Ericsson and SingTel sign GSM expansion agreement to meet subscriber growth

Ericsson and SingTel sign GSM expansion agreement to meet subscriber growth Ericsson has signed an agreement with SingTel Mobile to further expand their GSM network to 800,000 subscribers, valued at more than USD 35 million (SEK 275 million). The expansion agreement is Ericsson's second within a year totalling more than USD 100 million (SEK 780 million). Network installations island wide will be completed by the fourth quarter of 1998. The expansion of coverage and capacity reaffirms SingTel Mobile's commitment to maintain its leading position on the Singapore market. "SingTel Mobile's digital networks will have a combined capacity of 1.1 million lines before year-end. We're committed to giving our customers excellent mobile phone coverage through investing in and enhancing our network," says Mr. Tay Soo Meng, SingTel Mobile's Senior Director of Engineering. "Despite the current slowdown in the growth of new mobile phone customers due to the unfavourable economic situation, we believe that Singapore will be able to achieve a mobile phone penetration rate similar to those in the Scandinavian countries," Mr. Tay added. "We are delighted to continue our partnership with SingTel Mobile. This agreement reaffirms SingTel's confidence in Ericsson's products and services," says Mr. Anders Runevad, Director of Mobile Radio Systems Division, Ericsson Singapore. The mobile phone penetration in Singapore is currently 30 per cent. SingTel Mobile is the market leader in Singapore with more than 700,000 customers. It's the only mobile operator in Asia to offer extensive roaming services to more than 10,000 cities in more than 78 countries worldwide. GSM is the world's most widely deployed digital wireless communications standard. Ericsson is the leader in GSM, with almost half of the world's 115 million GSM subscribers connected by Ericsson systems. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with the freedom of mobility for the user. With more than 100,000 employees in 140 countries, Ericsson simplifies communications for its customers - network operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers - the world over. Please visit Ericsson's Press Room at: http://www.ericsson.se/pressroom FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Tay Soo Meng, Senior Director, SingTel Mobile Pte Ltd Phone: +65 838 3902 Anders Runevad, Director, Mobile Radio Systems Ericsson Telecommunications Pte Ltd. Phone: +65 350 1501 Johan Wiklund, Press Relations Manager, Ericsson Mobile Systems Phone: +46 70 560 0134; E-mail: johan.wiklund@era.ericsson.se ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are ready for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/10/26/19981026BIT00190/SingTel-en.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/10/26/19981026BIT00190/SingTel-en.pdf