Ericsson opens 3G Demo Center and launches new WCDMA test network with Telia

Ericsson opens 3G Demo Center and launches new WCDMA test network with Telia Ericsson has opened a WCDMA Demo Center in Stockholm, Sweden, where operators and others can experience 3G services for the mobile user in a high bandwidth environment. Ericsson, together with Scandinavia's largest operator Telia, also launched the advanced Stockholm WCDMA Test Network in Kista, just outside Stockholm. At the demonstration in the new center today, visitors were able to try out 3G applications while traveling about in a vehicle in the test network area. Users communicated with Ericsson's Demo Center via video and surfed the Web. Music and video clips were also downloaded in real-time from popular web sites. Ericsson and Telia began cooperation on WCDMA in the spring of 1998. The new network launched today is a 3G (third-generation) mobile system integrated with other cellular and fixed networks. It features a WCDMA cellular network with multiple radio base stations, a network controller and a switching center. The WCDMA network connects to Telia's GSM and ISDN networks as well as to the Internet. It also connects to the local PSTN via Ericsson's corporate network. This new WCDMA network allows for further testing of a range of advanced user applications, like video conferencing, multimedia e-mailing, IP-based services and Web surfing on real public networks, both mobile and fixed. "The new network is proof of the advanced research that has gone into WCDMA. It brings us another step closer to commercial deployment. The network is different from most test systems as it enables true WCDMA mobility - the ability to use wideband services while on the move from one place to another," said Håkan Djuphammar, Director of WCDMA Product Strategy at Ericsson, at the opening ceremony. "The applications you see are real, powerful and have great impact. 3G services will change the way we live, work and play. Telia is a forward looking company and we see this collaboration as a strategic relation to develop and drive UMTS technology," said Lorentz Engström, Senior Technical Advisor for Telia Mobile. "In addition to demonstrating 3G technology, the WCDMA test network also provides an excellent opportunity to conduct performance tests of different services," stated Claes Nycander, President of Telia Research. "In short, we are combining Telia's leading mobile application development with Ericsson's vast knowledge of mobile systems." The WCDMA Test Network covers an area of about 15 square kilometers between the cities of Akalla, Kista and Sollentuna, near Stockholm. Coverage is also planned soon in the Stockholm downtown area. "These applications demonstrate the immense service opportunities for 3G networks and explain why operators around the world are excited about a highly developed technology like WCDMA," added Ericsson's Håkan Djuphammar. The launch of the new WCDMA network is the latest in a series that Ericsson has initiated with various operators in Italy, Germany, Japan and the UK. Ericsson also has a WCDMA cooperation agreement in China. Ericsson is maintaining its position as the leader in WCDMA technology. The company completed the world's first WCDMA voice call the first week of April 1998. In January 1999, WCDMA video calls were made over the international public ISDN network between Ericsson's WCDMA experimental systems in Italy and Germany. Ericsson recently made another breakthrough with WCDMA multimedia calls from its WCDMA Center at Guildford, UK through international public fixed networks to Sweden. 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 Lorentz Engström, Senior Technical Advisor, Telia Mobile Phone: +46 8 601 7270; E-mail: lor@hk.mobile.telia.se Håkan Djuphammar, Director, WCDMA Product Strategy Ericsson WCDMA Systems Phone: +46 8 757 0384; E-mail: hakan.djuphammar@era.ericsson.se Eric Österberg, Communications Director Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 590 0599; E-mail: eric.osterberg@lme.ericsson.se Company Information Telia is the leading supplier of telecom-based information services in the Nordic/Baltic region. At the same time, "seamless" pan-European and global services are being realized through powerful alliances and partnerships in Europe and around the world. Annual turnover 1995 reached SEK 46,444 million and the number of employees amounted to approx. 32,500.