Motorola Gains Second GSM Expansion Contract in ZhejiangMotorola is set to unveil another digital network expansion project in east China's Zhejiang province, which the company claims is the mainland's second-largest mobile phone market.The company's Global Telecom Solutions Sector (GTSS) operation has clinched a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network expansion contract worth US$29 million in Zhejiang province. This project marked the second GSM expansion contract awarded by the Zhejiang branch of China Mobile Communications Corp (Zhejiang Mobile) this year to Motorola. The first contract, which was worth US$53 million, was awarded in June. Zhejiang, located on the mainland's eastern coast, is one of the most economically developed regions in the country. With 4.76 million mobile phone subscribers, Zhejiang province is second only to Guangdong province, with some 9.6 million cellular phone users. Under the terms of the new contract, Motorola will include wireless applications and consulting services. The GTSS unit handles the supply of GSM and code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular infrastructure products to service providers worldwide. Motorola will integrate its so-called Horizonmacro GSM system for macrocellular (wide-area) coverage and capacity at 900 megahertz in four major cities in Zhejiang province. Network expansion is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2001. The project was designed to increase network capacity by 370,000, or a total capacity of 2.8 million subscribers for Zhejiang Mobile. The Horizonmacro GSM system is supposed to provide wide-area coverage from transceivers that are connected for optimum performance. It is also supposed to provide flexibility for Zhejiang Mobile's future expansion plans as Horizonmacro is ready for the new mobile data general packet radio service (GPRS) and dual band (GSM 900 and 1800-MHz) implementation. GPRS is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 kilobits per second and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices and notebook computers. The new contract with Zhejiang Mobile also involves Motorola's mainland-based technology partner, China Eastern Communications Company (Eastcom). Eastcom has licensing and joint venture agreements with Motorola's GTSS to manufacture, distribute and provide service for the unit's GSM and CDMA cellular infrastructure products on the mainland. |
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