Newsletter September 2013

EDITORIAL

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Dear Readers,
Saima Telecom has expanded LTE network. Two base stations have been recently established in Tokmak city. Ucell has announced the launch of Dual Carrier (DC) HSPA+ in Tashkent and Samarkand. Megacom has rolled out its third-generation network in the At-Bashi and Aktala areas of Naryn, with 3.5G base stations installed in the villages. Mobile operator Kar-Tel, which offers services under the Beeline Kazakhstan brand, has ‘significantly expanded’ its 3G network in western Kazakhstan region. Azerbaijan’s government is to allocate additional radio spectrum for 4G based services. Azercell Telecom plans to launch voice over LTE later this year.

Qualcomm and Alcatel-Lucent have jointly announced a plan to collaborate to develop small cell base stations together. The two companies said that they plan to jointly invest in a strategic R&D program to develop the next generation of Alcatel-Lucent light Radio Small Cell products featuring Qualcomm Technologies’ FSM9900 family of Small Cell chipsets. Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) has agreed a partial compromise with the mobile networks over the imposition of tax on top of the 3G license fees they may pay in the forthcoming auction. TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil) has announced the launch of a commercial 4G service in Curitiba’s state capital, Parana. Philippines based Smart Communications has started trials of LTE-Advanced (LTA-A) network upgraded based on a platform supplied by Huawei.

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Industrial News

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Saima Telecom expands LTE network

Saima Telecom announced that it has expanded its LTE network in July-August. Two base stations have been recently established in Tokmak city. The operator has deployed a LTE base station at Manas international airport in July and it has begun LTE services in the town of Kant, with service packages going in sale in branches of the retail chain M&TC there.
Source: TelecomPaper

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Ucell launches DC-HSPA+

Ucell has announced the launch of Dual Carrier (DC) HSPA+ in Tashkent and Samarkand. The new technology, which provides theoretical maximum download speeds of 42Mbps, was deployed to 42 locations in the capital and seven in Samarkand, although Umida Ziyamova, a spokesperson for the operator added that the cellco will roll out the platform to all regional centres. Ziyamova also noted that Ucell is expanding the footprint and capacity of its 3G network to meet rising demand for mobile internet services, and that the cellco has increased the number of 3G-enabled base stations by 12% since the start of the year.
Source: TeleGeography

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Megacom continues rural expansion

Megacom has announced the expansion of its 2G network coverage and capacity across remote and rural villages in the provinces of Issyk-Kul, Chuy, Osh and Naryn. The company has also rolled out its third-generation network in the At-Bashi and Aktala areas of Naryn, with 3.5G base stations also installed in the villages of Sary-Oi, Cholpon-Ata and Karakol (all Issyk-Kul), Uchkun and Ak-Tal (Naryn), Tokmok and Kara-Balta (Chuy), as well as the capital Bishkek. Megacom aims to cover 95% of the population by the end of the year.
Source: TeleGeography

Beeline expands 3G network in western Kazakhstan

Mobile operator Kar-Tel, which offers services under the Beeline Kazakhstan brand, has ‘significantly expanded’ its 3G network in western Kazakhstan region. The new 3G base stations were deployed in the Karatobe, Zhalpaktal, Zhangala and Fyodorovka agglomerations during 1H13, following launches in Bokeyorda, Kaztalovka and Zhanibek.
Source: TeleGeography

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Azerbaijan Reserving Digital Dividend Spectrum for LTE Services

Azerbaijan’s government is to allocate additional radio spectrum for 4G based services, the ICT Ministry has told local media. The radio spectrum — in the 790-862 MHz bands — is currently used for analogue television broadcasts, but will be released for LTE services once the transition to digital TV is complete. It isn’t however clear when that process will be complete, nor how the government plans to auction off the digital dividend spectrum to the mobile networks. The previous allocation of 3G licenses was somewhat haphazard with networks being awarded licenses on seemingly arbitrary timescales.
Source: Cellular-News

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Beeline expands 3G, retail chain in regions

Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom, working under the Beeline brand, raised the number of 3G base stations in the Belgorod region by 44 percent since the start of this year. The operator plans to double the number of 3G base stations there this year. Around 75 percent of the backbone infrastructure of the operator has already been switched to IP in the region. Beeline also announced that it has launched 3G services in the remote Bor and Baykit agglomerations to serve oil fields in the Krasnoyarsk region. The services are supported by a satellite link. In addition, Beeline opened five new shops in the Bryansk region in July. Three retail outlets were launched in the city of Bryansk.
Source: TelecomPaper

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Duo launch MNP

Two of Azerbaijan’s wireless operators, Bakcell and Azerfon (Nar Mobile), have launched mobile number portability (MNP). The service, which enables a customer to retain their number if they switch provider, is free of charge and takes up to six days to complete. The launch followed reports that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies (MCIT) was looking to sue mobile operators over their repeated failure to introduce MNP. The ministry allegedly said that it has suffered financial damage and is looking for compensation from the market’s players.
Source: TeleGeography

