28 September, 2004: Ericsson has been awarded a US$70mn GSM network expansion frame agreement by MTS, Mobile TeleSystems, the largest cellular operator in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The agreement covers deliveries until the end of 2004  The equipment supplied under agreement will increase network capacity and coverage in the Krasnodar region, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Siberia ( Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, as well as in Irkutsk ), and on the Far East (in Vladivistok and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk).

Ericsson will deploy the AXE810 switching platform and the GSM base stations RBS2206 and RBS2307 for network expansion. These base stations have built-in EDGE functionality and will provide a smooth migration to this technology when it is licensed in Russia .

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