Taiwan's KG Telecom, using Nokia supplied infrastructure, has completed the first GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) call in Asia over its network. GPRS is a milestone in the development towards the 3rd Generation mobile systems and mobile multimedia services.
"Having packet data capabilities in our network is key to the growth of mobile data and will enable KG Telecom to become a key player in the future mobile IP market in Asia," said Jimmy Yau, President & COO, KG Telecom. "We are excited by the deployment of GPRS in our network and will be looking to migrate our services towards 3G in the future as we build the Mobile Information Society for our customers in Taiwan."
Demand for new, innovative Internet related services is a growing trend that is driving mobile usage in networks today. GPRS will offer true global mass market wireless access to the Internet and other packet-based networks.As existing second Generation networks evolve to 3rd Generation, GPRS is the packet mobile core platform and radio access which enables the provision of mobile Internet and intranet.
"We are pleased to announce the first call GPRS call of its kind in Asia, particularly over the public network," says Petri Reijonen, General Manager, Nokia Taiwan. "GSM is the most proven platform for the 3rd Generation and offers operators investment protection towards new network technologies such as GPRS. We have delivered over 30 GPRS core network solutions since early August 1999. This will enable always-connected services and also fuels Wireless Application Protocol based content."
Nokia is at the forefront of development and implementation of GPRS infrastructure for mobile operators and their Internet Service Provider partners. With this advancement KG Telecom can create new services based on multimedia messaging, wireless Internet, and corporate Intranet access.
KG Telecom and Nokia started the construction of KG Telecom's GPRS network in late 1999. The complete network will be continuously updated throughout this year.
Nokia is paving the way to the mobile information society with its innovative products and solutions. Nokia is the leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile, broadband and IP networks, related services as well as multimedia terminals. In 1999, net sales totalled EUR 19.8 billion (USD 19.9 billion). Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is listed on the New York (NOK), Helsinki, Stockholm, London, Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges and employs more than 56,000 people.
Further information:
Nokia Networks
Communication Department
Tel. +358 9 5113 8193
Fax +358 9 5113 8199
Email: nokia.networks@nokia.com
www.nokia.com