From Business News Americas comes word that Canadian fixed wireless provider SR Telecom has signed a $10 million contract to deploy WiMAX-ready equipment for Mexican operator Axtel. Deployment will start immediately, with additional services to come online in the second half of the year.

"This is one of the most important accounts to win in the world, because they are the world's largest fixed wireless carrier," says Chad Pralle, SR Telecom's Vice President of Marketing.

SR Telecom will deploy a point-to-multipoint WiMAX-ready solution with capacity for up to 6,000 subscribers per base station. According to Pralle, the equipment can offer each Axtel subscriber up to four voice lines, as well as a broadband wireless Internet connection of over 2Mbps.

Note, of course, that this is all pre-WiMAX equipment -- once SR Telecom gets WiMAX certification, the company promises even higher capacity. And Axtel plans to use that to expand its focus from medium and large businesses to target residential and small business users as well.