The call, which was conducted at the Kempinski Hotel in Budapest, demonstrated the enhanced speed for accessing data made possible by EDGE. Pannon GSM's chief technology officer, Jozsef Huszlicska, used the Nokia 6220 EDGE terminal to make the call.
In addition to cooperating on the EDGE call, Nokia and Pannon have signed an agreement for Nokia to provide EDGE infrastructure for a trial launch in Budapest in the third quarter 2003. Under the agreement, Nokia will provide Pannon with EDGE network equipment and related implementation services. This will enable Pannon to be prepared to extend the benefits of the EDGE technology to its customers in the near future. By upgrading existing GSM network elements to be EDGE capable, Pannon will greatly enhance user experiences with mobile services, while leveraging the most from its current network investment.
"Pannon is committed to high-quality, innovative services, and providing the highest data speeds for our subscribers," says Jozsef Huszlicska, chief technology officer, Pannon GSM. "This call clearly demonstrates this commitment and our strong position as a pioneer in wireless services. Already having Nokia's EDGE-ready hardware in our network has enabled us to save considerable time and effort in experiencing this technology."
Nokia has been Pannon's primary supplier of GSM network equipment since the Hungarian operator launched its network in 1993.
"We are proud of partnering in this significant call, which shows Pannon leadership attitude towards providing the best possible mobile service," said László Tolnay, senior account manager, Nokia Networks. "Our aim is to continue our long-standing partnership with Pannon GSM and support them as they make strategic advances in providing mobile services in Hungary."
The EDGE call with Pannon follows on recent EDGE calls by DTAC in Thailand and Smart in the Philippines made with Nokia equipment. Nokia has to date delivered EDGE-ready hardware to 35 operators globally.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure 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.
Pannon GSM Rt. is a mobile telecommunications operator in Hungary, headquartered in Budapest. The company offers high quality GSM voice and data communication services in 900 and 1800 MHz frequency. The network is accessible in 99% of the territory of Hungary. The company has more then 253 roaming partners in 103 countries on 5 continents. The company's revenue in 2002 was above 158,5 billion HUF. On the 31th of March 2003 the company had 2.712.000 subscribers, the number of staff exceeded the figure of 1500.Pannon GSM's share of the Hungarian GSM market, which is shared by 3 players is 38,4%.
Further information:
Communications Department, Nokia Networks
Tel. (Int.) + 358 (0) 7180 38198
E-mail: networks.communications@nokia.com
www.nokia.com