ATT Wireless Orders WCDMA Kit

The USA's AT&T Wireless has announced agreements with Nortel Networks and Ericsson to deploy what is expected to be the first commercial W-CDMA network in North America. In December 2002, AT&T Wireless and DoCoMo announced an agreement to work together to launch four U.S. markets using W-CDMA by the end of 2004. The announced 3G build and commercial launch of service in these markets will complement AT&T Wireless' national high speed EDGE network (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution).

"These agreements position us to meet our DoCoMo commitments on time and on budget," said Eric Updyke, Vice President - 3G Program Management. "Our deployment of W-CDMA service will complement our nationwide EDGE deployment, further differentiating AT&T Wireless as the industry leader in bringing a new generation of mobile multimedia services to customers.

"Today's announcement represents a significant milestone in our drive to deploy W-CDMA in four markets by the end of 2004," said Updyke. "The selection of two proven network providers adds flexibility and horsepower to the project, and brings a tremendous amount of intellectual capital to bear against our goal. The combined strength of Ericsson, Nortel Networks, and AT&T Wireless represents a powerful combination that we're confident will achieve our goals."

The W-CDMA radio equipment will operate on the 1900 MHz spectrum and use the same core equipment AT&T Wireless currently employs to support voice and data services through GPRS and EDGE radio technologies. The deployments will also support an all IP-based network architecture, significantly streamlining network functions."

Posted to the site on 24th July 2003