Telsim launches GPRS in $100 million Motorola deal

Turkey's GSM operator Telsim launched the first commercial General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network in Turkey, making it one of the world's first operators to implement GPRS. The commercial launch comes four months after the completion of the technology trials and the first live GPRS call in Turkey, enabled by the core GPRS network solution supplied by Motorola Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) and strategic alliance partner Cisco Systems Inc. (San Jose, CA).

The contract for countrywide implementation of the core GPRS network was awarded to Motorola's Network Solutions Sector with an end-to-end solutions contract worth some $100 million, and will launch with Motorola Timeport p7389i GPRS handsets. Earlier this year, the Motorola/Cisco core GPRS network solution enabled Telsim to trial mobile Internet access using a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) over GPRS solution. Applications included e-mail access, mobile e-commerce, and mobile banking services.

The GPRS contract with Telsim is for the countrywide implementation of Motorola's total Aspira GPRS network solution and includes Motorola's Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), Cisco's Internet solutions including the Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), and Cisco 12000 Internet routers in the core backbone.

In February, Motorola and Telsim announced an agreement for Motorola to provide infrastructure, handsets, and associated services to expand Telsim's GSM network. As part of that agreement, Telsim has named Motorola as its exclusive regional supplier of GSM 900 equipment over the next three years. Motorola has estimated that revenues from this supplier agreement could be at least $1.5 billion.

Edited by Ellen Jensen
Managing Editor, Wireless Networks Online