Ericsson and China Unicom sign CDMA contracts valued at over USD 200 Million

Ericsson and China Unicom sign CDMA contracts valued at over USD 200 Million Ericsson today announced contracts with China Unicom to deploy Ericsson CDMA infrastructure equipment in seven provinces in China. "We are honored to be selected by China Unicom to assist them in rolling out their nationwide CDMA network," said Åke Persson, president of Ericsson CDMA Systems. "Our comprehensive, cost-effective CDMA solution is the most powerful solution in the industry, allowing China Unicom to take advantage of our premier CDMA offering." Ericsson's total CDMA solution will be installed in the Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Yunnan, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Henan provinces. Deployment is scheduled to begin immediately in all provinces and all networks are expected to be commercial in Q4 2001. Nanjing Ericsson Panda Communications Company Ltd. (ENC), one of Ericsson's largest joint ventures in China, will deliver Ericsson's leading CDMA solution to China Unicom. The total solution contracts include: 800 MHz compact radio base stations (RBS); base station controllers (BSC); mobile switching centers (MSC); home location registers (HLR); and a full portfolio of services including network management, training, network rollout and technical support. "China is one of the world's fastest growing telecommunications markets, and Ericsson is pleased to further strengthen our market leadership in China through this cooperation with China Unicom in CDMA, which also laid a solid foundation for the migration to 3G," said Jan Malm, president of Ericsson (China) Company Ltd. By enabling the Mobile Internet through an industry leading CDMA solution, Ericsson opens up new markets and revenue opportunities for operators. cdmaOnetm is among the fastest growing wireless technologies in the world, currently serving more than 80 million subscribers. Developed by the industry's premier CDMA experts, Ericsson's CDMA solutions offer operators unique performance advantages and smooth evolution to 3G by leveraging the full strength of Ericsson's expertise in wireless, IP/datacom and Mobile Internet technologies. Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Charlotte Rubin, Public Relations Manager Ericsson Business Unit CDMA Systems Phone: +1 858 332 6589; E-mail: charlotte.rubin@ericsson.com Tu Min, Corporate Communications Director Ericsson (China) Company Ltd. Phone: +86 10 6561 5566, E-mail: min.tu@etc.ericsson.se About China Unicom: China Unicom was established in July 1994 and listed on the Hong Kong and New York stock markets in June 2000. China Unicom is China's second largest telecommunications operator providing a full range of telecom services such as domestic and international long-distance call service, mobile phone and data/IP network communications. Presently it has over 100 branches and several subsidiaries in the country's 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government. With nearly 12 million users China Unicom is now the only fully licensed service provider in the country. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/05/15/20010515BIT00290/bit0002.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/05/15/20010515BIT00290/bit0002.pdf