M3 Wireless is to launch a new combined data and voice service.

The DragonWave AirPair product interlinks 27 sites across M3's Ethernet network spanning Bermuda and converges the company's WiMAX data and GSM voice services for clients on a DragonWave IP backhaul (transporting information between distributed sites and more centralised points) solution.

M3's chief executive officer Lloyd Fray explained that the transmission solution offered both its fixed wireless product and its voice service cell sites.

"DragonWave gives us a robust transport solution that stands to meet our needs now and into the future," he said. "We selected the AirPair product initially because of its unique Ethernet functionality, such as rapid-link shutdown and Quality of Service support. As we deployed DragonWave across more and more of our network, we were able to realise the terrific cost savings of converging data and voice on the same IP, pseudowire infrastructure.

"It is something which is happening in the industry and we are aligning oursleves with it."

M3 is the only purely Bermuda-operated provider of cellular data and voice services. It offers broadband connectivity to business and consumer customers, and in 2006 the service provider extended its WiMAX offerings Island-wide.

As service uptake increased, M3 sought a more scalable backhaul solution that would provide interference-free, licensed-band wireless performance. In standardising the DragonWave solution, M3 was able to backhaul not only the data services, but also its GSM voice services on the wireless, 100 Megabits per second infrastructure.

AirPair has also significantly reduced M3's capital and operational expenses for transporting mixed services by merging the backhaul data and voice traffic on a single IP-based infrastructure.