Ericsson selected by Japan Telecom to deliver 3G WCDMA mobile network

Ericsson selected by Japan Telecom to deliver 3G WCDMA mobile network Ericsson has been selected as supplier for Japan Telecom to deliver WCDMA infrastructure for the operator's new 3G network, enabling the next generation mobile Internet. Japan Telecom Co., Ltd., together with partners Vodafone/AirTouch Plc. and British Telecommunications Plc., have announced their plans to launch a 3G network in Japan. The network will be nationwide and Ericsson has been selected as supplier providing the Radio Access Network and core network elements. Ericsson will deploy the network during year 2000 and 2001. Using Ericsson's WCDMA technology, Japanese subscribers will easily roam internationally and enjoy the multimedia capabilities of the mobile Internet. "Japan Telecom's selection of Ericsson as a supplier for 3G again confirms our leading position in building the mobile Internet," says Morgan Bengtsson, President of Ericsson in Japan. "Japan is in the forefront of WCDMA market deployment, as well as being one of Ericsson's most significant markets and this gives Ericsson an excellent position for future 3G systems worldwide." Ericsson has been a main supplier of infrastructure solutions to Japan Telecom since 1994. Currently, 6,6 million subscribers are connected over Japan Telecom's Ericsson-supplied PDC network, making Japan Telecom Ericsson's biggest customer in Japan. Ericsson also delivered a WCDMA experimental system to Japan Telecom, already in 1998. Ericsson is the only non-Japanese supplier of total system solutions for mobile telephony in Japan today. Ericsson is committed to the Japanese market, supporting Japan Telecom with branch office Nippon Ericsson K.K. and its 1100 employees. 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 Eric Österberg, Communications Director Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: + 46 70 590 0599; E-mail: eric.osterberg@lme.ericsson.se James Borup, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 70 590 9261; E-mail: james.borup@lme.ericsson.se Morgan Bengtsson, President, Nippon Ericsson K.K. Phone: + 81 3 3221 8201, + 81 3 3221 8200 Background information Ericsson in Japan Each month close to 1 million new mobile phone users are added in Japan. Ericsson has a strong legacy in Japan, having delivered complete mobile systems to Japan since 1994. Ericsson was the first non-domestic company to enter Japan with an extensive mobile systems experience. Ericsson is one of two suppliers in the world to deliver a total system solution for the Japanese PDC standard. Ericsson is currently delivering mobile systems to more than 5 operators in Japan, giving Ericsson a market share of more than 15 per cent in the country - the highest market share for any non- Japanese vendor. PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) is the world's second largest digital standard, with more than 45 million users. Ericsson's end-to-end 3G solutions Ericsson is leading the development of 3G mobile communications and the transition to 3G systems. Ericsson offers a smooth transition path from all 2G systems to 3G systems based on WCDMA, cdma2000 and EDGE. Ericsson is the only supplier with a full range of both second and third generation systems. The company offers a 3G portfolio with end-to-end solutions, including terminals, applications and infrastructure. Ericsson has already announced 3G pilot systems on three continents, leveraging the company's more than 10 years of research in 3G technologies. The company has set up 3G pilot systems in Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, U.S., Spain and Sweden. Ericsson recently announced its win of the first ever agreement for a commercial, end-to-end 3G system, when Finnish 2 G Ltd. selected Ericsson as the main supplier of a nationwide mobile network integrating GSM and 3G. WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is one of the third generation radio interface technologies that is optimized for wideband radio access to support high-speed multimedia services such as videoconferencing and Internet, as well as voice calls. WCDMA allows the wireless bandwidth to be tailored efficiently to the needs of each individual call, whether it is voice, data or multimedia. It can handle both packet and circuit switched services. Multiple calls of different types can be simultaneously made. Ericsson recently was the first vendor to unveil a complete range of WCDMA Radio Access Network products, including the RBS 3202 macro base station and the RNC 3810 Radio Network Controller. To read more, please visit: http://www.ericsson.se/cebit/pressroom/2000-02- 23_ericsson_announces_complete_wcdma.shtml The company has also announced its high-performance, scalable packet switching platform to handle both realtime IP and ATM. The new platform is optimized for use in mobile networks is especially designed to handle different types of services and communications protocols. Operators are able to offer, in the same network node, any combination of 2G and 3G traffic based on IP or ATM. Ericsson's recently announced realtime router, the RXI 820, is based on this platform, as are Ericsson's embedded ATM switches in 3G networks. To read more, please visit: http://www.ericsson.se/cebit/pressroom/2000-02- 23_ericsson_launches_new_3g_packet.shtml ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/03/20000303BIT00230/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/03/03/20000303BIT00230/bit0002.pdf