Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has signed a EUR 72 million contract with Chunghwa Telecom, the largest mobile operator in Taiwan, to increase the capacity of its 3G network, in a bid to significantly improve transmission speeds and to enhance coverage, according to industry sources.The Finnish-German company will provide Chunghwa Telecom its technology and services to facilitate speeds of up to 2 Mbps in uplinking and 14 Mbps in downlinking, as well as network implementation and design, optimization, systems integration and maintenance services.

It was reported that the project would start immediately and be completed by July 2009.

Chunghwa Telecom will run trials of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Internet High Speed Access (I-HSPA) network, which is expected to pave the way for a smooth transition to a flat IP architecture, the first such trial in Asia-Pacific region.

Last week, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) won a network expansion contract worth EUR 550 million (US$865 million) from China Mobile Communications Corp.