorola has announced the deployment of a WiMAX pilot in Paris with Bolloré Télécom, one of the leading communications providers and a holder of 12 WiMAX licenses in France. The pilot is designed to assist Bolloré in designing and assessing its WiMAX network as it looks to deliver new and innovative nomadic broadband services in France.

Complying with the IEEE standard 802.16e-2005 and operating in the 3.5 GHz band, the nomadic WiMAX network is already live. Installed and operated on two sites in Paris, the network will enable Bolloré to measure the radio performance of WiMAX, test innovative broadband services and better prepare for its commercial deployment. For the trial, Motorola is providing deployment, integration and support services, in addition to WiMAX equipment such as WiMAX access points, customer premises equipment and PC cards.

Jean-Baptiste Chavanne, chief operating officer, Bolloré Télécom, said, "Our WiMAX trial with Motorola will enable us to not only gain a better understanding of broadband provision as we look to launch our commercial services in a new integrated multimedia model, but it also demonstrates our commitment to the adoption of WiMAX technology."

Joe Cozzolino, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Home and Networks Mobility EMEA, stated, "WiMAX is an ideal technology for enabling new entrants into the market. By trialing our WiMAX solution, Bolloré Télécom will see how it can benefit from high quality, high speed wireless broadband at a low cost of deployment and ownership. We are pleased to work in close cooperation with the Bolloré Télécom teams to ensure the successful introduction of their WiMAX system and the adoption of the technology throughout France."