Nokia wins turnkey GSM/EDGE deal with Astelit in Ukraine

Details: Alec Barton; Category: Wireless Networks; 27 March 2006; 10796 views

Nokia and Ukrainian mobile services operator Astelit, which operates under the brand name life:), have extended their existing frame agreement for the supply of network equipment and services...

Nokia and Ukrainian mobile services operator Astelit, which operates under the brand name life:), have extended their existing frame agreement for the supply of network equipment and services.

Nokia will carry out a new turnkey GSM/EDGE radio network expansion project, valued at US$75 million, to expand Astelit's network coverage in Eastern and Western Ukraine . The expansion will help Astelit attract new subscribers and increase its market share.

Under the agreement Nokia will deploy GSM/EDGE radio network equipment, including base stations, base station controllers and transmission. The full turnkey services for new sites include project management, network planning, site acquisition, civil works and implementation. Additionally, Nokia will provide network optimisation, consultancy and maintenance services to support fast network rollout. The network will be supported by the Nokia NetAct network and service management system. Deliveries have already started.

Astelit is an international company whose main shareholder is Turkcell, Turkey 's largest GSM operator. Astelit, launched in January 2005, continues to grow swiftly. It now covers all cities with a population over 100000, and more than 12000 settlements in the Ukraine , as well as all the major highways in the country. life:) offers its users roaming services in 181 countries globally, thanks to 467 roaming partners.

Astelit was also the first in Ukraine to introduce EDGE technology, which provides five times higher data transfer speed than GPRS. Today life:) offers the widest EDGE coverage on the local market - in all the 25 oblast centres of Ukraine and the city of Sevastopol.