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Ericsson - Aircel’s largest 3G partner in India


WEBWIRE

* Ericsson to deploy 3G network in six of Aircel’s market areas or circles
* Millions to be connected through mobile broadband with Aircel
* Mobile broadband solution includes radio, core, transmission and related services

Aircel, India’s leading mobile operator, part of Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia, has awarded Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) a contract to roll out a 3G/HSPA network across six out of its 13 circles or geographic market areas. These six circles currently serve more than 100 million subscribers and Ericsson will be Aircel’s largest partner for 3G implementation. Aircel will offer its customers services such as video telephony, mobile broadband, mobile TV, video on demand and others including music downloads, video tones, instant messaging and online gaming.



For many people, broadband has changed from being “nice to have” to being an absolute necessity in modern-day life - for conducting business, managing a household or as a means of entertainment. Likewise, the mobile phone has become one of the main tools for nearly 5 billion people in the world to communicate. Along with mobile broadband, it enables whole new ways of keeping in touch, accessing services and working on the move.



Sandip Das, CEO of Maxis says, “Ericsson and Maxis, have a long history of infrastructure partnership starting up from 2G through to 3G and possibly future technologies, across our subsidiaries and allied companies operating in Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. We respect them and look forward to their continued support to our group’s commitment to providing quality networks and advanced services to our customers”.



Hans Vestberg, President & CEO, Ericsson says, “Maxis group and Aircel is a preferred partner for us. We greatly value our strategic association and the India 3G agreement further reinforces this partnership”.



Gurdeep Singh, COO of Aircel says: "For many people in India connected for the first time, 3G mobile broadband will bring completely new types of services and benefits. We are confident that with this partnership, we will benefit from Ericsson’s global expertise of 3G deployments, and will be able to offer our customers a world-class 3G experience.



Gowton Achaibar, head of Ericsson India, says: “We are extremely excited to partner with Aircel for the implementation of its 3G network. We foresee 3G brings economic advantages and increased social interaction in the country. With the advent of 3G, the mobile phone will not just be about convenience and satisfying a basic need for communication; it will also provide access to services such as healthcare, education and information, supporting people’s livelihoods.”



Under the agreement with Aircel, Ericsson will provide core, radio and transmission network equipment as well as related services such as network rollout, network technology and consulting, radio network optimization and support services. The mobile broadband network will include the latest multi-standard radio base station, RBS6000, and the MSC Server Blade Cluster, which will drastically boost the capacity of the network and evolve it into an IP network. The framework contract will be implemented from 2010 to 2012. Deliveries and deployment are underway. Aircel and Ericsson made the first successful 3G call last week in Chennai and Coimbatore.



The six Aircel circles Ericsson provides 3G technology in are: Tamil Nadu Bihar; Orissa; Jammu Kashmir; North East; and Assam.



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About Aircel Group

Aircel, a part of Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia, is India’s fifth largest GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of over 47 million and is the fastest growing mobile operator in the country. It is the market leader in Tamil Nadu, Assam, North-East and Chennai. Aircel is now present in 23 Telecom Circles (Mumbai, Pune, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Assam, Bihar, Chennai, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North-East , Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, MP & Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat & Rajasthan) and with spectrum secured for all the remaining circles (a total of 23 circles in India), the company is on track to become a leading Pan-India Operator. For more information, please log on to www.aircel.com


Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 2 billion subscribers and has the leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of being the “prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 80,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 206.5 billion (USD 27.1 billion) in 2009. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.



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