Ericsson clinches its largest deal with China Unicom

Ericsson clinches its largest deal with China Unicom Ericsson has signed a contract for the third phase of China Unicom's GSM expansion in the Sichuan province. Valued at close to USD 55 million (SEK 450 million), this signifies the largest contract signed by Ericsson to date with China Unicom. With the expansion, China Unicom's GSM capacity in the province will serve some 680,000 users. The expansion will be completed in February 2000, just before the Chinese New Year. Ericsson will supply wireless datacom solutions enabling China Unicom to offer their customers services in line with growing new user demands. The company will also, at a later date, supply further solutions for enhancing speeds of datacom services over the mobile network. The infrastructure will be provided by one of Ericsson's joint ventures, Beijing Ericsson Mobile Communications Company Ltd. Ericsson began its co- operation with China Unicom in Sichuan 1996, supplying the operator's first GSM system in the province - a province with more than 70 million inhabitants. Ericsson signed its first contract with China Unicom in 1995. During 1999, Ericsson has signed nine contracts with China Unicom for a total value of close to USD 180 million (SEK 1,475 million). The eight other contracts signed earlier this year are for GSM expansions in Sichuan, Jilin, Anhui, Yunnan, Hainan provinces and the city of Wuxi, as well as for an expansion of the Guangdong Gateway, connecting wireline and mobile networks. Ericsson China has more than 3,800 employees, 23 offices across the country and eight joint ventures that provide a full range of communications solutions and services. Ericsson is the leading provider in the new telecoms world, with communications solutions that combine telecom and datacom technologies with 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 Johan Wiklund, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 5600134; E-mail: Johan.Wiklund@lme.ericsson.se Zhang Xingsheng, Executive Vice President Ericsson (China) Company Ltd. Phone: +86 10 6561 9988 Mark Tian, Press Relations Officer, Ericsson (China) Company Ltd. Phone: +86 10 6561 5566 About China Unicom Established in July 1994, China Unicom is the second largest cellular operator in China with close to three million users and the only fully licensed service provider in the country. In addition to cellular network operations, their paging network with some 20 million users is the most extensive in the country. In June, China Unicom launched its wireline datacom business. Wireline long-distance and local telephony services are also included in the company's business portfolio. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/08/19991008BIT00150/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/10/08/19991008BIT00150/bit0002.pdf