Ericsson | August 25, 2011 | Press Release
Athletes and sports fans alike will have easier access to services, multimedia and communications during the 14th Pacific Games with the help of a 3G network to be built by the Post & telecommunications Office of New Caledonia (OPT-NC) and Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC).
Harold Martin, Chairman of OPT-NC first announced the arrival of 3G in New Caledonia at the Annual General Meeting of the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) in April 2011. At a press conference held to coincide with the meeting, he also indicated that Ericsson has been selected to implement this new technology across the island, ahead of the Pacific Games.
The Pacific Games are a sporting contest founded in 1962 and held every fourth year in one of the South Pacific Islands. It will feature 28 sporting events and host over 5000 athletes from 22 countries. The Games open August 27th and will be inaugurated by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
3G will enable New Caledonia to step up its transition to a networked society and, in the words of the OPT Chairman, “reduce the digital divide.”
Franck Bouétard, Head of Ericsson France, says: “OPT is an innovative body and Ericsson has won a major 3G contract. It’s the beginning of a partnership that we plan to invest in for the long term to accompany New Caledonia in its development.”
Since April 2011, Ericsson has deployed its RBS 6000 radio technology, in partnership with API, a Caledonian IT consulting & engineering firm.
The 3G network is already working in certain parts of the island and the first 3G commercial packages have been successfully launched since August 16, bringing all the benefits of mobile broadband to the business users such as mobile e-mail, calendar, file downloads, and so on, as well as to consumers for services such as social networking and instant messaging.
Franck Bouetard says: “This 3G network is a key element to the success of the Pacific Games and Ericsson is proud to be the IT partner of OPT and New Caledonia for this event.” The rollout of 3G will extend OPT’s coverage of New Caledonia’s populated areas to 97% by the end of 2012.
