Delta Telecom, a cellular operator in the northwest region of Russia, announced the commercial launch of an advanced 3G CDMA2O00 1X network in the 450 MHz frequency band (IMT-MC 450) using equipment, software and services from Lucent. This new network, named SKYLINK, will be the first one in Russia capable of providing subscribers high-speed mobile data services at speeds of up to 153 kilobits per second along with high-quality voice services. With the Lucent Technologies solution based on spread-spectrum CDMA2000 1X (IMT-MC 450) technology, a mobile phone connected to a laptop PC or personal digital assistant (PDA) enables business users to wirelessly access applications secured behind corporate firewalls such as e-mail, corporate databases and internal Web applications with the same speed and efficiency they are used to in their fixed office locations. Subscribers in St. Petersburg and its nearest suburbs will be the first to gain access to the SKYLINK services. In the future, Delta Telecom plans to expand the SKYLINK network to provide coverage in all of its licensed territories.