ASIA
: Taiwan Cellular Corporation has selected Nokia to complete the next
phase of its WCDMA 3G network roll-out under an agreement for the
sole supply of full range of core and radio network equipment.
The
expansion contract, which follows a 2002 agreement for the first deployment
phase, reinforces Nokia's strong position both in Taiwan and in 3G.
Deliveries have already begun to support a preliminary service launch
in the first quarter 2005.
"Our experience with Nokia has been pleasant," says Harvey
Chang ( inset above ), President and CEO, TCC. "Nokia's
advanced 3G technology and its knowledge of end-to-end systems is
crucial for our future 3G offering. As we work toward the launch of
our network, we are happy to have a trusted partner in 3G."
"We are extremely pleased that TCC has placed its trust in Nokia
and our ability to supply and deploy robust 3G systems," says
Simon Beresford-Wylie, Senior Vice President, Nokia. "Becoming
the sole 3G supplier is a significant deal with the leading operator
in one of the world's premier telecom markets. We look forward to
working even closer with TCC as it launches 3G service."
TCC Group is Taiwan's largest mobile operator, with over eight million
2G subscribers and three portfolio operators: Taiwan Cellular Corporation,
TransAsia Telecommunications and the newly acquired Mobitai Communications.
In addition to a complete WCDMA 3G system, including circuit and packet
core equipment, Nokia is supplying a range of professional services
to support the deployment. The networks will be managed using Nokia
NetAct (TM), the only fully featured, multi-vendor, multi-technology
operations support system (OSS) on a single platform.
Nokia has previously supplied TCC's complete GPRS system, and under
the 2002 agreement supplied a major part of WCDMA 3G for the initial
network deployment.