Zapp expands network

Mobile telephone operator Zapp, which uses CDMA 450 technology (a variant of the American technology that rivals GSM), has announced it has invested $50 million (37.6 million euros) in expanding its national coverage and boosting network capacity. These investments have enabled Zapp to expand coverage to 70% of the entire country, adding 58 cities and 6 national roads. Sixteen further cities and 4 national roads now have better network quality and can support more users, Zapp officials say. “The third development stage will be completed by the end of December, when more than 200 cities will have coverage, meaning about 80% of Romania’s population will have access to Zapp’s services,” said Cuneyt Turktan, Zapp’s President of the Board. The fourth investment stage will be completed by August 2005, when coverage should reach 78% of the country, or over 250 towns and cities, and more than 90% of the population. As part of its network expansion, Zapp has introduced a new data service, Zapp Internet Express, a wireless broadband Internet service with speeds of up to 2.4 Mbps. ZF