An agreement has now been signed with Vodafone - Panafon Greek Telecommunications Company S.A. (Vodafone Greece) for the initial phase of UMTS deployment.
As one of the two suppliers, Ericsson will equip the Greek subsidiary of the Vodafone Group with UMTS core network technology and will provide engineering and consultancy services. Ericsson will begin setting up the network in Greece in the third quarter of 2003.
Ericsson is supplying and installing all the infrastructure components for the core network and the accompanying network management system. The UMTS network should be ready by end 2003.
"The many years of cooperation with Ericsson will be expanded now to cover the UMTS core network in Greece. Through this we will soon be able to offer our customers in Greece innovative third-generation mobile services," said George Koronias, CEO Vodafone Greece.
"This order continues our UMTS success story. We are pleased that Vodafone has now also opted for our powerful third-generation mobile solutions in the interesting Greek mobile telecommunications market," said Bill Zikou, President Market Unit South East Europe of Ericsson.
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 www.ericsson.com
For further information, please contact
Eva Sparr, Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 70 519 0793
E.mail: eva.sparr@ericsson.com
External Relations, Ericsson Corporate Communications
Phone: +46 8 719 6992
E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com
Anna Tzioti, Communications Executive, Ericsson South East Europe
Phone: +30 210-9601441
E-mail: mailto:press.relations@ericsson.com
About Vodafone Greece
Vodafone Greece, majority owned by Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile telecommunications company (65.4 percent), and the Greek telecommunications group Intracom (9.4 percent), is the second largest mobile provider in Greece with more than 3.6 million customers and a market share of 34.7 percent.
