www.mobitel.si

On the 12th December last year Mobitel started Mobitel UMTS network with a complete set of services. The first experience of 1000 users was positive. Faster data transfer (during phase one up to 384 kb/s) allows quicker mobile access to Internet, email and information networks, a fact proven by actual data. Data transfer through UMTS is monthly averaging 10 times more than the GPRS and has totalled 17,7 GB since introduction. For Mobitel UMTS users Planet portal is offering a special set of content and services called Planet UMTS, which has been chosen by more than nine thousand users, which means there is a growing and genuine interest in UMTS. Most visited content sets on Planet UMTS are Novelties (83.000 visits in February), followed by Sports (73.716), Cinema (43.986), Weather (42.362) and Planet Radio (23.426).

One of the most interesting novelties of Mobitel UMTS network is, as it turned out, video telephony, which is used by more than 80 percent of Mobitel UMTS users. Their first experience is positive, despite minor problems caused by flaws in mobile phones. New software is now available for Motorola A835 mobile phone and Mobitel will provide free mobile phones upgrades to all users. The new software now allows a smooth transition between GSM/GPRS and UMTS network.

Network and plans

The signal of Mobitel UMTS network is now covering Ljubljana and Ljubljana airport, while phase two of network constructing is in process. By the end of March this year 80 new UMTS base stations will start operating, thus enabling 31 percent coverage of population. Another 70 UMTS base stations will start operating by the beginning of summer, and Mobitel UMTS network signal will be covering 40 percent of Slovenian population. Thus network signal will besides Ljubljana and Maribor also reach: Celje, Kranj, Novo Mesto, Murska Sobota, Koper, Nova Gorica, Velenje, Postojna, Radovljica, Zagorje and Ko?evje. During second half of the year Mobitel will provide another 150 UMTS base stations and reach as much as 55 percent of country's population with UMTS network signal. During first quarter of 2005 a total of 490 UMTS base stations will be operating, which means the coverage will reach 62 percent of population. Mobitel UMTS signal will cover all communities with a population over 1.500 and the Slovene Road Cross (main Slovene road network).

Mobitel UMTS roaming

Besides mobile phones, good network, interesting content and services, one of the key elements of UMTS success is the possibility of roaming in foreign operators' networks. Intensive negotiations on roaming with various operators are in progress, and it is already technically possible to use video telephony roaming in UK operator's H3G network. It is the first roaming agreement of a kind with an operator outside H3G group. Plans for 2004 include dozens of bilateral UMTS roaming agreements.