Mobile operator M1 of Singapore awarded Nokia a contract under the existing frame agreement to supply equipment and services for the third phase of its WCDMA 3G network rollout. This marks another important milestone in reaching island-wide coverage for M1's expected launch of 3G in Singapore. Deliveries for Phase 3 of WCDMA 3G start immediately and the network launch is planned for the second half 2004.
"This new infrastructure order with Nokia is to support our customers' evolution to the next generation of mobile service," says Neil Montefiore, Chief Executive Officer, M1.
"M1 is on schedule to meet regulatory obligations to deliver an operational WCDMA network in Singapore by end of 2004," he adds.
"We are happy with the good relationship we have built in achieving the significant milestones for M1 thanks to the reliability of our products and completeness of our portfolio. Nokia will continue to work very closely with M1 towards the successful delivery for a commercial WCDMA 3G launch," says Wong Kum Meng, Account Director for M1, Networks, Asia Pacific, Nokia.
Under the contract for Phase 3, Nokia will supply a full turnkey scope of work covering WCDMA equipment and services. The equipment includes Radio Network Controllers, WCDMA Indoor Supreme Base Stations, Outdoor Supreme BaseStations, TripleMode Base Stations and MetroSite Base Stations for both macro and indoor sites, circuit core expansion. In addition, Nokia will provide project management, implementation and network optimization consultancy for fast quality ramp-up of the 3G solution. The services will be provided using Nokia NetActa, a fully-featured, multi-vendor, multi-technology operations support system on a single platform.