31st May 2005 - Kuwaiti mobile operator Wataniya Telecom
and Nokia have signed an agreement for the implementation
of advanced technologies that will enhance Wataniya's
network and take the operator 'beyond 3G'. The agreement
was signed on May 29 in the presence of Finnish Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen during his state visit to Kuwait.
Nokia supplies to Wataniya a wide variety of products
from its portfolio. Included in the deal is for example
the Nokia High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) solution,
a software upgrade to the WCDMA network with which data
speeds will go up to 1-2 Mbps in the first phase. Nokia's
end-to-end offering will enable Wataniya to provide advanced
mobile services such as Push to Talk, video calls and
video sharing, to subscribers in Kuwait. Nokia will also
modernize Wataniya's GSM network in order to create an
EDGE layer that will support advanced services even outside
3G coverage.
"Our agreement with Nokia gives us the opportunity
to provide the most advanced, capable and reliable network
services in the Middle East region, if not world wide.
The advanced technologies provided by Nokia will enable
us to provide a new, compelling category of services to
our customers," said Harri Koponen, General Manager
& CEO, Wataniya Telecom.
"Through our relationship with Nokia, we are providing
our customers with better connectivity and flexibility
for the future. Moving forward, we will listen to our
customers' needs and act accordingly in cooperation with
Nokia," said Niklas Sonkin, Chief Strategy Officer
and Business-to-Business Director, Wataniya Telecom.
"Nokia is committed to the Middle East region and
is proud to support Wataniya in their aspirations to offer
advanced content services and applications to their customers,"
said Dr. Walid Moneimne, Senior Vice President, EMEA Region,
Networks, Nokia.
About Wataniya
Launched in December 1999, Wataniya Telecom has been a
driving force in increasing the mobile communications
market penetration in Kuwait to over 80 percent of the
population. With operations in Kuwait, Iraq, Tunisia and
Algeria, Wataniya Telecom is actively expanding its presence
within the MENA (Middle East North Africa) region. Serving
over 3 million customers in its operations, Wataniya Telecom
has built its success on a customer focused strategy based
on the philosophy that everything the company does must
bring it closer to its customers. The company provides
a wide range of leading edge wireless voice and data services
delivered with high quality and designed to meet customer
requirements.
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