Network buildup Cox taps Metawave's new services arm

A contract for base station installation from Cox California PCS is the first sign of success for Metawave Communications' strategy to carry over its experience in equipment creation into the network implementation side of wireless.

Metawave announced last month that it had expanded its engineering services division, which provides engineering and field support for the vendor's multibeam antenna systems, into a more broad-based network services division. The new unit supports several implementation phases for cellular, personal communication services, digital microwave, paging, enhanced specialized mobile radio and very small aperture terminal networks.

"There's such an incredible business opportunity out there for engineering services," said Hal Carey, vice president of engineering services at Metawave. "Most of the equipment vendors don't want to staff up and install their own products. It's best for them to outsource to companies they can rely on.

The new business unit complements Metawave's hardware and software equipment line for network configuration, propagation planning and RF enhancement.

"What we are developing and servicing is RF spectrum management products," said Jay Daley, senior vice president of sales, marketing and engineering services.

The $500,000 contract from Cox California PCS represents the crux of Metawave's strategy: to build solid relationships with different types of wireless network operators even before the vendor is able to meet the carrier's product needs. Neither Cox nor the other two customers Metawave expects to publicize within the next 60 days are using the vendor's equipment yet, Carey said.

"This gives us an opportunity to expose Metawave to new environments in advance of being able to deliver products to them," said Daley.

While the products and services sides of Metawave's business are somewhat distinct at this early stage, the company's overall plan is to build itself up to provide a total solution for wireless operators.

"We can provide so much more than pulling cables and putting up antennas," said Gita Yahyai, manager of programs and resources at Metawave. "We can take it as far as they want to go.

"Everyone calls it turnkey," Carey said. "We call it everything from concept to reality.

One of Metawave's biggest challenges has been to find qualified staff with network implementation expertise in an industry known for a shortage of technicians and engineers. To circumvent that, the company looked for technical talent in the military realm.

"There's an incredible talent pool in the military that people just aren't taking advantage of," said Carey.

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