The national operator Moldtelecom today, May 21, is officially launching its third-generation mobile telephony service based on the 3G/UMTS/HSPA technology and marketed under the brand UNITÉ. The service is destined for both individual and corporate clients and will be available in all the towns and district centers as well as in smaller settlements of the country. Investment in the service constituted 245 million lei ($19m), Moldtelecom said in a press release, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. According to the national operator, the launch represents a step of the Unité mobile service to a higher communication standard – the UMTS standard which offers mobile solutions both in the CDMA2000 and UMTS/3G cellular systems. From the very launch Unité clients will be able to enjoy the full range of the advantages offered by third-generation mobile telephony, including a significantly higher data transmission speed at a coverage of more than half of the country, high quality voice in all the settlements with 3G coverage (voice quality levels in the Unité network are identical with those in Moldtelecom's landline network). The service opens new opportunities in video calls, video conferences and mobile Internet – a key-service afforded by the 3G network (available on the market from April 1), which offers unique solutions in two standards: CDMA2000 1xEVDO and 3G/UMTS/HSPA at a speed of up to 14.4Mbps at the most advantageous rates. Access speed will very soon increase to 21 Mbps when the basic stations are connected through optical fibers. Moreover, the quality of mobile Internet services from Unité is visibly higher than that of other operators on the market and will be ensured in both urban and rural areas. “The launch of the 3G network further confirms Moldtelecom's status of a leader, with its most varied portfolio of services at the highest value. Our clients have the greatest number of options to enjoy the experience of voice, messaging, multimedia, Internet and television services”, says Moldtelecom general manager Vitalie Iurcu. Unité introduces on the Moldovan market the Femto-cell technology, which offers a more convenient mobile Internet and voice access for the users of Moldtelecom's MaxDSL and MaxFiber services. This unique opportunity will offer Moldtelecom clients permanent connection, safety in use, top surfing speeds and green technology as the influence of radio waves will be minimized. The 3G mobile telephony network Unité provides new multimedia opportunities, including faster MMS transmission nationally and internationally (MMS files can now be much larger), and personalized mobile content, like music, ring tones, video files, weather forecasts, traffic information) which can be downloaded from Unité's and its partners' portals. Soon Unité clients will be able to shift to 4G services through a simple software upgrade. The company promises Unité will back up the launch with attractive 3G phone offers, featuring Internet, webcam, bluetooth, FM radio etc, and two 3G modem options at advantageous terms. To benefit from the new services, Moldtelecom clients should have a modern phone supporting the WCDMA 2100 standard, an USB 3G modem or use a laptop with peripheral 3G devices. The new services may be requested by Unité existing and prospective clients at showrooms across the country or by calling 200-200.