Ericsson expands WCDMA/HSPA networks for mobilkom austria group
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has been selected by members of the mobilkom austria group to expand and upgrade their WCDMA radio networks with the latest high-capacity HSPA functionality, including in the uplink, in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia and Liechtenstein.
Under the agreement, Ericsson will supply commercial software that will enable HSPA in the uplink and faster HSPA speeds in the downlink. The enhancements will allow uploads up to a rate of 1.4Mbps and downloads up to a rate of 14.4Mbps, fully supporting the currently available end-user devices that allow download rates up to 7.2Mbps.
In Vienna, Austria, where the system was rolled out on February 22, mobilkom austria consumers are now enjoying the fastest mobile broadband speeds available in Central and Eastern Europe. Rollout for Vipnet in Croatia, Mobiltel in Bulgaria, and mobilkom liechtenstein in Liechtenstein will follow, further strengthening the mobilkom austria group's market leadership in mobile broadband.
Ericsson will also supply project management, implementation and system integration services as part of the agreement.
Ericsson's latest HSPA technology boosts network capacity and cuts response times for interactive services. The upgrade of the existing networks will increase the performance of mobile broadband and enable the members of the mobilkom austria group to expand their third-generation services offering to include advanced multimedia services.
Boris Nemsic, CEO, mobilkom austria and CEO, Telekom Austria Group, says: "We are proud to be the first operator in Central and Eastern Europe to launch this cutting-edge HSPA technology, based on Ericsson's mobile broadband offering. This reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible end-user experience and cements our leading position in the market."
Jan Campbell, Head of Ericsson Central Europe and Managing Director of Ericsson Austria, says: "This contract extends Ericsson's lead in the dynamic and fast-growing market for mobile broadband. We are proud to build on our strong relationship with the mobilkom austria group by supporting its leading mobile broadband position with our advanced HSPA technology."
HSPA has been commercially launched in 47 Ericsson-supplied networks; more than any other vendor.
Notes to editors:
Ericsson's 3G/HSPA reference list is available at www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/facts_figures/3g_reference.shtml
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About mobilkom austria group
The mobilkom austria group is represented in Central and Eastern Europe and includes mobilkom austria in Austria, Vipnet in Croatia, Mobiltel in Bulgaria, Si.mobil in Slovenia, mobilkom liechtenstein in Liechtenstein and mobile communication providers currently being established in Serbia and Macedonia. Roughly 6,000 employees serve now more than 10 million customers. In the 2006 business year the mobilkom austria group generated revenues of EUR 2,902.6 million and EBITDA of EUR 1,175.4 million. The mobilkom austria group stands for progress: The world's first launch of GPRS in Austria in 2000, one of Europe's first commercial UMTS network in Austria in 2003, the introduction of EDGE technology as the first company in Slovenia in 2003 and the first to market introduction of HSDPA by mobilkom austria in Austria, Mobiltel in Bulgaria and Vipnet in Croatia in 2006 underscore the group's leadership in innovations. The know-how transfer among the companies and markets allows the rapid development and implementation of all products and services throughout the entire group.
More about mobilkom austria and the mobilkom austria group is available from www.mobilkomaustria.com
About HSPA
HSPA, the first step in the evolution of WCDMA 3G technology, significantly improves data speed, latency and capacity for packet data communication. HSPA has a strong evolution path and future enhancements will increase the downlink speed to 42Mbps and the uplink speed to 12Mbps. Ericsson offers HSPA support on many frequency bands, ranging from 850MHz to 2.6GHz.