Siemens to invest S$50m in 3G network trial

date: 18th January 2001, source: cnet.com

Telecommunication infrastructure provider Siemens Advance Engineering Pte Ltd will pump in millions to establish a Third Generation (3G) trial network here.

"We'll put in an initial investment of S$50 million...and trial will begin in the second quarter," Siemens 3G technical consulting senior manager Darryll Sinnappa said.

He was speaking to Singapore.CNET.com at the sidelines of the company's Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) demonstration earlier this afternoon.

UMTS is a 3G standard for GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), which was introduced by the European Telecommunications Standardization Institute (ETSI), a telecommunications standardization body.

According to Sinnappa, Siemens has established a 3G services and application development center at the Singapore Science Park last September. This month, the company established a 3G technical consultancy and network solutions services department.

By mid-year, Siemens will form a regional sales and project management team in Singapore, which will serve the whole of Asia Pacific excluding Japan and China, he added.

At a press conference earlier, Sinnappa told reporters that Siemens has sealed UMTS contracts with BT Manx of UK; NTT DoCoMo and Japan Telecom of Japan; D2 Vodafone, D1 and T-Mobil International of Germany, and Radiolinja of Finland.

Siemens is presently conducting 3G trials with Italy's Telecom Italia Mobile and British Telecoms in the UK. In Asia, Siemens is conducting trials with SK Telecoms in Korea and Telecoms Organization of Thailand, he added.

"In Singapore, we will be applying for a 3G developer license from the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore in the second quarter," Sinnappa told Singapore.CNET.com.

Siemens' competitors have also started similar trials in Asia. Nokia, for instance, started 3G trials with Hong Kong Telecoms, Japan Telecoms, KG Telecoms of Taiwan, Smart Communications in the Philippines and Singapore's MobileOne last year.

An Ericsson spokesperson here declined to reveal the company's plans for 3G trials in Asia citing "competitive sensitivity."

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