Siemens Adds GSM Deals In China, India; 3G Test On Isle Of Man

Communications Today, Dec 14, 2001

Siemens [SI] scored GSM expansion contracts in China and India this week while also helping build a wideband-CDMA third-generation network to be used for wireless multimedia capabilities on the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom.

Germany-based Siemens' Information and Communication Mobile division will supply GSM and GPRS technology to Bharti Cellular for mobile networks in India.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Siemens will equip Bharti's mobile networks in the Calcutta and Madhya Pradesh regions with turnkey GSM radio and switching technology, microwave radio relay systems, and GPRS services. In the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Gujarat regions, Siemens will deliver GSM technology, radio relay systems, and intelligent network services.

Siemens also will deliver and install mobile switching technology to expand China Mobile's [CHL] GSM network in the Sichuan Province under a $77 million contract. The project is scheduled to be completed by May 2002 and will be implemented by Siemens Shanghai Mobile Communications, Siemens' 60-percent owned venture with Shanghai Video and Audio Corporation, Shanghai Mobile Communications and China's Ministry of Post and Telecommunication. The network of China Mobile's Sichuan affiliate will be equipped with the Power CP switching system Siemens developed especially for the Chinese market.

On the Isle of Man, mmO2's Manx Telecom affiliate will test the commercial potentials of multimedia capabilities available on 3G systems using a W-CDMA network built by Siemens and NEC [NIPNY] and capable of supporting date rates up to 384 Kbps. Siemens and Tokyo-based NEC also supplied wireless applications for the test and mobile devices that will be distributed to test participants early next year.

Siemens and NEC also are teaming up to deliver W-CDMA technology to Italian 3G license holder H3G, a Hutchison Whampoa subsidiary, under a five- year, 710 million euros ($635 million) contract. Siemens will be responsible for the turnkey installation of more than half of the entire H3G network, more than 4000 base stations. H3G plans to launch its network in the fall next year. >TK