M:TEL, the mobile arm of Telekom Srpske, selects Nokia Siemens Networks for GSM/EDGE network expansion for more than €30 million

(10 set 2007) - A leading mobile operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, M:TEL, the mobile part of Telekom Srpske, has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks for the implementation and optimization of a mobile network extension and associated services that will lay the grounds for an evolution to a unified IP network.

The deal, comprising several contracts with a total amount of some 60 million KM (more than 30 million Euro), covers a whole range of state-of-the-art mobile network solutions, products as well as services. It will result in a physical extension of the GSM network, an increase of its coverage and improvement of quality of the service for end users.

The implementation of the whole package will allow Telekom Srpske to offer new, advanced GSM services to M:TEL’s almost 700,000 mobile subscribers and to further increase its network capacity, thus strengthening the operator’s leading position on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In order to meet Telekom Srpske’s long-term strategic and investment goals, Nokia Siemens Networks’ solutions provide high performance call control, simplify network complexity and create the framework to deliver end-to-end Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP multimedia services.

It all translates into new experiences for end users, with easier access, better quality of voice calls, faster transmission speeds and new services, including multimedia, mobile payment and intelligent data services like VPN.

“This is a very important contract for us, which strengthens the basis for our future expansion in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Predrag Culibrk, CEO of Telekom Srpske. “With this contract Telekom Srpske will be able to provide better network coverage and quality of service in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a necessary increase of network capacity to accommodate the influx of new subscribers. We will also have innovative technologies that will enable us to improve the existing services and to offer new ones to our subscribers”.

"We are truly excited that Telekom Srpske has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks’ state-of-the-art solutions to extend its mobile network," says Dietmar Appeltauer, Head of Subregion Central East Europe of Nokia Siemens Networks. "We appreciate the opportunity of leaving a strong footprint in the Bosnian telecommunications market thanks to our biggest partner in Bosnia and Herzegovina and we will meet our customer’s requirements regarding quick and flexible installation."

The package includes such technologies as GSM/EDGE radio access (new base stations and controllers, with an upgrade of the existing network), mobile softswitching and media gateway core equipment (Release 4 - MSC Servers and MGW, HLR extension) and prepaid hardware/software extension. It also covers a new Virtual Private Network (VPN) system and a payment platform.

Thanks to mobile softswitching and IMS for Fixed and Mobile, Nokia Siemens Networks is creating seamless user experiences in converging networks. With over 150 customers for its mobile softswitching and over 80 live networks, Nokia Siemens Networks is clearly the most experienced mobile softswitching supplier worldwide. Nokia Siemens Networks Services also boasts a broad business solution portfolio that gives operators the best tools to increase their efficiency and differentiate their offerings.

GSM radio access networks delivered by Nokia Siemens Networks are connecting more than 1.3 billion subscribers globally. EDGE, or Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution, is a step forward from GPRS transmission, offering higher speeds. Nokia Siemens Networks, being an undisputable leader in EDGE in terms of references, also has served as the initiator of the EDGE evolution standardization, bringing it to new performance levels.