Marconi Picks Up Italian 3G Contract

Wind, the Italian telecommunications operator, has selected Marconi's (MONI) Access Hub platform to support its UMTS pilot networks in Rome and Milan. Marconi will supply Wind with its AXH2500 equipment, the most advanced access node in Marconi's Access Hub's family, which is being used for the first time in a UMTS application in Italy.

Developed in Italy, Marconi's Access Hub (AXH2500) will aggregate UMTS traffic from Wind's metropolitan network to its core national network, which is based on Marconi's Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) equipment. The use of Marconi's Access Hub for the UMTS trial will allow Wind to maximise the return on its existing Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) access network investments in Marconi's Access Hub equipment and will deliver savings on operating costs.

Giorgio Bertolina, Executive Chairman of Marconi Communications S.p.A., said: "Once again Marconi is demonstrating its ability to play a key role in the development of third generation mobile networks. Technically, our 3G network proposition is compelling and also allows operators to maximise investments in the deployment of 3G access networks, while reducing operating costs."

Posted to the site on 7th March 2003