Ericsson main supplier of China Mobile's GPRS network

Ericsson main supplier of China Mobile's GPRS network Ericsson has been awarded a contract by China Mobile as main supplier for the phase two build-out of China Mobile's nation-wide GPRS network. Ericsson will provide China Mobile with GPRS core network equipment to cover more than 50 cities in 9 provinces, including Shanghai, Shandong, Guangdong, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Chongqing, Hebei and Hubei. Once this project is completed, China Mobile's nation-wide GPRS network will be able to support up to 2.1 million users, providing them with wide range of advanced mobile services such as WAP over GPRS, PC connected web surfing, mobile e-mail and mobile chatting. First deliveries will begin in October. Collaboration on GPRS between Ericsson and China began in December 2000. Since then, Ericsson has formed a long-term partnering relationship with China Mobile by providing high system performance and extensive global operation experience. "The GPRS network that China Mobile is constructing is the largest in the world and is critical for our future growth in providing advanced mobile Internet services," says Li Yue, Vice President of China Mobile. "We believe China Mobile is able to deploy the GPRS network faster and easier through enhanced co-operation with Ericsson. In addition, new services made possible by the GPRS network can be utilized more widely and efficiently." "Ericsson is the recognized leader for GPRS and today we have over 40% of the China GPRS market," says Jan Malm, President Ericsson China. "We are pleased to have this opportunity to enhance our co-operation with China Mobile on GPRS, facilitating smooth migration of their GSM network to 2.5G and 3G networks." China Mobile is the largest mobile communication operator in China. Facing a rapidly growing mobile market in China, the company is focused on deploying nation-wide GPRS network to address users requirement for mobile Internet services with high quality. According to latest statistics, in July the number of mobile users in China exceeded those of any other country, making China the largest mobile communications market in the world. 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 Antoinette Torell, Press Relations, Division Mobile Systems Ericsson Corporate Communication Phone: +46 70 676 9279; E-mail: Antoinette.torell@lme.ericsson.se Tu Min, Corporate Communications Director Ericsson (China) Phone: +86 10 656 15566; E-mail: min.tu@etc.ericsson.se