Ericsson to Supply 3G Network to Polska Telefonia

Europe : Polish operator Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa, PTC, has signed a frame agreement with Ericsson to supply its 3G radio network. The rollout will begin in 2005.

According to the agreement, Ericsson will deliver 3G radio network infrastructure, upgrading PTC's existing GSM network to 3G/WCDMA. Ericsson will provide extensive network and technology consulting, such as planning, tuning and optimization, as well as turnkey deployment, multi-vendor integration, support and training.

The network will cover the following cities: Krakow, Katowice, Lodz, Gdansk, Torun, Bydgoszcz and Szczecin. The network build out will start immediately and with the first phase to be completed during the autumn.

Lars E. Svensson, President of Ericsson in Poland, says: "We are proud to be able to support PTC to become a strong operator for voice and advanced 3G services in Poland, e.g. within 'Blue Connect services'."

In addition, PTC has also awarded an order to Siemens Communications to extend the Polish carrier's UMTS network to other Polish cities, including Poznan, Wroclaw and Lublin. Siemens was already responsible for building the radio access and core UMTS networks for the Warsaw region, used by PTC to provide its fast internet access service Blue Connect.

In 2001, Siemens built a UMTS test network for the carrier.

"With our solutions, PTC will be able to expand its existing UMTS portfolio and add new services like video calls," said Christoph Caselitz, head of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications.