Ericsson signs three-year GSM expansion contract in India with IDEA Cellular

February 27, 2007, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Indian operator IDEA Cellular have today signed a three-year contract for GSM expansion in the Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh telecom circles (operator-licensed areas).

Under the contract, Ericsson will provide radio access, microwave transmission and next-generation, mobile softswitch network architecture, till November 2009.

As the sole supplier, Ericsson will help IDEA build a state-of-the-art EDGE-enabled cellular network across the five circles, which will enable IDEA to make a smooth transition to a 3G-ready network once 3G-spectrum allocation is finalized.

Sanjeev Aga, Managing Director, IDEA Cellular, says: “We are pleased to be working with Ericsson to expand our GSM network. The expansion prepares us well for the switch to a 3G-ready network when the time is right.”

Mats Granryd, Managing Director, Ericsson India, says: “IDEA’s expansion in the five circles will include remote rural areas, which present unique challenges. We have been partners with IDEA since it started operations in India, and we are happy to be taking this partnership to a new level of commitment.”

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com

About IDEA Cellular

A leading GSM mobile services operator, IDEA Cellular has licenses to operate in 12 telecom circles in India. With a customer base of more than 12 million, IDEA Cellular has operations in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. IDEA Cellular’s footprint currently covers about 60 percent of India’s potential telecom market.

IDEA Cellular is part of the Aditya Birla Group, India’s first truly multinational corporation. Global in vision yet rooted in Indian values, the group is driven by a performance ethic pegged on value creation for its multiple stakeholders.

Read more about IDEA Cellular at http://www.ideacellular.com.

About Ericsson softswitch solutions

Ericsson is the leading provider of softswitch solutions for both mobile and wireline networks. Ericsson’s solutions are commercially proven and fully standard-compliant, offering an efficient and low-risk evolution of existing circuit-switched networks to a telecom-quality, IP-based service platform. They use network resources in the most cost-efficient way to provide both classic telephony and next-generation services. More than 160 fixed and mobile operators worldwide have commercially launched services based on Ericsson’s softswitch solutions.

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