Ericsson wins WCDMA/HSPA expansion contract with Sunrise in Switzerland
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) has signed an agreement with the Swiss operator Sunrise Communications (Sunrise) to expand its WCDMA/HSPA network. The deal will bring high-speed mobile broadband coverage to Sunrise subscribers in a number of cities across Switzerland.
Under the three-year agreement, Ericsson will be the key supplier of radio access network equipment to expand the existing WCDMA/HSPA network of Sunrise. The expansion will increase network capacity and speed and allow Sunrise to extend its mobile broadband offering across the country.
Ericsson will also provide services including support, spare parts management and training. Network deployment and integration has already started. The contract builds on earlier Ericsson deals that saw the introduction of HSPA across key Swiss cities in 2006-2007.
Henning Dickow, Chief Technical Officer at Sunrise, says: "This deal reflects our strong partnership with Ericsson. This network expansion will allow existing and new customers to enjoy the fastest mobile broadband speeds available and reaffirms our position as a leading provider of cutting-edge services."
Stefan Koetz, Head of Ericsson Switzerland, says: "We are pleased to continue our partnership with Sunrise. This expansion contract reinforces Ericsson's technology leadership and will help Sunrise tap into new regions across Switzerland, meeting growing customer demands for the latest mobile broadband services."
Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 195 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.
Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27.9 billion (SEK 188 billion) in 2007. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on the Stockholm and NASDAQ stock exchanges.
For more information, visit www.ericsson.com or www.ericsson.mobi.
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About Ericsson's HSPA solution
HSPA stands for High-Speed Packet Access. An inherent advantage of HSPA is that the technology is a natural extension of existing WCDMA/GSM networks, or about 85 percent of the world's existing wireless networks, and therefore has the potential to be readily available to a large number of wireless users, creating a mass market for mobile broadband. By 2010, 71 percent of mobile broadband connections are projected to be HSPA based.
Ericsson's HSPA mobile broadband solution, part of Ericsson's Full Service Broadband offering, today enables download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and upload speeds of 1.4Mbps. The advanced technology lets operators more than double their system capacity and cuts response times for interactive services. On average, users will be able to download 20 times faster than with a GSM/GPRS connection. Future evolution steps will increase the HSPA download speed to 42Mbps and the upload speed to 12Mbps. Ericsson offers HSPA support on many frequency bands ranging from 850MHz to 2.6GHz.
About Sunrise
Sunrise is the second largest telecommunications provider in Switzerland. More than 2.2 million customers use Sunrise services in the mobile telecommunications, fixed network and Internet sectors. The mobile network, based on GSM, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA, provides 99 % of the population with the most modern mobile services and allows transfer rates of up to 3.6 Mbps. A high-performance fiber-optic network with a total length of more than 8900 km makes it possible to offer extensive coverage for high-quality voice and data services. By 2010 Sunrise will be operating its own broadband services in 80% of households. Sunrise is a brand of Sunrise Communications AG, whose capital stock is 100% owned by TDC A/S.