Nokia completes world's first GSM 850 call in a live network

(July 31, 2001)

Milestone indicates further global success of GSM technology and will provide full global roaming

Nokia has successfully completed the first publicly announced call on a GSM 850 MHz network. It is believed to be the first time a call has been completed on this GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) radio frequency in a live network environment - a major milestone for the world's most popular digital wireless standard.

The call was conducted in Nokia's research and development facilities in Texas and was made with Nokia GSM 850 MHZ base stations and handsets. It is anticipated that an end-to-end solution will be available for North, Central and South America carriers operating GSM 850 MHz networks later this year.

"This is a major milestone in the expansion of GSM services in the Americas as GSM is the most widely deployed standard in the world," says K-P Wilska, President, Nokia, Inc., Americas, "A major benefit of GSM 850 is that it enables existing TDMA carriers as well as new GSM carriers to benefit from the global success of GSM."

"Nokia believes that a solution offering GSM and GPRS with evolution to EDGE and WCDMA will allow carriers to maximize both market share and profit margins in the Third Generation," he adds.

GSM is the most extensively used digital cellular network technology in the world and has more than 550 million subscribers worldwide and successful deployments in over 170 countries. Offering GSM enhanced with GPRS and EDGE will bring new 3G opportunities to carriers operating in the GSM 850 MHz band and will enable full global roaming between the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Americas carriers including AT&T Wireless Services, Rogers Wireless (Canada), Entel Movil (Bolivia), CTE (El Salvador), Telecom Personal (Argentina) and Telcel (Mexico) have announced their intention to begin offering GSM services.

Nokia currently estimates that GSM and its evolution to next generation will account for over 85% of next generation systems subscriptions, showing continued growth due to conversions from TDMA and CDMA.

Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become a leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.