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Ericsson announces Cable & Wireless Panama launch of first GSM/GPRS 850 MHz network in the world
November 13, 2002
PANAMA CITY -- Cable & Wireless Panama, one of the leading mobile operators in Panama, announced the commercial launch of the world's first GSM/GPRS 850 MHz network. Ericsson is the sole supplier of equipment and services for the deployment of this network, which uses existing spectrum to provide operators a smooth transfer from TDMA to GSM/GPRS technology. By upgrading its network in the 850 MHz frequency, Cable & Wireless Panama will be able to offer its customers the latest, most advanced wireless services, including multimedia messaging services (MMS), location based services, and browsing and software downloading capabilities. Furthermore, the upgrade gives Cable & Wireless Panama a roadmap for providing advanced mobile voice and data services in the future. "GSM/GPRS is the dominant wireless telecommunications technology available today, and we are proud to bring it to market in Panama," said Bert Nordberg, Vice President and General Manager, Ericsson Systems. "We are pleased to be Cable & Wireless' strategic partner and sole wireless supplier in Panama, and to support them with our experience and leadership in telecommunications." Among the applications Ericsson will provide are Mobile Internet Enabling Proxy (MIEP), an Intelligent Network (IN) with Mobile Virtual Private Network (MVPN) and Flexible Number Register (FNR), which enables the subscriber to use the old TDMA phone number in the new GSM network. In a separate release: MIAMI, Fla. -- The launch announcement for the first GSM 850 network in the world by Cable & Wireless Panama with the support of its vendor partner Ericsson opens a new era in the global diffusion of the GSM wireless interface, in the view of 3G Americas, a wireless industry organization dedicated to supporting the GSM evolution to UMTS in the Americas. GSM continues as the fastest growing technology throughout Latin America, recording 59% year-over-year growth as of June 2002 and now the commercial deployment of GSM 850 will further stimulate regional growth. Forecasts indicate that GSM will become the leading technology in the Latin America region by 2007, followed by TDMA technology. "GSM has now arrived in the most popular frequency band of 850 MHz for mobile services in the Americas," stated Dr. Richard Downes, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean for 3G Americas, "and with over 100 million TDMA subscribers in the Americas, this is excellent news for the market." 3G Americas applauds the first commercial announcement of GSM at the 850 MHz spectrum band. This announcement provides further evidence of the tremendous commitment of wireless carriers and manufacturers for making the 850 MHz spectrum band a core band for the GSM technology. Other TDMA operators in the region and industry analysts now have undeniable proof that terminals, infrastructure, engineering expertise, and applications are available for GSM 850, as previously reported by 3G Americas. Additional operators planning to implement GSM 850 systems include Cingular Wireless, Dobson Wireless, and Telecom Italia for its TDMA properties in Brazil. Cable & Wireless LM Ericsson 3G Americas LLC
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