Ericsson supplies GSM network to Finland

Ericsson supplies GSM network to Finland Ericsson has signed a contract for a complete turnkey GSM network with the Finnish operator Telephone Company of Vaasa Province Ltd valued at USD 8 million (SEK 65 million). This represents the second largest GSM 1800 contract ever signed in Finland. The new GSM 1800 network of Telephone Company of Vaasa Province Ltd will cover areas in western Finland. The first part of the network will be operational during the second half of 1999. The contract includes development and testing of new products and services. During the last 12 months, Ericsson has signed 11 contracts with new operators starting GSM 1800 networks. "We can now locally offer new cost-efficient services to our customers," said Erik Sjöberg, President of Telephone Company of Vaasa Province Ltd. "The request of wireless data and telephone services is rapidly growing in Finland. With the Ericsson GSM 1800 we can be among the first to develop, and offer, new mobile services." Telephone Company of Vaasa Province Ltd is a private local telecom company. Ericsson has previously supplied wireline solutions to the company. GSM is the world's most widely deployed wireless communications standard. Ericsson is the global market leader in GSM, with close to half of the world's 140 million GSM subscribers connected by Ericsson systems. More than 125 operators in some 65 countries around the world rely on GSM systems from Ericsson. 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 Erik Sjöberg, President Telephone Company of Vaasa Province Ltd. Phone: +358 6 411 3000 Veli-Matti Mattila, President Oy L M Ericsson AB Phone: +358 9 299 2500 Isabella Laihorinne Smedh, Ericsson Corporate Communications Phone: +46 8 4045654, +46 70 5510369 E-mail: Isabella.Laihorinne-Smedh@lme.ericsson.se