Ericsson on Friday shipped its R520m, its first phone that supports fast General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS) service, and said that it would use the phone to test a Bluetooth-based system
for making payments.
Two European wireless operators, Geab and Europolitan, will sell the phones first, according to
Ericsson. Europolitan has been offering GPRS for about a month in Sweden. The phone supports
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), which
speeds up transmissions of GSM networks even if GPRS hasn’t been deployed yet.
The company announced separately that it will use the phone’s built-in Bluetooth capabilities to
test a system for making payments. The test will be done in Swedish stores and is being
conducted in conjunction with Eurocard. The tests will begin in May, the company said.
In addition to selling phones and wireless infrastructure products, Ericsson also has developed a
portfolio of Bluetooth-related products.