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Telstra to trial Nokia TETRA System in Australia
January 16, 1998
Telstra, Australia's leading telecommunications company, and Nokia have signed an agreement to trial Nokia's TETRA digital trunked mobile system. This agreement marks the first step towards introducing digital trunked mobile radio communications to the Australian market.
The six month trial will commence in Sydney in early 1998 and will represent the first multi-site TETRA system outside of Europe, as well as the first of its type in the southern hemisphere.
Telstra Mobile Satellite & Radio Services’ General Manager, Mr. Daryll Smith, said, "The aim of the trial is to demonstrate the suitability of the digital trunking standard to key mobile radio communications customers. TETRA offers reliable and flexible wide area voice and data with a range of advanced features which will meet the needs of the most demanding professional mobile radio users.
Nokia and Telstra will jointly install and commission the system and Telstra will provide the subsequent operation and management. Representatives of key user groups will be invited to view and participate in the trial.
We are very enthusiastic about the trial and are particularly pleased to be working with Nokia, one of the world’s leading manufacturers, to ensure its success, said Mr. Smith.
In December 1997, Nokia signed a contract for the delivery of the world’s first nation-wide TETRA network with the Finnish Ministry of Interior. The world’s first commercial TETRA network in use was the Helsinki City Energy Company’s network, also supplied by Nokia. Nokia’s other TETRA customers include TeleDanmark and the Dutch Police as well as ElTele Öst in Norway. In Britain, Nokia is participating in the Quadrant Consortium, which is designing and planning the new digital radio service for use by all the country’s emergency services.
Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is the only open digital trunked radio standard defined by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to meet the needs of the most demanding professional mobile radio users. According to estimates, TETRA-based networks will have 5-10 million users by the year 2010.
Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications company and one of the nation's largest corporations, offering a full range of voice and data telecommunication services. The Corporation currently has approximately 9.4 million fixed and 2.8 million mobile services in operation with current annual revenue of AUD 16 billion.
With the increasing globalisation of telecommunications, Telstra is expanding its international activities, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is a leader in digital technologies including mobile phones, cellular and fixed telecommunications networks, wireless data solutions and multimedia terminals. With sales in approximately 130 countries, net sales totaled FIM 39.3 billion ($8.5 billion) in 1996. Nokia employs more than 36,000 people in 45 countries. Nokia's shares are listed in Helsinki, New York, London, Stockholm, Frankfurt and Paris.
Further information:
Ms. Arja Suominen, Vice President Communications,
Nokia Telecommunications
Tel. (Int.) + 358 9 5113 8197
Fax (Int.) + 358 9 5113 8199
TETRA MoU Web site http://www.tetramou.com
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