T-Mobile: High-speed data already in pilot operation

• EDGE technology soon to be available to T-Mobile customers
• EDGE to bring, in particular, significantly faster data transmission (approx. 150 - 220 kbit/s)
• EDGE to allow customers to use the services also while roaming

Prague, 29 July 2004 - T-Mobile customers will soon be able to use high-speed mobile connection based on EDGE technology. Pilot operation of EDGE is now under way and T-Mobile intends to launch the commercial operation of the service in the last quarter of this year. EDGE will bring, in particular, faster data transmission (approx. 150 - 220 kbit/s), and thus a faster connection to the internet and wap. This will allow customers, for instance, to watch videos online, download large files, MMS messages or simply to browse the web conveniently. At the moment, T-Mobile already operates EDGE in Slovakia and Hungary.

Within the first stage, EDGE will be available in large Czech cities and the coverage will be gradually extended. "We are proud that we will be able to offer EDGE to Czech users. We will thus offer our customers a new dimension of using data and multimedia services. In its substance, this technology is suitable particularly for densely populated areas and one of its strengths is full mobility to which mobile users are accustomed today," Roland Mahler, Managing Director of T-Mobile Czech Republic comments.
Despite raising protests, T-Mobile has not yet obtained access to frequencies in the 450 MHz band suitable for CDMA. Thus, T-Mobile could not establish its own network in this efficient band, as Eurotel did. According to Eurotel's statement, CDMA will be launched on Monday and customers will have to buy it from a monopoly provider unless the situation changes. According to R. Mahler, the CTO should immediately start solving the monopoly situation by dividing the frequency channels available among several competing entities. "In the near future, the people living in sparsely populated areas, who need the fast internet connection most, may be left at the mercy of Eurotel's monopoly, since Eurotel, as the only holder of the suitable frequencies, is preparing the launch of a different technology - CDMA"*, Roland Mahler adds.

EDGE is basically another development step of GPRS and a world-wide standard, which can also be launched by the other mobile operators based on the existing licences. Many phones can already work on this standard, as opposed to CDMA. When EDGE is launched into commercial operation, a significant portion of the new devices, including low-end devices, will support this technology. Customers will thus be able to use one phone with one SIM card for both phone calls and data transmission, whereas CDMA can, so far, be operated only on special devices of USB modem type, which have to be purchased separately and which do not support GPRS.
EDGE is also able to "communicate? with GPRS and switch to and from GPRS without any outward manifestation. In practice, this means that if the customer is on the move and moves outside an area where EDGE is available, the network will automatically switch over to GPRS and vice versa. Thanks to roaming, EDGE will also allow the use of identical services abroad.

* The CDMA technology operates in the 450 MHz frequency band which, among the Czech operators, was only obtained by Eurotel. Eurotel obtained it in 1990 without a tender for the operation of a radio telephony (analogue) mobile network using the NMT standard. Eurotel now wants to use it exclusively for the provision of fast internet access via CDMA. The Czech authorities have not decided on the re-allocation of a portion of the frequencies among the competitors, although this is a standard procedure in developed European countries. This lower frequency allows coverage of an area at a cost many times lower than in the case of higher frequencies and the exclusive use of this frequency would basically mean a monopoly position for the original operator. According to T-Mobile, this is in conflict with the antimonopoly rules of the European Union whose aim is to protect customers and foster competition. Therefore, T-Mobile filed a complaint with the European Commission seeking remedy.

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T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.