Ericsson and 3 Italia in world-first: Enhanced Uplink in commercial network

January 7, 2007

Ericsson and 3 Italia have achieved an industry first: the successful establishment of mobile data connections based on Enhanced Uplink in a commercial network.

Ericsson's Enhanced Uplink, employing HSPA technology, has delivered uplink speeds of 1.4Mbps, more than triple the previous levels, and potential peak downlink speeds of 14.4Mbps.

This milestone, achieved in 3 Italia's existing commercial network, marks the next step in the development of mobile broadband, signaling higher data speeds and lower production costs per gigabyte. Subscriber service offerings based on HSPA on the uplink and faster downlink speeds are set to reach the market in early 2007.

Vincenzo Novari, CEO of 3 Italia, says: "This landmark achievement highlights boosted network capacity and reaffirms our position as the leading provider of mobile broadband services, giving our customers an enhanced user experience. This includes services such as mobile browsing, video conferencing, sending e-mails with attachments, and file sharing."

Kurt Jofs, executive vice president, Ericsson, says: "We have achieved a breakthrough in commercial HSPA technology that extends our lead in the dynamic and fast-growing market for mobile broadband. We thank 3 Italia for its continued trust in Ericsson's solutions and people."

Cesare Avenia, head of Market Unit South East Europe, Ericsson, says: "This achievement is an excellent demonstration of the capabilities of our local service organization, which has responsibility for the overall management of 3 Italia's network in Italy."

The first network employing HSPA on the downlink was provided by Ericsson. HSPA on the downlink has been commercially launched in 43 Ericsson-supplied networks.