STOCKHOLM-Malaysian cellular operator Mobikom Sdn Bhd has placed an order with L.M. Ericsson, valued at $60 million, to expand its Mobifon 800 Time Division Multiple Access/Advanced Mobile Phone Service network, according to Ericsson.
The order includes base stations and switching capacity that will increase the proportion of digital services in the network, Ericsson said.
Zamani Zakariah, chief executive officer of Mobikom, estimated the company’s capital investment in procurement and equipment installation will be about $200 million.
Mobikom began operations last year and is the first wireless operator to offer digital service in Malaysia, said Ericsson.
“The response to the Mobifon 800 service has been so encouraging that the subscriber base of 130,000 at the end of August has superseded the 1996 projection,” commented Zakariah.
Ericsson reported there are 1.3 million TDMA subscribers in 12 countries throughout the world. Ericsson claims to hold a 70 percent share of the TDMA market.
The company’s CMS 8800 system is the platform for its cellular networks, said Ericsson. The network is in service with more than 15 million subscribers worldwide and serves more than 30 percent of 800 MHz cellular subscribers and 50 percent of the digital cellular market. In the United States, CMS 8800 networks serve more than 50 percent of the digital cellular market, according to Ericsson and 30 percent of the cellular market.
