Miles
17-06-2003, 05:18 PM
Mobile carriers are eager to launch a new walkie-talkie service and faster Internet connections over so-called EDGE networks, Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE), said on Tuesday.
The new services could save operators money and will be offered globally later this year and early next, Nokia executives told a annual strategy update for journalists.
Investments in EDGE networks by Western European operators may further delay investment in much more expensive third generation (3G) networks, analysts said. EDGE was long ignored in Europe, but cash-starved operators now see it as a way to squeeze more value out of their existing networks.
''We're selling EDGE to operators around the world, also in Eastern and Western Europe,'' said Rene Svendsen-Tune, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Nokia Networks.
EDGE, offered alongside 3G, is an intermediate network technology which offers faster Internet access than current GPRS mobile networks, but does not offer the same speed and reliability as fully-fledged 3G networks.
EDGE costs a fraction of a 3G network and operators with relatively modern mobile phone networks can simply upgrade to EDGE and triple their capacity, Svendsen-Tune said.
But he added many European operators either have old networks or obligations to build 3G networks. For many of them it could be cheaper to invest in 3G.
Read More (http://www.boston.com/dailynews/168/technology/Nokia_Says_Operators_Want_Walk:.shtml)
The new services could save operators money and will be offered globally later this year and early next, Nokia executives told a annual strategy update for journalists.
Investments in EDGE networks by Western European operators may further delay investment in much more expensive third generation (3G) networks, analysts said. EDGE was long ignored in Europe, but cash-starved operators now see it as a way to squeeze more value out of their existing networks.
''We're selling EDGE to operators around the world, also in Eastern and Western Europe,'' said Rene Svendsen-Tune, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Nokia Networks.
EDGE, offered alongside 3G, is an intermediate network technology which offers faster Internet access than current GPRS mobile networks, but does not offer the same speed and reliability as fully-fledged 3G networks.
EDGE costs a fraction of a 3G network and operators with relatively modern mobile phone networks can simply upgrade to EDGE and triple their capacity, Svendsen-Tune said.
But he added many European operators either have old networks or obligations to build 3G networks. For many of them it could be cheaper to invest in 3G.
Read More (http://www.boston.com/dailynews/168/technology/Nokia_Says_Operators_Want_Walk:.shtml)