Alcatel today announced it has set up a cooperation with Orange Romania, with the objective to develop 3G/UMTS mobile communications business in Romania. This is the first UMTS on the air operation implemented in the Central and Eastern Europe, and one of the few yet implemented in the world. The tests started within the inauguration ceremony of the most important Romanian IT&C fair, the CERF, in the presence of the Romanian telecom Minister and other officials.
Orange
Romania today began testing the first mobile multimedia applications
over the end-to-end UMTS mobile infrastructure network installed in
Bucharest by Alcatel. This pre-commercial network infrastructure not
only
carries voice communications in circuit mode but also allows the transfer
of data and high-speed video images in packet mode.
These
trials have confirmed the Alcatel’s UMTS Evolium™ infrastructure’s
quality in the area of high-speed data & video transfers. It enables
Web
Browsing, access to online information, images transfer, video streaming
&
downloading, or even transferring live video from a distant Webcam.
The
network achieved high levels of quality and speed (384Kbps available
for
the end user) in full compliance to UMTS standards and requirements
of
Orange.
Alcatel
has delivered and installed in Bucharest its complete Evolium™
solution including the UTRAN radio systems (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access
Network) radio systems, the core network systems, as well as the associated
radio Network Controller (RNC) and multimedia equipment in less that
two
months. The radio systems, which include the UMTS base stations (Node
B),
are developed and produced by Evolium SAS, the joint venture between
Alcatel and Fujitsu.
"Orange
Romania and Alcatel Romania have a long and very close working
relationship. Our first GSM contract was signed in 1996 and the Alcatel'
GSM infrastructure presently assures a coverage of more than 70% of
Romania," said Bernard Moscheni ORANGE ROMANIA CEO. “The fact
that today
Orange is able to show live commercial applications of UMTS in Romania
is
due to the sound performance of Evolium™, very good collaboration
with the
Romanian authorities and to the great professionalism and flexibility
of
Alcatel people”.
"This
cooperation with Orange Romania is very important to Alcatel",
said
Marc Rouanne, president of Alcatel's Mobile networks activities. "Romania
is a fast-moving economic force in Central and Eastern Europe with more
than 20% of Romanians having mobile phones. Orange Romania is addressing
this market with excellent service offerings. We are delighted to be
working with such a dynamic operator to pave the way for 3G offerings
in a
fast-moving market."
This
cooperation constitutes a win-win partnership, confirming Alcatel's
role as strategic supplier for the deployment of its 3G/UMTS mobile
networks. In October 2001, Alcatel has enabled Orange France to be the
first operators in the world to conduct field trials on a truly deployed
pre-commercial UMTS network. Based on its technical and field experience
Alcatel had signed in February 2002 an agreement with Orange Sverig
AB for
the supply of the infrastructure for the Orange's advanced 3G/UMTS Swedish
network.
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