Elisa makes world's first 3G UMTS900 date call

November 13, 2006

Elisa, a Finnish telecommunications company, announced the world's first UMTS900 data call on a commercial network. The first 3G/HSDPA call using the 900 MHz frequency was placed using Elisa's mobile communications network in Finland in co-operation with Nokia and Option.

The call demonstrated a new possibility of enhancing the existing WCDMA 3G network. It proves that both GSM and 3G/HSDPA calls can be handled at the same time using the 900 MHz frequency providing complementary services. The 900 MHz band can provide 2-4 times larger coverage area than the most commonly used 2 GHz band, thus reducing network deployment costs significantly especially in the rural areas. It also improves the availability of 3G services indoors due to better radio signal propagation characteristics. Finland is among the first countries that have allowed WCDMA 3G operation at 900 MHz band.

"The first GSM call in 1991 was made using Elisa's network. And now we have made the first 3G/HSDPA call based on UMTS900 technology," says Matti Vikkula, Executive Vice President, Consumer and Small Enterprise customers, Elisa Corporation. He continues, "We want to support the development of UMTS900 technology. It makes it possible to expand fast Internet connections and different mobile services to Finland's rural areas more cost efficiently than before."

"Option is delighted to work with Elisa and Nokia to demonstrate the potential of 900 MHz UMTS. Our 3.6 Mbps HSDPA data card technology, which can be upgraded post-sale to 7.2 Mbps, offers consumers a flexible and versatile alternative to fixed broadband. Deployed in the 900 MHz band, with its extensive footprint and superior indoor coverage, UMTS900 will have a profound impact on the availability and delivery of wireless broadband services ", adds Jan Callewaert, CEO of Option.

Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station and Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner enable Elisa to share their existing GSM900 base station site, including base station cabinets, antenna lines and power feeders, with the WCDMA 3G network.

"Nokia has a robust position in providing new WCDMA frequency variants to operators. Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner is a unique solution for GSM-WCDMA antenna line sharing within the same frequency band," says Ari Lehtoranta, Senior Vice President, Radio Networks, Nokia.