Europe : Kuwaiti mobile operator Wataniya Telecom and Nokia have signed an agreement for the implementation of advanced technologies that will enhance Wataniya's network and take the operator 'beyond 3G'. The agreement was signed on May 29 in the presence of Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen during his state visit to Kuwait.

Nokia supplies to Wataniya a wide variety of products from its portfolio. Included in the deal is for example the Nokia High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) solution, a software upgrade to the WCDMA network with which data speeds will go up to 1-2 Mbps in the first phase. Nokia's end-to-end offering will enable Wataniya to provide advanced mobile services such as Push to Talk, video calls and video sharing, to subscribers in Kuwait. Nokia will also modernize Wataniya's GSM network in order to create an EDGE layer that will support advanced services even outside 3G coverage.

"Our agreement with Nokia gives us the opportunity to provide the most advanced, capable and reliable network services in the Middle East region, if not world wide. The advanced technologies provided by Nokia will enable us to provide a new, compelling category of services to our customers," said Harri Koponen, General Manager & CEO, Wataniya Telecom.

"Through our relationship with Nokia, we are providing our customers with better connectivity and flexibility for the future. Moving forward, we will listen to our customers' needs and act accordingly in cooperation with Nokia," said Niklas Sonkin, Chief Strategy Officer and Business-to-Business Director, Wataniya Telecom.

"Nokia is committed to the Middle East region and is proud to support Wataniya in their aspirations to offer advanced content services and applications to their customers," said Dr. Walid Moneimne, Senior Vice President, EMEA Region, Networks, Nokia.

About Wataniya
Launched in December 1999, Wataniya Telecom has been a driving force in increasing the mobile communications market penetration in Kuwait to over 80 percent of the population. With operations in Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia and Algeria, Wataniya Telecom is actively expanding its presence within the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region. Serving over 3 million customers in its operations, Wataniya Telecom has built its success on a customer focused strategy based on the philosophy that everything the company does must bring it closer to its customers. The company provides a wide range of leading edge wireless voice and data services delivered with high quality and designed to meet customer requirements.