ArmenTel expands mobile network to border villages

ArmenTel has announced the latest expansion of its mobile network in Armenia, improving service coverage in remote border areas. Earlier this month the company extended its infrastructure in the vicinity of the eastern boundary of the Syunik region, making its voice and 3G mobile internet services available to people living there. ArmenTel managing director Andrew Pyatakhin notes that in the first quarter of this year, the cellular arm leap-frogged its rivals to become the fastest growing player in the broadband internet segment, thanks to its long term investment in the region.
Source: TeleGeography

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Azercell plans voice over LTE, network expansion

Azercell Telecom plans to launch voice over LTE later this year. The company plans to expand its LTE network across Baku and the Absheron peninsula later this year as well. Currently, the network comprises ten access points in the capital but by the end of this year, the number of base stations is expected to reach 250.
Source: TelecomPaper

Ucell expands internet gateway, launches HSPA+

Uzbekistan mobile operator Ucell has expanded the capacity of its internet gateway by 20 percent. The operator plans to launch new tariffs with reduced prices per MB. The operator has introduced HSPA+ on 42 base stations in Tashkent and seven base stations in Samarkand. The technology is planned to be launched in all regional centres soon.
Source: TelecomPaper

Qualcomm Sells its Transportation and Logistics Business for $800 Million

Qualcomm has announced a deal to sell its Transportation and Logistics subsidiary, Omnitracs to Vista Equity Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm for US$800 million in cash. The acquisition will include all of Omnitracs operations in the United States, Canada and Latin America, including Sylectus and FleetRisk Advisors, which were acquired by Omnitracs in 2011. The closing of the transaction is conditioned upon, among other things, clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary closing conditions. The acquisition is expected to be completed during the first quarter of Qualcomm’s fiscal 2014.
Source: Cellular-News

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eAccess to Trial LTE in the 1700 MHz Band

Japan’s telecoms regulator the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has granted a temporary license to local broadband operator eAccess to trial a 1700MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the city of Takamatsu, situated in the Kagawa prefecture. The company has already been assigned 2×5MHz paired blocks in the 1744.9MHz-1749.9MHz/1839.9MHz-1844.9MHz bands and 2×15MHz paired blocks in the 1749.9MHz-1764.9MHz/1844.9MHz-1859.9MHz bands to conduct its field trials, which will run until mid-October 2013. eAccess plans to use carrier aggregation (CA) technology to achieve downlink speeds of 150Mbps and 300Mbps with 2×2 multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) configuration and 4×4MIMO configurations, respectively.
Source: TeleGeography

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Beeline Uzbekistan Appoints New CFO

Mobile operator Beeline Uzbekistan has appointed Alexander Vorobyov the new CFO of the company. Director-general of Unitel LLC Andrei Safronyuk said that role of financial direction increases in the result of the growth of investments volume. Strategic planning and optimization of expenses can impact for further development of business of Beeline in Uzbekistan. He said that experience of Aleksandr Vorobyev in telecom market in Russia and Central Asia will be useful.
Source: TelecomPaper

EE Achieves LTE Coverage Milestone

EE has announced that its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network now covers more than 100 towns and cities across the country, with it having named Accrington as the location where the milestone was achieved. Its 4G network, meanwhile, is now said to be available in a total of 105 towns and cities, representing population coverage of around 60% just ten months after it first launched commercial services over the infrastructure. Among the other locations to have recently been added to the cellco’s EE footprint are: Ashford, Bicester, Colchester, Guildford, Milton Keynes, Redhill, Sevenoaks, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Woking. Alongside the announcement regarding the coverage expansion, EE has also confirmed that it has now introduced its ‘double speed’ 4G service, which offers increased download speeds of up to 150Mbps.

Source: TeleGeography

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Ucell, Qualcomm Organize Training for App Designers

Ucell, in cooperation with Qualcomm, has carried out a training programme, “Development of mobile apps – additional reality”. It is the first such training project in Uzbekistan. Participants of the project had the chance to design mobile applications using Vuforia tools. Umida Ziyamova, specialist on corporate communications of Ucell, said that the goal of the training is teaching young people the basics of developing augmented reality applications. During the training young specialists will have a chance to learn the Vuforia toolkit, which takes leading place in creating mobile applications.
Source: TelecomPaper

MTN Guinea Obtains 3G License

Wireless operator MTN Guinea (Areeba) has announced that it is now authorized to provide 3G services in the country after signing a Convention de Concession de Licenses with telecoms regulator L’Autorite de Regulation des Postes et Telecommunications (ARPT) on 16 August 2013. According to the company’s press release, the license will provide MTN Guinea with an ‘opportunity to have a greater number of sites covered by March 2014’.

