16th December 2004 - Nokia welcomes the launch of Orange's commercial WCDMA 3G service in France and the UK. Nokia is one of Orange's main suppliers of radio access network equipment and 3G terminals in both countries, and has closely supported Orange throughout the long process leading up to this important service launch.

"We are extremely pleased to be a key partner for Orange in this milestone service launch in two key markets," said Tommi Uitto, Sales Director for Orange, Networks, Nokia. "We are happy to be developing 3G broadband mobile services together with Orange. We see this as a sure sign of the trust that Orange places in Nokia's solutions and our ability to provide, deploy and support winning systems and products, both in networks and terminals."

"We are also proud that Nokia is the only supplier being selected by Orange to supply a complete end-to-end solution, including both infrastructure and terminals," added Damien Santé, Account Director for Orange France, Networks, Nokia. "In April this year, Orange France used a Nokia radio-access network in Toulouse to launch the first pre-commercial 3G network in France. Building on that experience was key to enable Orange and Nokia to fine-tune the 3G network to achieve today's high quality of service and full maturity for a full commercial launch, even in dense areas."

A customized version of the Nokia 6630 will be available soon for Orange France, meeting all Orange's requirements regarding video streaming, video conferencing, and web surfing.

Beginning in 2002, Nokia has been building a large portion of Orange France's radio access network drawing on its large expertise in services. In 2003, Nokia was reaffirmed as a major WCDMA 3G radio-network supplier to Orange in France and the UK after a thorough evaluation of previous supply agreements. Network coverage is now well optimized and capacity will increase further in the coming months.

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