Nextel de Mexico inaugurates new next generation network

US-based NII Holdings has confirmed the launch of its Mexican mobile subsidiary’s next generation network (NGN), which the company said ‘provides a robust technological platform that offers a full array of wireless products and services, including a differentiated Push-to-Talk (PTT) service and high-speed data capabilities, incorporated into Android-based smartphones’. The new infrastructure covers 34 cities at launch, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla and Cancun, while the second phase of the network rollout is expected to be completed in 2013, following which coverage will have been expanded to all of the country’s ‘main cities’.

According to NII Holdings, the addition of the new PTT service, coupled with the capabilities of the NGN, will allow Nextel de Mexico to offer what it claims are a number of unique value-added features, including: a direct connect, high-performance PTT service allowing users to instantly connect to each other at the push of a button; seamless connectivity for voice and PTT customers on Nextel de Mexico’s iDEN network; high speed internet browsing, including the ability to use the phone as a modem; group calling capabilities to other PTT users on the next generation network; and business and consumer applications, such as business productivity solutions, multimedia and social media services, as well as advanced ‘Push-to’ capabilities.

Key technology partners involved in the rollout of the network included Motorola Mobility, RIM and Huawei, whileNII noted that the new high performance PTT service is powered by the QChat platform supplied by Qualcomm.