Ericsson Press Releases

Ericsson and China Unicom Sign CDMA2000 1X Contracts

Date: Monday, October 21 2002
 

Ericsson today signed initial contracts with China Unicom valued at
more than 150 million USD. The contracts call for Ericsson to upgrade
existing cdmaOne networks to CDMA2000 1X.
 
"We are very excited to extend our long-standing relationship with
China Unicom and support them in upgrading their nationwide CDMA
network to CDMA2000," said CEO Kurt Hellström, Ericsson.
 
In addition to upgrading existing sites to CDMA2000, the contracts
also include expansion of Ericsson's original Phase one contracts
with China Unicom.
 
CDMA2000 deployment is scheduled to begin immediately in all
provinces and all networks are expected to be commercial by the end
of 2002.
 
China Unicom already has commercial subscribers on Ericsson's
CDMA2000 1X solution installed in the Sichuan province, with more
than 10,000 paying subscribers on the network already.
 
"We are happy to provide China Unicom with our cost-effective
CDMA2000 solution and pleased to see commercial traffic on our
network in Sichuan," said Åke Persson, president of Ericsson CDMA
Systems. "Our CDMA2000 solution will provide China Unicom with a
future proof solution with seamless migration to the next phases of
CDMA2000 1xEV and beyond to All-IP."
 
Nanjing Ericsson Panda Communications Company Ltd. (ENC), Ericsson's
largest joint venture in China, will deliver Ericsson's leading
CDMA2000 solution to China Unicom. The total solution contracts
include: 800 MHz compact radio base stations (RBS); base station
controllers (BSC); mobile switching centers (MSC); home location
registers (HLR); and a full portfolio of services including network
management, training, network rollout and technical support.
 
Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet
communications through its continuous technology leadership.
Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson
is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the
world. Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT
 
James Borup, Press Manager
Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 70 590 9261; E-mail: james.borup@lme.ericsson.se
 
Charlotte Rubin, Public Relations Manager
Ericsson Business Unit CDMA Systems
Phone: +1 858 332 6589; E-mail: charlotte.rubin@ericsson.com
 
Joyce Zhou, Senior Press Officer
Ericsson (China) Company Ltd.
Phone: +86 10 6561 9988, E-mail: qian.zhou@etc.ericsson.se
 
About Ericsson CDMA Systems
Ericsson's total CDMA2000 solution, which includes infrastructure,
applications, devices, services and proven market expertise, is
optimized for delivering advanced data solutions. Developed by the
industry's premier CDMA experts, Ericsson's true 3G CDMA2000 solution
offers operators unique performance and cost-saving advantages by
leveraging the full strength of Ericsson's expertise in wireless,
IP/datacom and Mobile Internet technologies. Ericsson's CDMA2000
solution, based on innovative product design, global platforms and
open standards, provides the flexibility operators need to succeed in
an always-evolving wireless market.
 
About China Unicom
China Unicom was established in July 1994 and listed on the Hong Kong
and New York stock markets in June 2000. China Unicom is China's
second largest mobile communication operator providing a full range
of telecom services such as domestic and international long-distance
call service, mobile phone and data/IP network communications.
Presently it has branches and subsidiaries in the country's 30
provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the
central government. With nearly 60 million mobile users, China Unicom
is now the only fully licensed service provider in the country.
 
cdmaOne is a trademark of the CDMA Development Group.
CDMA2000 is a trademark of the Telecommunications Industry
 Association.