Ericsson wins WCDMA/HSPA upgrade and expansion contract with Swisscom

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has signed a frame agreement with leading Swiss operator Swisscom to expand and upgrade its WCDMA/HSPA network to enable high-speed mobile broadband coverage across 90 percent of Switzerland.

As key supplier to Swisscom, Ericsson will provide an HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) solution that will upgrade the operator's network to enable peak speeds of up to 7.2Mbps on the downlink - the maximum speed that commercial HSPA subscriber devices currently allow.
This agreement also expands on Swisscom's initial HSPA launch in February 2006, making uplink speeds of up to 1.4Mbps available across 90 percent of the country.

The contract will underpin the widespread availability of mobile broadband services across Switzerland and support subscriber access to a host of innovative services. The service was announced by Swisscom in November 2007. Rollout has started and is due for completion in the second quarter of 2008.

Patrice Haldemann, Network & IT, Head of Operations Swisscom says: "Ericsson's solution allows us to boost network capacity and extend our leadership in mobile broadband availability across the country, offering customers seamless access to our range of broadband services."

Richard Batistier, Account Manager at Ericsson says: "This contract marks an important milestone in our long-standing partnership with Swisscom and will extend high-speed mobile broadband throughout the country, supporting access from almost any device and nearly any location."

Ericsson's HSPA technology supports downlink speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. It significantly increases operators' network capacity and provides subscribers with a superior user experience.

Notes to the editor:

Press backgrounder for HSPA and 3G reference list:
www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/facts_figures/doc/hspa_lte.pdf
www.ericsson.com/ericsson/press/facts_figures/3g_reference.shtml


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About Ericsson's HSPA solution

HSPA stands for High-Speed Packet Access. An inherent advantage of HSPA is that the technology is a natural extension of existing WCDMA/GSM networks, or about 85 percent of the world's existing wireless networks, and therefore has the potential to be readily available to a large number of wireless users, creating a mass market for mobile broadband. By 2010, 71 percent of mobile broadband connections are projected to be HSPA-based.

Ericsson's HSPA mobile broadband solution, part of Ericsson's Full Service Broadband offering, today enables download speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and upload speeds of 1.4Mbps. The advanced technology lets operators more than double their system capacity and cuts response times for interactive services. On average, users will be able to download 20 times faster than with a GSM/GPRS connection. Future evolution steps will increase the HSPA download speed to 42Mbps and the upload speed to 12Mbps. Ericsson offers HSPA support on many frequency bands ranging from 850MHz to 2.6GHz.