Smart and Nokia Thursday inked a $150 million
contract that will expand the wireless capabilities of Smart’s network in
the Philippines.
The two companies will deploy the Nokia
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) core network solution, expand the
Smart’s GSM network, and add the Nokia Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
platform to Smart’s system.
Nokia will expand the range of Smart’s GSM services with Nokia’s Mobile
Switching Centres (MSCi), Home Location Registers (HLR), Short Message
Service (SMS) Centres, base stations, and customer service support.
To upgrade its IP infrastructure, Smart has contracted Nokia (NOK) to deploy both
the Nokia Serving and Gateway GPRS Support Nodes and the Nokia Charging
Gateway.
“The acquisition of these new systems puts SMART at the forefront in
providing cutting-edge services to users who are looking for
more sophisticated value added services,” said Orlando B. Vea, SMART
Communications, Inc.’s president and CEO.
Smart Communications, Inc., is an ISP and mobile phone joint venture
between First Pacific, NTT and local investors.