TUNIS, Tunisia, April 22, 2008 - Cisco today reconfirmed its commitment to support the economic development of Tunisia by unveiling plans to open its first office in the Tunisian capital. With the North Africa region emerging as a key area of growth for Cisco, the company's announcement comes at a time when Tunisia has begun to harness the power of information and communications technology (ICT) to drive its development.

"The new office will mark yet another milestone for Cisco in Tunisia," said Adel Dahmani, general manager, Cisco Tunisia. "The vision of the country's leadership has allowed it to transition quickly to a 'connected' world. Tunisia continues to reap the benefits of technology and offer the most innovative communication services to its citizens."

As part of its new office plans, Cisco has now finalized arrangements to move to new permanent premises in Tunis, the capital city. Cisco Tunisia currently employs 12 business and technical professionals, all Tunisian, working on local and regional projects in and outside the country, and is looking to grow its current presence in the country.

Cisco Networking Academy: Bringing ICT skills to a Tunisian workforce

In an effort to play an active role in the development of a skilled Tunisian workforce, Cisco is working closely with the country's public and private organizations to roll out education-specific programs that are designed to narrow the ICT skills gap in Tunisia. For example, Cisco has provided substantial funding, technology and resources to the Tunisian education sector via the Cisco® Networking Academy®.

The Networking Academy provides ICT skills to students globally to improve their career and economic opportunities. Networking Academies operate in high schools, colleges, universities, technical and military schools, community-based organizations and government bodies in over 160 countries. Its curriculum teaches the design, development and implementation of the networks that underpin businesses and other organizations. In addition, its advanced technology curricula in areas such as security, wireless and IP telephony provide exposure to the latest technology skills in those fields. It also has a module teaching basic IT skills.

The first Networking Academy in Tunisia was founded in El Ghazala, l'Ariana, September 2001.There are now 12 networking academies in the country. École Supérieure des Communications de Tunis (Sup'com) integrates the Networking Academy curriculum into the school's normal course of study. All second-year engineering students at Sup'com are required to take the first semester of the four-semester CCNA® curriculum.

"Tunisia has all the right ingredients to create a successful ICT industry locally, with a skilled workforce and a fast-growing technology infrastructure. This is why Tunisia is an important area of growth for Cisco in the north Africa region. We see a great opportunity to provide advanced technology solutions and services to market segments such as the telecoms industry and the public sector by utilizing our strong strategic partner relationships and technical expertise. With this in mind, we are taking the necessary steps to enhance our presence in Tunisia," Dahmani concluded.

Dublin, Jan 25, 2008 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- ALVR | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- Monaco Telecom, a Cable & Wireless affiliate, announced it is working with Alvarion, Cisco and Nokia to establish a Center of Excellence on Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) in the Principality.

The initiative between the four companies will demonstrate the mobility and high-speed features of Mobile WiMAX 802.16e-2005. The new technology will allow customers to leverage a service and move freely while using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), streaming video and other Internet applications. The capability allows the network to move with the customer - enabling true mobility and improving the experience of the user.

In addition to showcasing personal broadband services, Alvarion's 802.16e-2005-based 4Motion solution will be demonstrated and is expected to reach a commercial level during 2008. The Cisco Broadband Wireless Gateway solution is a key component and part of Cisco WiMAX portfolio providing an open WiMAX Access Service Network (ASN) gateway functionality. This latest expansion of Cisco's Service Exchange Framework enables Monaco Telecom to support another access technology. Nokia will contribute with its expertise in mobility and an Internet Tablet compatible with WiMAX 2.5 GHz.

As an active fixed WiMAX provider with an effective deployment running in Tunisia, Monaco Telecom was an ideal partner for such experimentation. Based on its technical knowledge and customer experience, Monaco Telecom intends to improve its expertise in what is a greenfield area.

"The WiMAX strategy and network architecture are essential for us as a global operator to maintain competitive edge and maximize WiMAX capabilities. We envision the Center of Excellence as the manifestation of best-of-breed WiMAX, and with an ultimate result of implementation in different networks around the world", said Denis Martin, CEO of Monaco Telecom.

"Working with Alvarion, Cisco and Monaco Telecom is a great step towards making Mobile WiMAX available for consumers and fits perfectly with our strategy of offering a broad and innovative portfolio of devices." said Ari Virtanen, Vice President, Convergence Products, Nokia.

"We are excited about working with Cisco, Monaco Telecom and Nokia," said Tzvika Friedman, president and CEO of Alvarion. "We are continuing implementations with leading device manufactures as Nokia, and global operators such as Cable & Wireless via Monaco Telecom. Cisco's Broadband Wireless Gateway can allow seamless integration with Nokia's WiMAX-enabled devices; IOT is part of our OPEN WiMAX approach to increase innovation and services for the benefit of our customers."

"Broadband services are increasingly important to the lives of individuals and the economic development of many countries", said Larry Lang, Cisco vice president and general manager of the Services and Mobility Business Unit. "We are seeing significant demand for the delivery of Internet access and Internet Protocol-based services over wireless access technologies, and this opportunity to work with Monaco Telecom, Nokia and Alvarion with WiMAX is an exciting example of how this demand can be effectively met."