Source: TeleGeography

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TIM Brasil Launches 4G in Curitiba

TIM Participacoes (TIM Brasil) has announced the launch of a commercial 4G service in Curitiba’s state capital, Parana. The cellco’s launch – carried out three months ahead of schedule – means that TIM Brasil joins rivals Vivo and Telecom Americas (Claro) which have already deployed live 4G services in the city. Curitiba is one of the host cities for the 2014 football FIFA World Cup, and under rollout requirements set down by Anatel, 4G must be made available in all host cities on or before 31 December 2013

Source: TeleGeography

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SFR extends its 4G coverage in Paris

French mobile operator SFR has announced that its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network has been expanded to cover the seventh arrondissement of the capital Paris, with plans to extend the 4G footprint to cover all 20 locations by the end of 2013. The 4G network will also be available in 300 municipalities in the Ill-de-France region by end-December 2013. SFR pledged to extend its 4G and Dual Carrier (DC)-HSPA+ networks to cover 70% of the country’s population by the end of the year.

Source: TeleGeography

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Vodafone and O2 Launch LTE Networks in the UK

Two UK networks have launched their LTE networks, with Vodafone launching in the capital city, London and O2 launching in London, Leeds and Bradford. Both networks will bring the first levels of competition to EE, which has been the sole LTE operator in the country ever since it was given permission to refarm its 1800 MHz spectrum last year. The country’s fourth network, Three is still to launch its LTE service, but plans to start offering LTE coverage in three cities from December. Vodafone says that having taken pre-orders since the 12th August, it has already signed up over 20,000 customers for its 4G service.
Source: Cellular-News

Orange launches 3G+, 4G in Rodrigues; satellite bandwidth upgrade project on track

Cellplus Mobile Communications (Orange) has launched 3G+ and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in the island of Rodrigues, an autonomous outer island under the dependency of the Republic of Mauritius. Mauritius Telecom has built ten 3G+/HSDPA-enabled base stations which provide island-wide coverage, while the LTE network is available solely in the capital Port Mathurin. The company has also upgraded its 2G infrastructure on the island. Mauritius’ ICT Minister Tassarajen Pillay Chedumbrum has announced that the project to upgrade the satellite bandwidth between Mauritius and the island of Rodrigues from 37Mbps to 155Mbps will be completed by end-September 2013.
Source: TeleGeography

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Econet launches LTE in Victoria Falls

Econet Wireless has launched the first commercial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the country, ahead of the United Nations (UN) World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, which is set for 24-29 August 2013. The new 4G network is currently available in the capital Harare, the tourist town of Victoria Falls, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport and Victoria Falls International Airport. The 4G services will provide visiting delegates with theoretical download speeds of up to 65Mbps. Econet has reportedly been planning an LTE deployment for several years, and while its rivals Telecel and NetOne have not yet formally indicated that they are looking to roll out 4G services, reports have emerged suggesting that they have plans to trial LTE technology in the coming months.
Source: TeleGeography

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MTS Belarus pushes ahead with DC-HSDPA upgrades

MTS Belarus has revealed that it has now upgraded 82% of its 3G base stations to Dual Carrier (DC) HSPA+, allowing it to offer theoretical peak download speeds of 42Mbps. The cellular operator began the upgrade project in December 2011 and now says the technology is available on 162 3G base stations in Minsk, all regional centres, 23 other cities plus 18 villages. 80.5% of the country’s population now has access to MTS’ 3G services.
Source: TeleGeography

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China Unicom Starts Testing TD-LTE Based 4G Network

China Unicom has started testing a TD-LTE based 4G network, which it will use if the government doesn’t allow it to use its preferred option of the FDD-LTE based technology in the upcoming 4G licensing process. China Unicom’s larger rival is already testing and deploying a TD-LTE based network, but it had been presumed that the smaller networks would be allowed to use the more widespread FDD based service which is deployed outside China. The Chinese government however tends to favor the TD-LTE service as that was developed by Chinese vendors, who would have the most to gain from network deployments. Having all three mobile networks using the Chinese standard would also create a market large enough to ensure that popular smartphones are offered in a TD-LTE variant for the local market.
Source: Cellular-News

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E-Plus activates DC-HSPA+, targets 75% coverage by year-end

E-Plus has activated Dual Carrier (DC)-HSPA+ technology over more than half of its UMTS network, boosting theoretical maximum download speeds to 42Mbps. E-Plus said that by the end of the year more than three-quarters of its UMTS base stations will be equipped with DC-HSPA+, representing population coverage of 75%. ‘Our network can do everything that today’s customers need for their everyday usage data,’ commented Andreas Pfisterer, chief technology officer of E-Plus Group, adding: ‘The positive customer experience is the main focus at E-Plus. ‘Today’s mobile data services do not need expensive peak data rates, but the capacity and speed, which is what we provide.’

