27 October, 2004: Yemeni mobile operator SabaFon has awarded Siemens multiple contracts to upgrade, expand and modernize its GSM services. Involving a total volume of US$28mn, the contracts cover both the deployment of EDGE technology as well as the implementation of GPRS and a new charging system. The technology and infrastructure will be ready for operation by the end of 2004. This is the second EDGE contract for Siemens in the Middle East and its fourteenth worldwide.

The network upgrade by the end of 2004 will allow SabaFon to serve another 250,000 subscribers while at the same time extending its service offerings. In addition to mobile telephony, the operator will then also be able to provide both prepaid and postpaid customers with Internet access, multimedia services, video streaming, push and talk, instant messaging or location based services on their handsets at correspondingly high send and receive speeds of up to 400kbits/s.

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