Nortel Wins Pan-European GPRS Upgrade Contract

T-Mobile has selected Nortel Networks as its preferred supplier for delivery and implementation of Nortel Networks Univity Packet Core for GPRS across a number of T-Mobile's European properties. The GPRS award is incremental to the UMTS frame contract that was announced by Nortel Networks and T-Mobile in May 2002. Initial implementation will include most of T-Mobile's main markets in Europe, starting with Germany and the United Kingdom.

"The selection of Nortel Networks followed on quite naturally from our UMTS selection of them," said Hamid Akhavan, chief technology officer, T-Mobile International. "The Univity solution is providing T-Mobile with a commonality and synergy of platforms between GPRS and UMTS, which means that we can easily move from GPRS to UMTS in response to market demand and prevent 'stranded investment' as growth in either area can be accommodated without having to make a 'technology bet."

Nortel Networks is supporting T-Mobile in implementing a common GPRS/UMTS core network based on Univity SGSN (Serving Gateway Service Node) and GGSN (Gateway GPRS Serving Node) and Nortel Networks Preside for Wireless Internet management solution. The common solution across GPRS/UMTS and across multiple countries positions T-Mobile to drive reduced operational costs by consolidating activities like network management, service integration and network testing. The common core network strategy across different access technologies and countries will facilitate rapid introduction of a new set of common services for all of T-Mobile's European customers.

As part of the implementation, the existing GPRS packet core solutions will be replaced and Nortel Networks will supply the packet core infrastructure for GPRS."

Posted to the site on 13th March 2003