Siemens expands mobile network in Russian

MegaFon has announced that it has commissioned the mobile communications unit of Siemens AG – Siemens mobile – to expand its mobile phone network. The order is said to be worth 84 million Euro and covers the extension of the GSM network with switching and transmission technology in the Volga and Ural regions. In addition, Siemens mobile will supply an IN platform for new accounting systems and a GPRS network extension. With this development, MegaFon, Russia's third largest mobile operator, ups its network capacity and creates the necessary space for its upcoming growth plans next year. Once the expansion has been completed, the comprehensive mobile communications infrastructure will allow the use of mobile phones anywhere in the Volga region. On top of this, MegaFon customers will enjoy a range of new services, such as fast data transmission and internet access via mobile phone. To this end, Siemens mobile will integrate an IN platform and a GPRS system. The IN platform is scheduled to go live in December 2003, followed by the GPRS system in February 2004.In the course of the last year, the number of users in Russia has more than doubled. From April 2002 until April 2003, the number of GSM mobile users is reported to have soared from 8.6 million to a good 18 million. And the potential for further expansion remains enormous. With its population of 144 million, Russia is the largest mobile market in Eastern Europe. Market penetration currently stands at slightly more than 16 percent, compared with 20 percent in Eastern Europe overall and around 80 percent in Western Europe, where growth rates are stagnating or at best moving in single-digit increments.Siemens is currently said to enjoy a 26 percent market share in terms of mobile infrastructure, 33 percent for mobile phones and 75 percent for DECT-standard cordless phones, and is poised to expand on all fronts. Source: PCBnewsline