Belgian mobile operator Proximus has launched the first commercial High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network in the country. With the Nokia HSDPA solution, Proximus will be able to operate its network more cost-efficiently and offer its customers data services at speeds of up to five times faster than current 3G speeds.

"We at Proximus take pride in offering our customers the best quality services, so we are pleased to be the first operator in Belgium to upgrade our 3G network with HSDPA technology," says Laurent Claus, Executive Vice President, Proximus. "Nokia's rapid rollout capability and support are extremely valuable for us in offering 3G broadband HSDPA to our customers."

Nokia is Proximus' sole GSM and WCDMA 3G radio network supplier. Nokia also supplies GPRS and 3G packet core network equipment to the operator. Nokia has supplied mobile networks to Proximus since 1996 and was selected as its 3G supplier in 2001.  

In WCDMA 3G, Nokia has 60 customers to date. Nokia's high-performing HSDPA is a software upgrade to Nokia WCDMA networks, thus enabling cost-effective and fast rollout. Nokia is a leader in the HSDPA market, with over 20 contracts globally. Several network operators have already opened their HSDPA networks with the Nokia solution.