Lithuania's acting president H. E. Arturas Paulauskas made the country's first 3G call over Omnitel's trial network on May 1st. The call was made using a 3G core network supplied by Nokia as part of a six-month trial undertaken by Omnitel in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Nokia has also delivered a 3G radio-access network for Omnitel to pilot during the trial period.
The historic first 3G call was made by Mr. Paulauskas to his country's newly appointed European Union commissioner Mrs. Dalia Grybauskaite in Brussels on the day that Lithuania joined the EU.
With the 3G trial, Omnitel has clearly demonstrated that Lithuania is in the vanguard of mobile services in eastern Europe. UMTS licenses will be issued in Lithuania by the end of 2004.
Nokia has been a long-term supplier to Omnitel of core networks for GSM. Nokia also provided Nokia 7600 terminals for the 3G service demonstration.
"We are excited to be marking our integration with Europe with an important milestone in Lithuanian communications," says Antanas Zabulis, CEO and President, Omnitel. "Nokia has played a large role in making this call a reality, and we are more than happy to be continuing our cooperation with Nokia."
"This 3G call has great significance for both Omnitel and Lithuania," says Jan Lindgren, Vice President, Networks, Nokia. "It demonstrates how advances in mobile services are matching other historic changes in this country. We are extremely pleased to be working with Omnitel to introduce the people of Vilnius to the promise of 3G."
Omnitel UAB is the largest telecommunications company in the Baltic States. It offers mobile GSM communication (900/1800 Mhz), Internet and other data transmission services. For more information, please visit www.omnitel.lt
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.
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