Siemens Wins Chinese GSM Contract

Siemens is to expand the GSM networks for China Mobile in Shanghai and in the Chinese province of Anhui, in a contract worth a total of US$36 million and should be completed in June 2003.

The project with the China Mobile subsidiary Anhui Mobile is the seventh phase of the network expansion in the Anhui province. Within the scope of the project, Siemens is supplying and installing new GSM 900 network components such as transmit and receive stations (base stations) of the type BS240XL, which will increase the network capacity and prepare it for the installation of 3G mobile infrastructure. Following this expansion, over 3.4 million subscribers in 17 regions overall in the Anhui province will be able to make calls via GSM. Siemens is the sole provider of GSM 900 technology for Anhui Mobile.

In Shanghai, Siemens is upgrading Shanghai Mobile's GSM network primarily with software updates for the base stations of the type BR 6.0. These will increase the capacity and availability of the network and allow Shanghai Mobile to offer its customers new mobile data services.

Siemens has been one of the main providers of mobile network technology for China Mobile since 1995. The joint venture Siemens Shanghai Mobile Communications (SSMC) is producing Siemens mobile systems for China. Since its foundation in 1993, the company has been developing, producing, and marketing GSM base stations and switching technology as well as mobile telephones. Siemens holds a 60 percent share in SSMC, Shanghai Video and Audio Corporation 26 percent; Shanghai Mobile Communications 10 percent, First Research Institute of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication 4 percent. SSMC has established over 34 GSM networks across China for China Mobile and China Unicom in 26 provinces and municipalities."

Posted to the site on 14th May 2003