Israeli company Flash Networks, which develops optimization solutions for data transmission via wireless networks, has signed a deal with the Brazilian mobile phone company Vivo.
Vivo, which is controlled by Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Movles, is the tenth largest cellular phone company in the world and the largest in the Southern hemisphere. The company boasts over 27 million customers and a market share estimated at 45% in Brazil. According to the terms of the contract Flash Networks will provide Vivo with the NettGain 1200 platform which optimizes and accelerates data transmission on cellular phone networks. The solution will be integrated into the CDMA 1X network currently run by Vivo for the 3G services the company delivers under the name Zap 3G.
The scale of the initial agreement is over a million dollars, with the possibility of the deal growing by several million dollars more in line with the growing scale of data transmission by the company’s customers.
According to Flash Networks CEO Liam Galin, the NettGain 1200 platform will enable Vivo to deliver an enhanced service to its mobile phone customers who use the network to transmit data and connect to fast internet anyplace and anytime. In addition, Vivo will be able to enlarge the number of users connected to the existing mobile communications network without any need to invest additional capital in upgrading infrastructure.
Flash Networks was founded in 1996 and is active in the field of providing information and rapid internet communication services via mobile systems and WLAN. In September 2003 it merged with Adjungo Networks via a share swap. The merger enabled Flash, which was active mostly in GPRS, to expand its line of products to WLAN also.
Flash Networks has thus far raised around $21 million from venture capital funds Giza, Etgar and Evergreen, the T-Mobile fund owned by Deutsche Telecom and Canadian BMI. The company’s clients include Vodaphone, AT&T Wireless group, T-Mobile, SFR and all four of the Israeli mobile phone providers.