Ericsson to supply HSPA to Wataniya Kuwait

Ericsson has been selected to upgrade Wataniya’s network with full 3G/HSPA functionality that will boost the operator’s mobile broadband offering to end-user in Kuwait. Commercial launch has already started.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will provide radio equipment and implementation services for the 3G/HSPA network, enabling Wataniya to introduce a new generation of mobile broadband services including high speed Internet access.

Harri Kopponen, CEO of Wataniya, says: “Our customers are driving the evolution of our networks, demanding more advanced services. Choosing Ericsson as supplier lets us be the first in Kuwait and among the first in the region to launch HSDPA services and offer our customers mobile broadband with unrivalled transfer speeds.”

Per Uppstrom, President, Ericsson Kuwait, says: “Wataniya makes a very strong statement on the Kuwaiti market at a very exciting time in telecommunications history. HSDPA deployments are taking off around the world, and we are extremely pleased to power Wataniya’s HSDPA network.”

Ericsson’s HSDPA solution will enable peak download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps as soon as end-user terminals supporting such a speed are available on the market. The advanced technology offers operators more than double the system capacity and makes response times for interactive services faster. On average, users will be able to download four times faster than the normal 3G connection using existing PC-cards and even 20 times faster than with a GSM/GPRS connection.

The contract confirms Ericsson’s leadership in WCDMA/HSDPA technologies. As of October 2006, Ericsson is the prime supplier to 600 out ofÂ 109 WCDMA commercially launched networks worldwide.