BRUSSELS, Belgium-Orange S.A. announced two new third-generation contracts for its wireless subsidiaries in Belgium and Switzerland.
Belgium wireless carrier Mobistar selected Nortel Networks Ltd. as the sole provider for its 3G equipment for its national network. Under the agreement, Nortel will deploy UMTS, EDGE, GSM and multiservice switching equipment to Mobistar.
Nortel said it previously supplied about half of Mobistar’s second-generation network, and the 3G upgrade will be deployed on top of the Belgium carrier’s current network.
The value of the agreement was not disclosed, but it marks Nortel’s continued success in winning European 3G contracts.
In a separate announcement, Nokia Corp. said it will supply Orange Switzerland with a W-CDMA network. Nokia will supply both core and radio-access networks for Orange, along with the Finnish supplier’s latest W-CDMA smart phone, the Nokia 6630.
Nokia said it has already begun deployment of the 3G network, which will be ready for use by year-end. Nokia said Orange Switzerland services more than 1 million subscribers.
Nokia did not disclose the value of the agreement.
