Ericsson wins Singtel contract to roll out 3G network in Singapore

SINGAPORE (AFP) Jul 30, 2003
Swedish telecom giant Ericsson AG has won a 220 million Singapore dollars (125 million US dollars) contract to roll out Singapore Telecommunication's third generation (3G) mobile phone network, officials announced here Wednesday.

Ericsson beat four other bidders, including shortlisted Nokia and a consortium comprising Siemens IC mobile, NEC Corp and Itochu Corp, for the five-year contract, SingTel said.

The company said in a statement that its 3G network would be fully operational in Singapore by the end of 2004.

An initial launch in the central business district and three industrial areas, including info-tech hub Science Park, will be ready by early next year.

SingTel, Starhbub and MobileOne all have licenses to unroll 3G networks in Singapore.

Nokia has already won a 200-million-contract with MobileOne and has signed a letter of intent with Starhub.

SPACE.WIRE