WARSAW (WiMAX Day). Poland’s largest WiMAX network provider Netia has increased the number of base stations in the country to 78. According to a report in the Polish Market Review, Netia currently has over 11,000 subscribers for its WiMAX service. Netia currently offer services in urban areas, and there is an expansion plan to extend the network into suburban and rural areas.

Other WiMAX network operators in Poland are not far behind. Exatel, which is majority-owned by Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA (PGE) intends to launch its own WiMAX network using 3.5 GHz spectrum in three major cities, and an additional twenty urban areas in Poland by the end of September 2008. Exatel also recently announced it will use software and equipment from Tranzeo Wireless Technologies and Proximetry.

The network build for Exatel is a collaboration with Polish regional council Malopolska. The budget for the network build is EUR 40 million.

The report also noted that NASK, Poland’s largest Internet Services Provider (ISP), is also building a national WiMAX network which currently reaches roughly 27% of the Polish population.