Ericsson signed today an agreement with SingTel, Singapore's largest mobile operator, according to which, the Swedish company will enhance the carrier's GSM, WCDMA and HSPA networks. After Ericsson upgrades SingTel's network, the carrier will be able to provide higher data transfer speeds as well as an expanded network coverage, allowing its subscribers to benefit from the latest wireless and mobile technologies.

The agreement between the two companies is said to be worth around 220 million Singapore dollars (160 million USD or 103.6 million Euros) and its final results - meaning the completion of the network upgrade - will be seen at the beginning of 2009.

SingTel currently offers HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) services that allow mobile users to achieve 3.6 Mbps data transfer speeds when downloading content and 384 Kbps when uploading. Following Ericsson's enhancement, the download speeds will go up to 14.4 Mbps, while the upload ones will reach 5.7 Mbps speeds. Moreover, by the end of 2009, Ericsson plans to deploy an HSPA Evolution network for SingTel, which will bring even faster speeds: 42 Mbps in downlink and 12 Mbps in uplink.

Talking about the new deal with Ericsson, Mark Chong Chin Kok, SingTel's Executive Vice President of Networks, declared: "This mobile network enhancement program is part of SingTel's ongoing efforts to deliver unparalleled, reliable mobile service and coverage to our customers. It also provides SingTel with the flexibility to meet future growth in both usage and demands, especially for mobile data. More and more customers are accessing data and the Internet on the move, and they need higher data speeds."

Ann Emilson, Ericsson Singapore's President, completed: "This contract marks another significant step in affirming Ericsson's strong partnership with and commitment to SingTel. We are proud to be the core provider of SingTel's network enhancement and to be a key contributor to its continual growth and leadership in Singapore's telecommunications market."

In conclusion, SingTel will have a faster and expanded mobile network, which in the end represents great news for its subscribers.