STOCKHOLM, Sweden-L.M. Ericsson said Bolivian operator Entel Movil selected it to deploy Latin America’s first General Packet Radio Service network. The three-year $36 million agreement is for a full GSM/GPRS 1900 MHz system.
Entel Movil is 50-percent owned by Telecom Italia and offers TDMA cellular services.
The carrier will offer GSM personal communications services and will be the first Latin American operator to offer both TDMA and GSM technologies, Ericsson said.
The new GSM system is expected to begin commercial operations by the end of December, according to the Swedish manufacturer. The GPRS network is scheduled to be launched in the second quarter of 2001.
Entel Movil received a nationwide PCS license in 1998. Nuevatel, which received a PCS license in 1999, also plans to offer personal communications services using GSM technology in Bolivia.