Source: TeleGeography

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All domestic cellcos qualified for 3G auction, but final terms still waits

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has published the official list of qualified bidders for the upcoming 3G license auction, confirming that all five private sector domestic cellcos – GrameenPhone, Banglalink, Robi, Airtel and CityCell – are eligible to place bids on 8 September. However, with the 26 August deadline for paying deposits looming, the operators are yet to confirm if they will take part, due to pending issues including an unresolved dispute with the National Board of Revenue (NBR) which has demanded around USD388 million in unpaid VAT on replacement SIM cards. Adding to the uncertainty, the BTRC is yet to issue the final terms of the auction.
Source: TeleGeography

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More than ten companies interested in Honduras’ 4G LTE auction

Ricardo Cardona, the president of Honduran telecoms regulator the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), has announced that at least ten foreign companies will compete in the country’s forthcoming auction for Long Term Evolution (LTE)-suitable spectrum this August. Mr Cardona added that more information will be available to the public in the following days, including the prospective fee for participation in the international bidding process. Conatel will reserve one of the frequency blocks for state-owned telco Hondutel for use after its anticipated privatization.
Source: TeleGeography

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MTS Launches LTE Network in Tambov

Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has announced the commercial launch of its FDD based LTE network in Tambov and the Tambov region. MTS has deployed LTE networks covering the whole territory of Tambov. By the end of 2013, MTS will double the number of base stations in the city, and will also extend coverage to additional population centers of the Tambov region. Previously, MTS has launched commercial LTE TDD and FDD networks in Moscow.
Source: Cellular-News

Philippines Network Starts LTE-A Trials on Huawei Equipment

Philippines based Smart Communications says that it has started trials of LTE-Advanced (LTA-A) network upgraded based on a platform supplied by Huawei. The test facilities were able to achieve break-neck speeds of up to 209Mbps in laboratory conditions. In the test setup, LTE Advanced was also deployed over Wi-Fi, although the company did not elaborate on those arrangements.
Source: Cellular-News

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NPT launches consultation on 800MHz, 900MHz, and 1800MHz spectrum auction rules

The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) have announced a consultation on the auction rules for the sale of digital dividend spectrum in the 800MHz band, as well as 900MHz and 1800MHz frequencies. In addition, the regulator has also confirmed that as part of the consultation it will be seeking feedback on the proposed terms and conditions of draft licenses, with a deadline for responses set as 30 September 2013. The NPT said that spectrum in the 800MHz band was ‘key to fulfilling this objective as spectrum in this frequency band has superior coverage reach and is therefore ideal for coverage in rural areas’. As a result of this, the watchdog has confirmed that one of the 800MHz concessions will include a coverage obligation; the winner of the license will be required to offer a service with a minimum average access speed of 2Mbps within five years of its award.
Source: TeleGeography

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Bangladesh Lowers Tax on 3G License Fees

Bangladesh’s National Board of Revenue (NBR) has agreed a partial compromise with the mobile networks over the imposition of tax on top of the 3G license fees they may pay in the forthcoming auction. The NBR has agreed to lower the VAT rate on 3G licenses from 7.5 percent to 5 percent, although that is still higher than the mobile networks own demand for it to be reduced to 2.5 percent. The cut follows the decision by the NBR to scrap the 15 percent tax on 3G license revenues that would otherwise have had to be paid.
Source: Cellular-News

Omantel boosts 3.5G, 4G networks in Dhofar

Omantel has completed the enhancement of its 3.5G and 4G LTE networks in Dhofar Governorate through the installation of new permanent and temporary base stations. The company said the work will not only improve coverage but also increase the capacity of the networks to handle rising demand from visitors during the Salalah Tourism Festival. Haitham Abdullah Al Kharusi, vice president of Omantel’s Consumer Business unit, said: ‘This year, our teams have completed the programme to enhance the coverage of our 3.5G network as well as building new 4G LTE sites in new areas in the governorate to accommodate for demand for broadband services.’
Source: TeleGeography

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Rostelecom inaugurates HSPA+ network in St Petersburg

Rostelecom has announced that it has launched 3.5G HSPA+ technology in St Petersburg, its 22nd such market. The ongoing deployment will ultimately see Rostelecom establish more than 8,000 base stations across the country, with vendors Ericsson and Huawei providing technical equipment and solutions for the rollout programme. Larisa Tkachuk, senior vice president and commercial director of Rostelecom, commented: ‘Launching a 3G+ network in St Petersburg, the birthplace of Russian mobile communications, is a significant event for Rostelecom. These are of course only the first steps, but we plan to dramatically improve coverage in the northern capital in the future’.
Source: TeleGeography

Vodafone UK Announces 4G

British cellco Vodafone UK has confirmed its 4G launch plans, revealing that it expects to inaugurate its LTE network on the same day as rival O2 UK, 29 August. Vodafone said that its 4G services will initially be available in London only, though it has said that it will be expanded to Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield before the end of this year. Looking further ahead, the cellco has said it is aiming to expand 4G coverage to 98% of the population, though the timeframe for doing so was simply cited as being ‘over the next couple of years’. With a view to swaying customers to sign up for its LTE offerings, rather than those of its rivals, Vodafone has announced that those signing up for its Red 4G plans will be able to choose between a free Spotify Premium subscription or free access to Sky Sports Mobile TV.
Source: TeleGeography

