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Technology Stocks : Nokia Corp. (NOK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eric L who wrote (2511)	9/25/2002 10:39:22 PM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9255

re: FT on Nokia's 6650 Release "3G services don't necessarily need a wideband CDMA network. There's nothing that dramatic that 3G will bring now. But in the longer term it will bring capacity and additional speed." - Anssi Vanjoki - >> Nokia on the Line to Get 3G Party Started Christopher Brown-Humes (Stockholm) Robert Budden (London) William Hall (Vienna) Financial Times September 26 2002 1:13 Nokia, the world's leading maker of mobile phones, will on Thursday attempt to dispel some of the gloom surrounding 3G telephony when it unveils Europe's first 3G handset in Helsinki. The new 6650 phone will be colour-screen, dual-mode - meaning it will be able to roam between 2G and 3G networks - and have an in-built camera. It will look similar to other Nokia 6000 series phones, except it will have an external antenna and a larger colour display. It is being targeted more at the business user, than the youth market. Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president Nokia Mobile Phones, said the phone would be "priced similarly to any other classic imaging phone such as the 7650." The 7650 cost €795 without subsidies when it was launched in June but the price has since fallen to €600-€700. A successful launch by Nokia would have a psychological impact at a time when there is widespread scepticism about 3G's prospects. "The most important thing is that the phone works, and that we don't have dropped calls when moving between GSM networks and 3G," said Karri Rinta, telecoms analyst with Evli Bank in Helsinki. However, Mr Vanjoki said: "3G services don't necessarily need a wideband CDMA network. There's nothing that dramatic that 3G will bring now. But in the longer term it will bring capacity and additional speed," he said. Michael Schröder, analyst with Opstock Securities in Helsinki, said 3G phones would have no impact on Nokia's financial performance this year and only a small impact in 2003. "We will have to wait until 2004 before 3G phones reach double digits as a percentage of Nokia's total volumes." But, highlighting the technical glitches still faced by 3G, Sonera, the Finnish telecoms operator, has been forced to postpone the launch of a commercial 3G service in Finland, originally planned for Thursday. However, Mobilkom Austria, which has over 50 per cent of Austria's mobile telephony market, yesterday launched Europe's first national 3G network. The service, which will be rolled out commercially as soon as handsets become available, offers 25 per cent national coverage initially. By the end of the year Mobilkom expects to have 1,000 base stations offering 40 per cent coverage throughout Austria, a country of 8m people. Although there have been UMTS test operations in small areas, such as Monaco and the Isle of Man, Mobilkom claims to be the first to have switched on a national network. Mobilkom has already signed up ORF, the Austrian state broadcaster, to provide news videos and Reuters is providing business news. Other services include live coverage of all goals scored in the Austrian football league and access to remote cameras which alert drivers to rush-hour traffic jams. Mobilkom has spent €72m so far on its UMTS network which averages at €25 per existing mobile customer. It said the sum spent per head of its 2.9m customer base is considerably less than the €36 average revenue per unit (arpu) per month. << - Eric -