Telecom Cook Islands Upgrades Wireless Coverage

Telecom Cook Islands Ltd. -- owned 60% by Telecom New Zealand and 40% by the Cook Islands government -- will deploy LGC's new GSM Softswitch to upgrade its core wireless network to more efficient, IP-based technology, Telecom Cook Islands will reduce costs while enabling new, value-added services such as integrated SMS, voice mail, GPRS and prepaid calling.

The Cook Islands are located in the middle of the South Pacific, and the Telecom Cook Islands network uses satellite links to connect with the rest of the world.

LGC Wireless' GSM Softswitch and core network display a unique compact and scalable architecture including integrated home/visitor location register (HLR/VLR) functions, value-added services (VAS) such as an authentication center (AuC) for roaming, IN prepaid, SMS and voice mail.

"Wireless is a popular means of communications for Cook Islands residents, so we need to ensure that our core network has the capacity, efficiency and features to serve their needs," said Stuart Davies, CEO at Telecom Cook Islands. "LGC Wireless and its products have played a key role in our success as a provider, and this GSM Softswitch will give us a new level of reliability, efficiency and performance." With the new IP Softswitch in its GSM network, the carrier will be able to offer a higher-capacity cellular service with better performance.