Yota plans LTE voice service in 2014

Russian Long Term Evolution (LTE) provider Yota plans to launch voice telephony services over its 4G network in 2014, according to general director Yegor Ivanov. The voice call services will initially launch in Moscow and St Petersburg, before being extended to cover the remainder of Yota’s network footprint. Ivanov noted that although the network is already ready to support voice telephony, regulatory issues still need to be resolved. It remains unclear how Yota’s recently announced USD1.2 billion takeover by sister company MegaFon will affect its transition towards becoming a fully-fledged wireless service provider.
Source: TeleGeography

Moldova launches public consultation on new 3G license

Moldovan regulator, the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI), has announced the launch of a public consultation on the authorization of frequencies in the 1900MHz-1980MHz and 2110MHz-2170MHz spectrum bands for 3G technology use. The ANRCETI has indicated that the assigned frequencies will be authorized for 3G UMTS, and CDMA2000use. According to a press release, the 3G license will be granted through a public auction open to domestic and foreign companies; however, network operators already holding authorization for spectrum usage in the 1900MHz and 2100MHz frequency bands will not be allowed to participate in the tender. The license fee will be determined following the auction.
Source: TeleGeography

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Nedjma to take part in Algeria’s 3G license auction

Qatari telecoms group Ooredoo, which holds the controlling stake in Moroccan cellco Wataniya Telecom (Nedjma), has expressed its full support for the recently launched 3G license auction in Algeria. Algeria’s telecoms watchdog the Autorite de Regulation de la Poste et des Telecoms (ARPT) launched a tender for the authorization of 3G mobile concessions on 1 August 2013. The regulator will award three licenses to domestic mobile operators for the provision of 3G services. According to a company press release, Nedjma has invested USD338.9 million in its infrastructure during the last 18 months, with a significant portion of the sum spent on 3G-ready technology and network enhancements; in preparation for 3G’s eventual arrival.
Source: TeleGeography

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Vodafone boosts LTE speeds to 150Mbps

Vodafone Germany has increased the maximum download speed available over its LTE network to 150Mbps in a number of key cities. The faster speeds are initially available in Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Dresden and Munich, with other cities to follow over the next few weeks. Vodafone’s 4G infrastructures is currently present in 160 German towns and cities, covering around 51 million people and two-thirds of the country’s territory.
Source: TeleGeography

Telefonica inks deal for access to Yoigo’s LTE network

Movistar’s parent company Telefonica has announced a series of agreements with rival cellco Xfera Moviles (Yoigo) under which Movistar will offer 4G services over Yoigo’s in-deployment LTE network. In return for granting Movistar access to its infrastructure, it has been confirmed that Yoigo will be able to market a converging product with its mobile services and Movistar’s fixed voice and broadband services. Further, the agreements also include the renewal of an existing national roaming deal under which Yoigo uses Movistar’s 2G and 3G networks; with the original contract having been signed back in 2008, the extension will see roaming permitted until 2016.
Source: TeleGeography

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LG U+ Launched Commercial LTE-Advanced Service with Ericsson

Ericsson has successfully deployed a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) commercial service network for South Korea’s LG U+. LG U+ has completed early commercial launch of LTE-A by conducting network integration test through Carrier Aggregation (CA) software upgrade. The network offers theoretical peak download speeds of up to 150Mbps, although average speeds are typically expected to be about a quarter of that. The two companies have agreed to jointly develop LTE-A and post LTE-A technology such as coordination functions between cells to enhance throughput by minimizing inter-node interference, inter-cell interference control technology to expand small cell coverage through coordination between macro and small base stations, and soft cell related technology to enhance data quality and speed by separating nodes for controlling signal and actual traffic data.
Source: Cellular-News

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LIME Cayman acquires LTE-suitable spectrum

LIME Cayman Islands has won two of the three 700MHz spectrum blocks offered by telecoms regulator the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) following Decision 2013-1; the spectrum has been earmarked for the provision of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in the country. LIME has secured the spectrum blocks after winning a ‘beauty contest’ against rival cellco Digicel. In a press release, the watchdog announced that LIME was granted 2×24MHz frequency blocks in the 700MHz band.
Source: TeleGeography

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SK Telecom aims to bring LTE-A service to 84 cities

SK Telecom (SKT), has outlined plans to expand its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) infrastructure to a number of new cities as it looks to cater for the growing demand for data services. With the cellco’s LTE-A network currently covering Seoul, 65 other major cities and 103 universities, it has confirmed that it aims to boost coverage to 84 cities, though it has not issued a timeframe for doing so.
Source: TeleGeography

