Nokia 6650 deliveries to start
The Nokia 6650 phone expected to become available
in Europe, Asia and Japan as mobile operators roll out their 3G
services
13 June 2003
 Following
the successful completion of the piloting and test program, Nokia
has started shipments of the Nokia 6650 mobile phone to selected
mobile operators and retailers in Europe and Asia, including Japan.
Operators will now be able to provide their customers with the
Nokia 6650 as a standard GSM phone, a WCDMA phone or a dual-mode
GSM/WCDMA phone, depending on their network architecture. The
Nokia 6650 is the first mobile phone in the market capable of
seamless hand-overs between GSM and WCDMA systems in a dual-mode
network.
Consumers will be able to enjoy global roaming
on all GSM900/1800 networks globally as well as on WCDMA networks
in Japan and Europe. Those operators building WCDMA coverage to
complement their existing GSM900/1800 coverage can now offer high
data speed services of up to 384 kbps with WCDMA, while having
the full coverage of the GSM900/1800 grid in a single terminal
with proven dual system capabilities, tested for interoperability
across the full range of functionality with the leading infrastructure
vendors.
"The Nokia 6650 is a perfect companion for
the traveling business professional, who needs both high-speed
data services, such as the fast downloading of emails to his laptop
and access to information services, as well as extensive roaming.
For a Japanese user, the Nokia 6650 offers seamless roaming in
Europe and Asia, and for a GSM user, seamless roaming in Japan,"
said Juha Putkiranta, Senior Vice President, Nokia Mobile Phones.
He adds:"I would like to take this opportunity
to thank all those people who took part in our biggest ever field
pilot and testing program, in which we have been successfully
working out interoperability challenges and enhancing the phone's
capabilities. Almost 20 000 Nokia 6650 phones were used in the
pilot program. The commercial availability of the Nokia 6650 will
open the road for the commercial 3G service experience."
The availability of services utilizing WCDMA technology
is determined by individual operator plans. As a result, availability
of the Nokia 6650 will vary by country and by operator. The first
operator shipments of the Nokia 6650 commercial release will be
delivered to J-Phone and mobilkom austria during June. Nokia expects
that during the second half of 2003, approximately 20 operators
worldwide will introduce WCDMA either as their main radio technology
or as a complementary enhancement to their existing GSM network.
Consumers are already using a number of 3G services
in current networks: multimedia messaging, various types of downloading,
sending and receiving videos. While the underlying technology
is transparent to the consumer, mobile phone users will see the
benefits of WCDMA in faster and more convenient service delivery,
and in the introduction and availability of new services, such
as multitasking.
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications.
Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure
solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile
phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed broadband 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.
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Related: Nokia
6650 passes type approval milestone | 
