Nokia reported Monday that the U.S. Army has awarded it a contract to build a WCDMA 3G/HSDPA network.

Noting that it already provides HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology to 66 3G customers, Nokia said the Army will evaluate HSDPA for potential applications for defense purposes.

Nokia said it will install the network at an undisclosed Army Research and Development Center. The mobile communications operator indicated its Nokia MSC Server System can save operating expenses of between 30% and 70% compared to legacy switching technologies.