Safaricom Wins Legal Dispute Over 3G License

Safaricom has won a two-year legal battle with the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) relating to claims that it over-paid for its October 2007 3G licenses. Following Safaricom’s USD25 million license award, the watchdog went on to issue its smaller rivals Airtel and Telkom 3G concessions for a cut-priceUSD10 million, prompting market leader Safaricom to initiate legal proceedings in August 2011. However, it has now been revealed that the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement earlier this year, with the payments expected to be staggered over the next three years.
Source: TeleGeography

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Altel Communications to spendMYR1 billion on LTE rollout over next five years

Altel Communications, the telecoms subsidiary of Puncak Semangat, is reportedly planning to invest more thanMYR1 billion (USD308 million) over the next five years on the deployments of its LTE network. The infrastructure is expected to be rolled out by the end of this year, while the first commercial services are actually set to be introduced from this month. With only pre-paid services set to be offered initially, Altel’s first post-paid tariffs are to be introduced at the end of 2013, and the company has said it aims to exceed 150,000 customers within the first year of launch. Enterprise customers are expected to be a key area of focus for the new operator, as it has suggested that the consumer market is already saturated.
Source: TeleGeography

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O2 UK reveals LTE launch date

UK mobile network operator O2 UK has revealed that it will launch commercial LTE services later this month, with its network to be inaugurated in London, Leeds and Bradford. With the operator expecting to reach up to five million people from launch, it claims to have an ‘ambitious rollout plan’ under which it plans to make its 4G products available to an additional two million people per month, culminating in its combined 2G/3G/4G network footprint reaching 98% of the population, both indoor and outdoor. By the end of 2013, meanwhile, O2 expects LTE-based services to be on offer in a total of 13 cities.

Source: TeleGeography

Digitel offers first LTE service in country; one 4G BlackBerry so far

Digitel, has become the first to launch a commercial service based on 4G LTE technology, using the 2×15MHz 1800MHz frequency band it won in a September 2012 license auction, and following a short pilot of the network in Caracas. The company says it would have rolled out LTE services sooner, but delays were caused by a shortage of foreign currency in Venezuela with which to buy 4G network equipment and LTE-capable handsets or other devices. Digitel is initially offering just one LTE-capable handset, the BlackBerry Z10. Digitel’s website also promises that LTE will be available ‘soon’ for pre-paid customers.
Source: TeleGeography

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Orange launches Uganda’s third LTE network

Orange Uganda has launched its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, following in the wake of MTN and Smile which launched their respective networks in April and June this year, respectively. Cellco’s CTO Godfrey Kisekka said that the network covers ‘all major towns around the country’. Orange is yet to reveal a pricing structure for the new platform but noted that the cost of bandwidth was still high in landlocked Uganda, and attributed the high prices to charges from Kenyan telcos for routing traffic via overland cables to landing stations in Mombasa.
Source: TeleGeography

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Orange, Vodafone ink network sharing deal

Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania have concluded a network sharing agreement which centres on the expansion of their respective 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, as well as the coverage of so-called ‘white spaces’ in rural regions. Each of Vodafone and Orange will continue to run independent spectrum and will retain strategic control and completely differentiated core networks, such that the parties remain totally independent and provide their services to customers on an individual basis. Both companies will have access to a common grid of sites which will eliminate the unnecessary duplication of the network and will bring significant environmental benefits.
Source: TeleGeography

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Celcom signs five year digital services deal with Huawei

Celcom Axiata is targeting an average annual revenue growth of 35% for its digital services business over the next five years through a partnership with Huawei. Announcing the agreement with Huawei, Celcom CEO Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly was cited as saying that the deal is expected to produce an additional MYR11 million (USD3.5 million) in turnover for its digital services segment by year-end. Under the terms of the five-year renewable contract between the two companies Huawei has been appointed as Celcom’s digital service business operation partner for the majority of its digital content providers, with the vendor offering support to them with development and commercialization tools.
Source: TeleGeography

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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LTE Asia Conference which will be held on 18th-19th September, 2013.

LTE Asia Conference is going to take place at Suntec Singapore on 18th-19th September, 2013. Moving on to its 8th successive year, the event is now firmly established as THE central meeting place for the entire Asia-Pacific LTE ecosystem. SK Telecom, StarHub and KT are the official partners of the event. Over 1000+ high-level attendees and 175+ distinguished speakers are expected to attend the event this year.
For Details visit: http://asia.lteconference.com/

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2nd Annual Telecoms Fraud & Revenue Assurance Forum

2nd Telecoms Fraud & Revenue Assurance Forum is taking place on 25-26 November, 2013 this years in Dubai, UAE. Continuous advances in technology and the rapid proliferation of smart devices are constantly changing fraud threats and posing new RA challenges. This year’s programme will examine emerging fraud trends and explore how operators can enhance their RA capabilities to combat revenue leakage more effectively in an ever-changing environment.
For Detailed Information about the event visit: http://tavess.com/TelecomsFraudRA2013/

[/column] [column] [img w=”470″ h=”90″ align=”lift”]http://3gca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2nd-Annual-Telecoms-Fraud-Revenue-Assurance-Forum..jpg[/img] [/column] [/columns] [columns indent=”25″ bottom=”25″] [column]

