STOCKHOLM, February 13 /PRNewswire/ --

    Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL), the 50:50 joint venture formedby 3 UK and T-Mobile UK to integrate and manage their 3G radio accessnetworks (RAN), has selected Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) to provide managedservices to complete the consolidation of their 3G infrastructure. Under theterms of the contract, about 220 T-Mobile staff have transferred to Ericsson.

    Ericsson will be responsible for the network design and deploymentrequirements of the consolidation program, which will result in the creationof an integrated 3G network providing close to complete population coveragefor 3G services. It will also reduce the number of radio sites fromapproximately 18,000 sites to 13,000, providing both environmental benefitsand significant cost savings while simultaneously improving coverage.

    In addition to the consolidation and decommissioning of sites, Ericssonwill take responsibility for the acquisition and building of new sites,capacity management, equipment swaps and upgrades to transmission facilities.The five-year contract includes management of the ongoing growth andoptimization of the 3G RAN as well as T-Mobile's 2G access network.

    Approximately 220 operations staff from T-Mobile have transferred toEricsson, further strengthening its existing UK managed services relationshipwith MBNL, 3 UK and T-Mobile UK.

    In November 2008, Ericsson was awarded a managed services contract forthe operation of the integrated 3G networks and T-Mobile's 2G network.

    T-Mobile UK CTO Emin Gurdenli says: "Our partnership with Ericsson willaccelerate network integration activities and keep us on track to achieve ourgoal of creating the UK's most extensive 3G network by 2010, providingconsumers across the UK access to 3G services. The provision of universalaccess to high-speed broadband services by 2012 is the centerpiece of theGovernment's Digital Britain report. The realization of our consolidated 3Gnetwork will open the way for mobile broadband to play an increasinglyimportant role in achieving this target."

    3 UK CTO Graham Baxter says: "This is an ambitious program to provide aneffective mobile broadband network with the capacity to deliver voice andinternet services to a very significant proportion of the UK population.Ericsson has played an important role in the development of 3G networksaround the world and will now play a crucial role in the development of theUK's best 3G network. This network consolidation and the benefits it bringswill make a real difference for mobile consumers, many of whom will find thatthis program will bring them access to the internet for the first time."

    Mats Granryd, Managing Director, Ericsson UK, says: "I am thrilled thatwe have been entrusted with the responsibility of delivering thiscomprehensive program. It is exceptional in terms of its scale and I amdelighted that this new contract further extends our relationship with MBNL."

    Jan Frykhammar, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit GlobalServices, Ericsson, says: "I am proud that we are further extending ourrelationship with MBNL. This is a partnership which illustrates new wayswhere Ericsson can deliver results from managed services. Today we aremanaging networks that together serve over 250 million subscribers on a dailybasis. This builds on our extensive experience in managed services, ourtools, methods and processes that are used globally, and that fulfilloperators' needs for network cost and performance management."

    This contract is the seventh managed services contract announced in theUK by Ericsson.

    Notes to editors:

    Ericsson's standard multimedia content is available at the broadcastroom:

   http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

    Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services totelecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies,Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that servemore than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobileand fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions foroperators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint ventureprovides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

    Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' throughinnovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion(SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm,Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ

    For more information, visithttp://www.ericsson.comor http://www.ericsson.mobi.

    About Ericsson's Managed Services offering

    Ericsson has the telecom industry's most comprehensive managed servicesoffering. It ranges from designing, building, operating and managingday-to-day operations of a customer's network, including end-user servicesand business-support systems, to hosting service applications and content, aswell as providing network coverage and capacity on demand. As the undisputedleader in managed services, Ericsson has officially announced more than 100contracts for managed services with operators worldwide since 2002. In allcurrent managed services contracts, excluding hosting, Ericsson is managingnetworks that together serve more than 250 million subscribers worldwide.

    About T-Mobile UK

    T-Mobile is one of the world's largest mobile operators with more than126.6 million customers worldwide and is the service provider of choice for16.8 million customers in the UK, making it one of the largest networks.T-Mobile has a range of innovative products and services, such as Solo, theSIM only option offering market-leading minutes and texts on a 30-day rollingcontract; Combi, our best package deal; Flext, a unique tariff with aflexible allowance; U-Fix, a tariff that combines pay-as-you-go and a minimumterm contract, and web'n'walk, which enables customers to surf the interneton the move. Competitive high-speed Mobile Broadband tariffs include accessto the largest worldwide Wi-Fi network, with more than 1,000 HotSpots inconvenient locations in the UK and 27,000 worldwide. Network coverage isamong the best in the UK at over 99 per cent of the UK population. T-Mobileoperates an advanced 3G HSDPA-enabled network capable of supporting effectivemobile broadband speeds of up 4.5Mbps and is the first UK operator to providea nationwide HSUPA capability for faster uploads.

    For more information about T-Mobile UK, please visit http://www.t-mobile.co.uk

    About 3 UK

    3 is a mobile operator focused on bringing the benefits of the internetto mobile communications. We offer attractive pricing and give our customersthe widest choice of ways to stay connected at home or abroad. To do thiswe're building the UK's best high-speed mobile broadband network. 3 UK is amember of the HWL group of 3G companies, which include 3G operations inAustralia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Macau andSweden.

    Three facts about 3:

    - 3 launched the UK's first 3G network offering national coverage for      calls and texts, and has over 90% population coverage for 3G services.      As we consolidate our radio access network with T-Mobile we expect to      reach almost complete UK population coverage for 3G by the end of 2009.

    - 3 has over 3 million active customers in the UK and over 16 million      worldwide.

    - 3 was the first to enable free voice over internet calling with Skype      and the first to launch a dedicated Skype mobile phone, the 3      Skypephone.

    For more information about 3 UK, please visithttp://www.three.co.ukorcall the 3 Media Office on +44-845-6038333.       FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT    Ericsson Media Relations    Phone: +46-10-719-69-92    E-mail:press.relations@ericsson.com

    Press Enquiries T-Mobile UK:    T-Mobile Press Line,    +44(0)7017-150-150,

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