Thailand's leading mobile operator, AIS and Nokia signed a USD23 million agreement for the expansion of GSM/GPRS and rollout of EDGE networks in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Thailand.
The deal covers the immediate delivery of equipment and services required for the increasing GSM/GPRS traffic and the activation of EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) in non-voice strategic cities such as Chiangmai and Phuket.
"We trust in Nokia's leadership and capabilities in GSM/GPRS/EDGE technology solutions. With EDGE, AIS will be able to offer our 12 million subscribers higher quality network services. Following AIS commercial EDGE launch in Thailand's main cities at the end of the year, AIS mobile subscribers can look forward to mobile data and multimedia services such as video streaming, Internet browsing, email and corporate data access," says Ms.Yingluck Shinawatra, President AIS
"Nokia, our long-term vendor, has demonstrated their expertise and commitment to support us with professional services to integrate seamlessly with our existing network enabling a smooth migration path to 3G mobile services," adds Shinawatra.
In addition to the delivery of Nokia EDGE-capable base stations, such as the Nokia UltraSite and Nokia MetroSite, the deal includes services such as project management, implementation and network maintenance services.
The contract also includes a significant expansion of AIS' GPRS packet core by Nokia to support the expected increase in data traffic to come with EDGE services. AIS mobile subscribers using current GPRS services can experience up to three times faster speeds with EDGE.
"Nokia is happy to continue it's close cooperation with AIS in making advanced mobile services available to the Thai market. This deal reinforces the commitment of both Nokia and AIS to drive the adoption and take-off of mobile data and non-voice services," says Somchai Thamsirisup, Account Director, AIS, Nokia.
Nokia has been working with AIS since the early 1990s, providing turnkey services for the operator's GSM infrastructure.
About AIS
Advanced Info Service Plc. or AIS is the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand with approximately 12.6 million subscribers at the end of August 2003. AIS strongly believe that wireless communications will bring changes to the way Thai people lead their lives, regardless of who they are and what they do. With the existence of endless communications possibilities, the quality of life is better.
About Nokia
A market leader in the cellular industry in Asia Pacific, Nokia provides innovative, industry leading and market-relevant technology and products to around 20 diverse markets in the region.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and reliable solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed broadband and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.
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Note To Editors
EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution) features are part of the GSM specifications and is a 3G technology defined by ITU and 3GPP. EDGE is an important part of the smooth evolution to GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA multiradio networks. Together, EDGE and WCDMA ensure the fastest adoption of 3G multimedia services for all mobile subscribers.
With EDGE, operators can provide consumers with a three-fold increase in data-rates and capacity through their GSM/GPRS networks; boosting the revenues generated by operators from the GSM frequencies and reducing the cost of building new capacity for the increasing usage of attractive data services. EDGE offers full backwards compatibility to GSM/GPRS services.