ESPOO, Finland -- Nokia and Turkish mobile operator AVEA have signed a three-year framework agreement for the deployment of the Nokia MSC Server 3GPP compliant mobile softswitch. The Nokia softswitch will be central to AVEA's plans to modernize its network by creating Turkey's first Next Generation Network (NGN).

"AVEA is happy to extend its cooperation with Nokia by selecting its MSC Server System for our strategic network modernization," says Cuneyt Turktan, Chief Executive Officer, AVEA. "With Nokia's mobile softswitch, AVEA will not only benefit from savings in OPEX and CAPEX, but also be able to support GSM, 3G and Fixed Mobile Convergence services in the future, while significantly increasing subscriber capacity."

"We are pleased to build on our role as supplier of AVEA's Push to talk and Presence solutions and now extend our collaboration to mobile softswitching," says Murat Kircuval, General Manager Nokia Turkey. "The Nokia MSC Server System, based on 3GPP Releases 4 and 5, will allow AVEA to carry voice, data and signaling traffic over the IP/MPLS backbone, and more importantly give AVEA the means to prepare for Next Generation Network services."

The MSC Server system will allow AVEA to realize future OPEX/CAPEX savings due to Nokia's Unified Core Network offering, which has the capability to provide a common network architecture to support fixed mobile convergence and next generation access technologies, such as 3G/VoIP/WiMAX, as well as today's GSM, UMA, IMS and SIP Voice over IP applications.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK)