Elisa Eesti Demonstrates Superfast 4G Internet in Central Tallinn

On June Elisa Eesti gave a demonstration of superfast 4G Internet in the centre of Tallinn. The data communication speed achieved was almost 100 Mbit/s – the first time such a high speed had been achieved in mobile Internet in Estonia

Elisa Eesti has carried out successful tests of the 4G network in cooperation with its supplier Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN). Its 4G coverage is now available in most areas in central Tallinn.

Network Manager of Mobile and Fixed Networks at Elisa Eesti Andrus Kaarelson says that Elisa is testing the 4G network to prepare for the introduction of new technologies and services the moment they can be offered to clients as commercial services.

Elisa Eesti is set to expand its 4G test network even further: 4G stations will soon begin operating in the summer capital Pärnu and in the Kristiine district of Tallinn.

“The test network is based on new generation LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology, which is the answer to the challenges posed by rapidly increasing data communication volumes, which allows us to create new services using a higher data communication speed and which also complements the services currently offered in Elisa’s 3.5G network,” said Esa Harju, Manager of the Baltic and Nordic Regions of Nokia Siemens Networks.

“The superfast 4G network, which offers an even better user experience, takes the mobile Internet service into a new era,” said Kaarelson. “For example, downloading a movie in DVD format will only take about 45 minutes in the 4G network. The new generation network will also allow clients to use mobile Internet to watch HD television, use video conference and multimedia services and play online games.”

The volume of mobile Internet use in the 3.5G network has grown tenfold in recent years. 91% of Elisa’s clients currently use mobile Internet in the 3.5G network. Introducing the 4G network makes it possible to increase data communication volumes considerably and to guarantee the mobile Internet speed requested by clients.

Provision of commercial services in the Elisa 4G network will become possible after the issue of LTE licences later this year.

Today’s demonstration took place in the centre of Tallinn on the rooftop terrace of the European Union Building.

LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G is the mobile communication standard that enables operators to offer the possibility to download data at up to 300 Mbit/s and upload data at up to 75 Mbit/s. The further development of the 4G standard LTE Advanced was approved last year. It will make it possible to download data in mobile networks at up to 1 Gbit/s.

Elisa (www.elisa.ee) is the first communications operator in Estonia offering mobile telephone, landline telephone and Internet services all over the country. The services offered by Elisa can be used at home, at work and on the move. Elisa offers an online Internet connection everywhere in the country – its WiMAX wireless Internet reaches 80% of the people living in Estonia and the company covers Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Maardu, Saku and part of Harju County with its fast home and office Internet based on the DSL2+ standard. The mobile communications network of Elisa is accessible to 99% of the population of the country. Elisa and global mobile communications operator Vodafone have formed an extensive partnership and provide joint services in 40 different countries. The company’s turnover in 2009 was 1.406 billion kroons, while its operating profit amounted to 478 million kroons.

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Tallinn, foodies’ paradise

After a visit back from Estonia, the most interesting thing I wished to elaborate upon was the cuisine of the place. So, I boxed the itinerary for the travellers and primarily planned to take foodies for a ride across the town.

Understanding cuisine

In a medieval building of the Town Hall pharmacy in the heart of the Tallinn town square, I visit Estonia’s first garlic restaurant, Balthasar. This restaurant uses garlic in all its dishes, even ice-cream! Next, I head to the colourful Kalev Marzipan Museum. Tallinn is supposed to be where this almond and sugar delicacy was invented. In the museum, there’s marzipan painted with food colours, and in a variety of shapes and figures — plates, animals, birds, fruits vegetables, postcards with views of the city. Rene Uusmees is a young Estonian chef who owns the MEEK restaurant in old town. He explains that MEEK stands for Modern Estonian cuisine and that he draws on local produce like Estonian cheese and meat and fish and eating habits, interpreting them in a modern way. Estonian food has Scandinavian, Russian and German influences.

For the Indian pallete

There are more than ten Indian restaurants in Tallinn. One called Maharaja is smack in the centre of the Town Square. In Old Town, I head to Chakra to have a hearty Mughlai meal. I lie back on mirror-worked cushions looking brightly hued drapes at Old Town, feeling totally at home.

Getting  there

There are direct flights from Hamburg, Helsinki, London, and Paris among other European cities. Estonia Air and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France fly from Mumbai to the Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport with stopovers.

Useful information

The city of Tallinn is on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, and situated about 80 kilometres south of Helsinki.
Must-visits include Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St Mary’s Cathedral or Toomkirik, Raekoda or the Town Hall which is now the Tallinn City Museum.

By Kalpana Sunder - hindustantimes.com

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Estonia May CPI up 3 pct y/y, biggest rise in 15 months

Consumer prices in euro-zone hopeful Estonia rose at their fastest clip in 15 months in May, increasing 3.0 percent from the same period last year as fuel prices jumped.

On a month-on-month basis, the consumer price index (CPI) edged up 0.2 percent after a 0.5 percent gain in April.

Estonia hopes to get formal political approval in the coming month to join the euro zone from Jan 1, 2011, but the European Central Bank has said the country should try to keep a tighter rein on prices.

"Compared to May of the previous year, the index was mainly influenced by the 28.6 percent price increase of motor fuel, which gave nearly a half of the total change," the statistics office said in a statement.

"The last time we saw prices increase by this much was in February 2009, when prices rose 3.4 percent on year," Viktoria Trasanov, Head of Price and Wages Statistics Department told Reuters.

The increase was less than markets had expected, with the median estimate of three analysts predicting a rise of 3.3 percent on the year and 0.3 month for then month.

"In May compared to April, the consumer price index was mainly influenced by the price decrease of fresh vegetables, as well as by the price increase of dairy products and eggs," it added.

Estonia fell into a deep recession in early 2008 after the economy and prices grew at double-digit rates following the country's joining of the European Union in May 2004.

The government used the recession to help it slow price growth, so it could meet the criteria for membership of the euro zone.

Thomson Reuters 2010

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