The CTO Forum which will be held on 07 – 11 October 2013

The CTO Forum is a constitutionally mandated ‘flagship’ event which takes place every year in Abuja, Nigeria on 07 – 11 October 2013. This year will offer regional and international solutions for those in Commonwealth regions sharing knowledge, experience and key information. For details visit: http://www.cto.int/events/upcoming-events/cto-forum-2013/

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Telecoms Analytics & Big Data Forum will take place in Dubai on 10-11 Sept 2013

Telecoms Analytics & Big Data Forum will take place in Dubai on 10-11 Sept 2013. Tavess Telecoms Analytics & Big Data Forum will examine what it will take for operators to successfully integrating and make sense of disparate data sources, enhance the quality and accuracy of data and extract actionable intelligence. The programme will also explore the opportunities that Big Data offers as well as the technical, organisational and employee skill prerequisites for leveraging the data – Big and small. For details visit: tavess.com/TelecomsAnalytics&BigData

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Broadband World Forum 2013 which will be held on 22nd – 24th October 2013

Broadband World Forum 2013 which will be held on 22nd – 24th October 2013 at Convention center, Amsterdam. Broadband World Forum 2013 is the world’s largest Broadband event attracting thousands of decision-makers from across the globe. The 2013 conference agenda will deliver an impressive 5 tracks over 3 days. The packed 3 day programme will be delivered by 250+ service provider speakers and panelists. With 200+ exhibitors the world class exhibition will showcase ground breaking broadband technologies, applications, solutions and services. Please visit: http://www.broadbandworldforum.com/
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The 7th Turkmenistan International Telecommunications & IT Conference

The 7th Turkmenistan International Telecommunications & IT Conference will be held on 17 – 18 September 2013 at Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. TurkmenTEL 2013 will provide foreign and local delegates with an overview of current development of Turkmenistan’s ICT sector. The policy of the Government of Turkmenistan aims to promote international and regional cooperation in the information and telecommunications sphere. Please visit: http://www.turkmenistantelecoms.com/
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The Mobile 360 Series-Middle East conference

The Mobile 360 Series-Middle East conference will be held 21-22 October and will be co-located with GITEX at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This regional conference offers leaders in the mobile industry a platform to meet and discuss the key issues specific to the Middle East market. For more information, visit http://www.mobile360series.com/middle-east/
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2nd INTO MYANMAR: Telecoms and IT Global Summit 2013

2nd INTO MYANMAR: Telecoms and IT Global Summit 2013 to be held at Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon, Myanmar from 3-4 October 2013. The Summit aims to provide a high-level strategic platform for foreign telecom operators, investors, equipment providers and technology leaders to meet with key decision-makers in Myanmar’s public and private sectors, in addition, in providing the latest updates on key changes in Myanmar’s potentially promising telecom and ICT sectors. For more information, visit http://www.magenta-global.com.sg/MyanmarTelecomIT2013/
[/column] [column] [img w=”470″ h=”90″ align=”lift”]http://3gca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/A-Strategic-Meeting-for-Myanmars-Telecom-and-ICT-Investors-and-Stakeholders.jpg[/img] [/column] [/columns] [columns indent=”25″ bottom=”25″] [column]

Mobile Wallet Asia 2013

Mobile Wallet Asia 2013 (formerly known as Mobile Financial Services Asia) will to be held at Singapore from 29 October – 1 November 2013. Mobile Wallet Asia 2013 highlight important market trends, sharing latest best practices and latest innovations in this mobile payments and commerce revolution.
For more information, visit http://www.mobilewallet-asia.com

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Phone World Magazine

CACF has launched 10th web Edition of Phone World Magazine covering the devices and their ecosystem serving to bridge the gap between the OEMs, Operators, Distributors, Retailers, and the Consumers. Phone World 9th Edition is available in Pakistani markets. Pdf is available on www.phoneworld.com.pk . PhoneWorld website has latest local telecom news, handsets and also has blog section. For subscription email to: info@phoneworld.com.pk
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3G DEVICE SECTION

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[columns indent=”25″ bottom=”25″] [column]
[/column] [column] Name Samsung Galaxy Note 3
GENERAL
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE
DATA GPRS/EDGE/Speed/WLAN/BLUE TOOTH/ USB/NFC/
Operating System Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

[/column] [column]
[/column] [column] Name LG G2
GENERAL
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 800 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 /850
DATA GPRS/EDGE/Speed/WLAN/BLUE TOOTH/ USB/
Operating System Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
[/column] [/columns]

[columns indent=”25″ bottom=”25″] [column]
[/column] [column] Name Acer Liquid S2
GENERAL
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600
DATA GPRS/EDGE/Speed/WLAN/BLUE TOOTH/ USB/
Operating System Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800

