Siemens 3G Phones Hit Europe

Austria : Beginning April 25th, 3G terminals to be available in selected A1 Shops - Data transmission and video streaming up to 384 kbit/s - Simple and transparent rates: GSM/GPRS rates will apply for 3G - Cost of video via mobile phone: beginning at 50 cents per clip.

Inset is the Siemens U10 3G Phone - more details about this phone here

After mobilkom austria's European launch of the third generation mobile network on September 25th, 2002, the leading Austrian mobile communications company has fired the starting shot for its customer's use of third-generation services. "We have brought our network up to the state-of-the-art in the past six months, and are now opening it up to our customers," says Dr. Boris Nemsic, CEO of mobilkom austria and COO Wireless, Telekom Austria.

Since the launch of the 3G network last September, mobilkom austria has increased its population coverage to 42%. The 54 largest cities in Austria - with the exception of Salzburg - are now supplied with this new mobile communications technology. mobilkom austria's third generation network is equipped for data services and video streaming at speeds up to 384 kbit/second. "Our goal is to quickly make the high level of quality, which our customers rightfully expect of us, possible in the third generation as well," says Nemsic. "But 3G can only become a success if it is seen as the evolution of the second generation, and mobilkom austria has already laid the foundation for this." In order to be able to offer a 3G network of the appropriate quality with the launch, mobilkom austria has erected roughly 1,000 stations in the past months and made investments of 72 million EUR. The multi-vendor strategy - Ericsson and Nortel carried out the network buildup together - was decisive for the rapid and trouble-free realization of Austria's first 3G network.

Third Generation Network Available Free of Charge Until Mid-July 2003
"Beginning April 25th, Siemens U10 terminals will be available in selected A1 Shops. Customers can also order mobile phones from www.a1.net/3G. The new mobile phones can be used in the A1 3G network free of charge until the middle of July. The first A1 3G mobile phones are being used since yesterday by well-known personalities in politics as well as opinion leaders in business, who are experiencing the new speed and mobility through these handsets," explains Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, Director of Marketing, Distribution and Customer Services for mobilkom austria. Beginning April 25th, Siemens U10 terminals will be available at selected A1 Shops throughout Austria for the first-time registration price of EUR 799. In the future, mobilkom austria will be offering a wide variety of mobile phones from different manufacturers that can be used both in the second (GSM, GPRS) as well as in the third generation of mobile communications.

Clear and Transparent Pricing: 3G Rates Equivalent to 2G
Future pricing for the use of the 3G network will follow a clear and transparent rate plan: no additional base rate will be charged, rates for voice calls are equal to those for 2G, the same applies to SMS and MMS. Customers can switch as they like between 3G and 2G without complicated pricing plans. Where the use of data services is concerned, the rate structure for GPRS will apply. Customers get more performance at the same price, thereby benefiting from 3G speed and uniform pricing. "With this rate plan, we are putting the bar for joining the third generation as low as it goes. We are aiming for the mass market, which is why we are building on familiar, simple rate plans," says Ametsreiter.

Content Determines Price
A new possibility offered by the third generation is video via mobile phone: in the future, payment for moving images will be priced per use. Video clips will begin at 50 cents, with content determining price. Customers pay only the price of the video clip, no additional access fees are charged.

Moving Images from 95 Cooperating Partners on the A1 Mobile Phone
mobilkom austria offers its A1 customers a range of thirds-generation services: Current video clips will be offered daily through a cooperation with 95 partners such as the ORF or the National Football League. Current news items such as the ORF Newsflash or Wien Heute can be consumed directly via mobile phone. Goal announcements from Austrian National Football League bring your favorite team's goals to your mobile phone only minutes after being scored. In addition, A1 offers weekly game and round summaries. Other possibilities include seeing the latest previews for movies playing at nearby theaters, live traffic cameras on Vienna's Südosttangente highway or the daily ORF ZIB weather. Even short erotic videos will now be available via mobile phone. This top-content portfolio will be continually expanded in the coming months: for example with live TV and video on demand services from CNN, n-tv, Euronews and N24. A1 will also offer a selection of multimedia, in part interactive games, and continues to expand its traffic cameras and applications.

"We are dedicating this launch of the first 3G network to our customers. Mobile communication has become a part of everyday communication for Austrians. In the same way, this next technological step will be come integrated in our customers everyday lives," concludes Nemsic. How quickly this will happen also depends on the responsible politicians: "We are asking that UMTS be kept free of regulations in order to support competition, and that during the upcoming regulatory decisions, the investment needs, the many uses for 3G as well as the speed factor be considered."