Ericsson has been awarded a contract by Belgian operator BASE for the upgrade of the existing radio access network with EDGE technology. The contract has a total value of about USD 37 million (SEK 280 million) and will provide nationwide coverage by summer 2006.
Ericsson will be the sole supplier for a nationwide upgrade of BASE Mobile GSM network with EDGE technology.
Under the agreement, Ericsson will deliver all hardware, software and related services, such as implementation, project management, support, testing and training (turnkey project).
Jef Keustermans, President of Ericsson Market Unit Northern Europe, says “We are pleased that BASE has chosen Ericsson for its EDGE upgrade. This technology will support BASE in building a firm position on the mobile data services market in Belgium”.
Thorsten Dirks, Head of ICT at BASE, says: “With our decision for EDGE we can add extra capacity to data communications, allowing our customers seamless access to new, highly advanced broadband services throughout the country.”
The contract will mean that BASE can offer national coverage from day one. BASE had announced earlier this year that it would implement EDGE as part of a portfolio of services towards the Belgian end-user.