€18 million expansion

has been awarded a contract by

, the mobile brand of Digital Mobile Philippines Inc (DMPI), to expand the operator's GSM/GPRS mobile network capacity.

This contract, valued at approximately €18 million, will cover the expansion of Sun Cellular's network in the metro Manila area and the islands of Luzon and Cebu.

Upon completion of the project in October 2005, Sun Cellular will be able to accommodate as many as three million subscribers, a substantial increase over the number of customers it supports today. Sun Cellular will also be in a position to implement solutions that can satisfy the full range of its subscribers' requirements for mobile data services.

Alcatel will supply, install and commission its Evolium GSM/GPRS and EDGE-ready solution, which includes mobile switching and IN solutions. As the Evolium solution is based upon open standards and the software can be upgraded, network capacity can be increased to meet Sun Cellular's future growth requirements.

In the future, Alcatel says Sun Cellular will have the potential to migrate to a mobile Next Generation Network (mobile NGN) that can support advanced mobile services whilst reducing operation expenses.