Espoo, Finland - Nokia and Finnish telecom operator Elisa today carried out the world's first WCDMA/HSDPA data call on the 900 MHz band in a commercial network. The call was conducted in Elisa's live network in Finland, and the equipment included the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station with a special solution for sharing the site infrastructure of the existing GSM base station.
The call demonstrated a new possibility of enhancing the existing WCDMA 3G network. The 900 MHz band can provide 2-4 times larger coverage area than the most commonly used 2 GHz band, thus reducing network deployment costs significantly especially in the rural areas. It also improves the availability of 3G services indoors due to better radio signal propagation characteristics. Finland is among the first countries that have allowed WCDMA 3G operation at 900 MHz band.
Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station and Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner enable Elisa to share their existing GSM900 base station site, including base station cabinets, antenna lines and power feeders, with the WCDMA 3G network. Utilizing Nokia's solution, the network operator can provide broadband wireless type of services, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), for end-users in a very cost-efficient way.
"Today's WCDMA900 call proves our dedication to continuously develop the Elisa service offering and bring the best services to our customers," says Matti Vikkula, Executive Vice President, Consumer and Small Enterprise Customers, Elisa Corporation. "Building rural 3G coverage in a cost-efficient way is very important for us, and offering our customers HSPA services at 900 MHz band is an interesting possibility to complement our existing HSPA services at 2100 MHz."
"Nokia has a robust position in providing new WCDMA frequency variants to operators. Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner is a unique solution for GSM-WCDMA antenna line sharing within the same frequency band," says Ari Lehtoranta, Senior Vice President, Radio Networks, Nokia. "This WCDMA900 call is another testimony of Nokia's strong commitment to support operators in developing their offering to better meet the demand that they face in today's increasingly competitive environment."
Nokia supported Elisa in launching the first HSDPA network in the Nordic Countries in April 2006.
About Elisa
Elisa Corporation is a leading Finnish telecommunications company offering private and corporate customers a comprehensive range of telecommunications services, including voice and data services, connections to the Internet and content services, customised communications and ICT solutions and network operator services. Elisa provides international services in association with its partners, Vodafone and Telenor.
Elisa Corporation is listed on the Helsinki Exchanges, and its revenue in 2005 amounted to 1.34 billion euros. Elisa has over 1.3 million fixed network subscriptions, of which approximately 479,000 are broadband subscriptions. As a broadband provider, Elisa is the market leader in Finland. The company's mobile network holds over 2,1 million subscriptions. The company has approximately 3,600 employees.
Saunalahti Group Oyj is a subsidiary of Elisa that offers Internet and telecommunications services to consumers.
http://www.elisa.com/
About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations
