Ericsson to deploy 28 Mbps mobile broadband speeds in Tel...

Ericsson to deploy 28 Mbps mobile broadband speeds in Telecom Italia's network

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) and Telecom Italia initiate deployment of mobile network technology of 28 Mbps speeds in early 2009. The deployment will include MIMO technology. Milan will be the first town to become the Italian 'ultra-broadband city', enjoying speeds up to 28 Mbps in download and 5.8 Mbps in upload.

Telecom Italia will be first in Italy to deploy live mobile broadband speeds of 28 Mbps with Ericsson's mobile network technology. Tests in Telecom Italia's mobile network will start early 2009 and initial deployment is planned in the city of Milan in June 2009. National coverage will follow in the second half of 2009.

The deployment will include Multiple Input and Multiple Output (MIMO), a technology that uses two or more antenna branches to transmit data to a consumer. This makes it possible to provide higher data rates to each user and improve the spectrum efficiency in the radio network. With this technology, Telecom Italia will be able to offer a faster mobile broadband experience to consumers while continuously optimizing its operational costs.

Ericsson is leading the development of High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), a standardized evolution of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), the world's leading third generation mobile standard. HSPA offers users superior broadband speeds from their notebooks and other devices anywhere there is coverage. HSPA is already a global success and a burgeoning ecosystem of mobile broadband devices and services has emerged around the technology, including phones, notebooks, PC modems and wireless routers.

With HSPA technology bringing up to 28 Mbps in downlink and up to 5.8 Mbps in the uplink, the user experience of mobile broadband services such as video conferencing, uploading user-generated content and sending e-mail with attachments will improve even further.

Actual customer download speeds can be less and will vary due to congestion, distance from the cell, local conditions, hardware, software and other factors.