L.M. Ericsson said Digital Tuka Kyushu ordered equipment, including AXE switching and radio base station infrastructure, to expand its Personal Digital Cellular mobile telephone system. Ericsson values the contract at $75 million. The company expects the capacity increase for the southwestern Japanese region to be available next year. Kyushu has a population of 15 million people. Ericsson said there are more than 16 million cellular subscribers in Japan, and it expects more than 53 million Japanese subscribers by 2000, mostly using digital systems.
Baltel Ltd., a Latvian mobile telephone licensee, selected Northern Telecom Ltd. to supply infrastructure equipment for its Global System for Mobile communications network. Nortel values the three-phase agreement at $23.5 million. The company said it would supply, install and commission switching and radio equipment including a transmission network and microwave technology. The network is scheduled to begin operation early next year in Riga, followed by an expansion to the country’s major cities and highways. Baltel is majority owned by Alina, a paging and wireless cable television operator. Other shareholders include Metromedia International Telecommunications, Western Wireless International and The Walter Group.
Glenayre Technologies Inc. said it will supply 280 MHz high speed paging infrastructure to China’s Hebei Provincial Posts and Telecommunications Administration for a new network. Glenayre values the contract at $5.5 million. The company will provide its GL3000 wireless messaging switches, GL-T8000 transmitters, GL-C2000 controllers and WMtp networking equipment. The network, which is scheduled to be in service during the first quarter of next year, will provide coverage to Baoding, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Chengde, Zhangjiakou, Cangzhou, Hengshui, Langfang, Xingtai and Handan. Hebei PTA said the network will be capable of supporting at least 1 million paging subscribers.
Motorola Inc.’s European Cellular Infrastructure Division won a contract to enhance the Global System for Mobile communications network for the Turkish operator Telsim. Motorola values the contract at $90 million. Motorola said its InCell and M-Cell digital cellular base stations will nearly double network capacity by the end of 1997. Telsim’s GSM system has been operational since May 1994.
Cantel Data, a division of Rogers Cantel Inc., said it plans to expand its packet-switched wireless data network to increase in-building coverage in southwestern Ontario, greater Toronto and Ottawa. In early 1997, Cantel said it will expand service to Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Quebec City. The company said the expansion is in response to greater demand for wireless messaging in the marketplace. To complete the expansion, Cantel has teamed with several companies including Ericsson Communication Canada, Research in Motion and U.S. Robotics.
