Europe : Ericsson has been selected by members of the mobilkom austria group to expand and upgrade their WCDMA radio networks with the latest high-capacity HSPA functionality, including in the uplink, in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia and Liechtenstein.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will supply commercial software that will enable HSPA in the uplink and faster HSPA speeds in the downlink. The enhancements will allow uploads up to a rate of 1.4Mbps and downloads up to a rate of 14.4Mbps, fully supporting the currently available end-user devices that allow download rates up to 7.2Mbps.

In Vienna, Austria, where the system was rolled out on February 22, mobilkom austria consumers are now enjoying the fastest mobile broadband speeds available in Central and Eastern Europe. Rollout for Vipnet in Croatia, Mobiltel in Bulgaria, and mobilkom liechtenstein in Liechtenstein will follow, further strengthening the mobilkom austria group's market leadership in mobile broadband.

Ericsson will also supply project management, implementation and system integration services as part of the agreement.

Ericsson's latest HSPA technology boosts network capacity and cuts response times for interactive services. The upgrade of the existing networks will increase the performance of mobile broadband and enable the members of the mobilkom austria group to expand their third-generation services offering to include advanced multimedia services.

Boris Nemsic ( inset ), CEO, mobilkom austria and CEO, Telekom Austria Group, says: "We are proud to be the first operator in Central and Eastern Europe to launch this cutting-edge HSPA technology, based on Ericsson's mobile broadband offering. This reinforces our commitment to providing the best possible end-user experience and cements our leading position in the market."

Jan Campbell, Head of Ericsson Central Europe and Managing Director of Ericsson Austria, says: "This contract extends Ericsson's lead in the dynamic and fast-growing market for mobile broadband. We are proud to build on our strong relationship with the mobilkom austria group by supporting its leading mobile broadband position with our advanced HSPA technology."

HSPA has been commercially launched in 47 Ericsson-supplied networks; more than any other vendor.