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Nokia Introduces New and Improved GSM 1900 Wireless Phone
January 09, 1997
- - New Nokia 2190 EFR has superior voice quality and new software features - -
Nokia, the world’s second largest manufacturer of wireless phones and the industry leader in digital technology, today introduced the new Nokia 2190 EFR (Enhanced Full Rate) for GSM 1900 networks. The product will begin shipping commercially in March.
The Nokia 2190 EFR incorporates Nokia’s own leading-edge technology, the Enhanced Full Rate voice codec, developed by Nokia and the University of Sherbrooke (Canada), and now the industry standard codex for GSM 1900. (The EFR voice codec is a coding algorithm that facilitates the conversion of analog speech into a digital data stream that can be modulated for transmission over the radio channel.)
“Independent tests have demonstrated that the voice quality of the EFR codec compares favorably to that of a landline telephone and provides voice quality that is better than most mobile communications technology available today,” said Dan Paulson, director of PCS sales for Nokia. “Nokia EFR technology helps us to support efforts of our customers to reach new market segments.”
The Nokia 2190 EFR also includes a multi-party calling feature, which allows for conference calling with up to five additional parties. The digital GSM 1900 phone also includes advanced features such as call privacy and security with the SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card, two-way paging (Short Message Service), call forwarding, call waiting and is 100% digital.
In appearance, the Nokia 2190 is nearly identical with the design of the successful and award winning Nokia 2100 family of phones. The Nokia 2190 has kept the intuitive Nokia user interface intact and the large, easy-to-read, 5-line display.
The process to select a voice codec standard took place in early 1995 and was initiated by GSM 1900 operators in the U.S. to significantly improve PCS voice quality. Following the EFR decision, ETSI (European Telecommunication Standards Institute) also adopted Nokia’s solution as the industry standard codec for GSM/DCS in Europe.
In addition, Nokia’s EFR voice codec has been chosen as the industry standard for TDMA while essential algorithms for CDMA’s EVRC (enhanced variable rate coder) were developed by Nokia, reflecting Nokia’s global leadership in digital technology.
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