[/column] [column]
[/column] [column] Name Sony Xperia Z1
GENERAL
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 – C6903
LTE 700 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 – C6906
LTE 800 / 850 / 900/ 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 – C6943
DATA GPRS/EDGE/Speed/WLAN/BLUE TOOTH/ USB/
Operating System Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
[/column] [/columns] [succsess_box]

VENDORS/OEM SECTION

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Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm to Develop Small Cells Together

Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm have jointly announced a plan to collaborate to develop small cell base stations together. The two companies said that they plan to jointly invest in a strategic R&D program to develop the next generation of Alcatel-Lucent light Radio Small Cell products featuring Qualcomm Technologies’ FSM9900 family of Small Cell chipsets. The investment would be shared by Alcatel-Lucent and Qualcomm Technologies.
Source: Cellular-News

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Zain and Huawei to build all-IP network in Kuwait

Chinese telecoms vendor Huawei and Kuwaiti telecoms group Zain have announced plans to build an integrated all-IP mobile backbone network in Kuwait. The backhaul network adopts a 100G internet protocol (IP) and Optical Transport Network (OTN) integrated technology, and could support Zain Kuwait’s potential upgrade to next generation Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) technology, in addition to the future provision of fixed network and bandwidth leasing services. With the deployment of high-end routers and 100G wavelength divisions, the solution provides enhanced bandwidth and significantly improves the efficiency of the backbone network.
Source: TeleGeography

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Ericsson and STMicroelectronics Complete Closure of Their Joint-Venture

Ericsson and STMicroelectronics have completed the process of splitting up ST-Ericsson. This follows the announcement the companies made in March on the chosen option for the future of the joint venture. Ericsson has now taken on the design, development and sales of the LTE multimode thin modem solutions, including 2G, 3G and 4G interoperability. In total, approximately 1,800 employees and contractors have joined Ericsson. ST has taken on the existing ST-Ericsson products, other than LTE multimode thin modems, and the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) connectivity solution sold to a third party, and related business as well as certain assembly and test facilities. In total, approximately 1,000 employees have joined STMicroelectronics.
Source: Cellular-News

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Huawei and Ericsson Dominate LTE Contracts As Deployments Accelerate

A new report from Informa Telecoms & Media highlights the fact that LTE is the fastest-growing mobile network technology, with operators, infrastructure vendors, handset manufacturers and chipset providers rallying to evolve their products and services and there were already 184 LTE networks in service as of end-July, with another 159 planned or in deployment. According to the findings, t¬he number of LTE subscriptions worldwide is expected to be 1.36 billion at end-2018, reflecting a slightly higher rate of growth than was forecast a year ago, though the degree of change varies between countries and regions. Regarding spectrum, Informa has identified 23 frequency bands either currently in use or expected to be deployed in LTE networks. The research focuses on a number of associated trends and operator responses to the increase in data usage. The report also includes an analysis of vendor positioning, based on extensive research comparing strategies, product lines and contract share.
Source: Cellular-News

ZTE Starts Selling Firefox Smartphone via EBay

ZTE has announced that it is expanding sales of its Firefox OS based smartphone into the UK and USA, although not with a mobile network, but direct to consumers through the eBay website. Recently launched with Telefónica in Spain, Venezuela and Colombia, the ZTE Open will now be available for $79.99 (£59.99) unlocked to allow use on all mobile networks. The ZTE Open is one of the first Firefox OS smartphones that is powered completely by Web technologies. Firefox OS features a new search capability that allows the device to adapt to the user’s changing needs and is only built into Firefox OS. Swipe to the right from the home screen and enter a search term and the phone will customize itself to that search.
Source: Cellular-News

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Huawei Starts Handset Production in Brazil

Huawei has started handset production in a joint-venture factory that the company has set up in Brazil. The factory has seen set up in partnership with Compal Electronics, Huawei said in a statement. Production of mobile phones and tablets locally for sale in the country will benefit from tax-breaks. The factory can assemble around 100,000 units per year but may be expanded depending on demand. The factory is based in São Paulo, near to a Foxconn factory that was set up to produce Apple devices last year.
Source: Cellular-News

ZTE Launching World’s First Tegra 4 Based Smartphone

ZTE has shown off what it says will be the world’s first smartphone based on Nvidia’s Tegra 4 processor. The smartphone is expected to come with a 5-inch screen, 2GB of RAM and a 1.8Hgz processor. The camera is a 13 megapixel model, and the OS is based on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). The ZTE U988S is being released initially in China though China Mobile with retail price of RMB1999 (US$320). The Tegra 4 chipset was announced in January 2013 and is functionally a SoC with a quad-core CPU, but includes a fifth low power Cortex A15 companion core which is invisible to the OS and performs background tasks to save power, in the same idea than ARM big.LITTLE technology.
Source: Cellular-News

Huawei Ratchets up RAN Results in Q2 2013

For the first half of 2013 Huawei reported RAN revenues of CNY 25.6 billion, representing an estimated sequential increase of 37.7% and 14.1% YoY for the second quarter of 2013. ABI Research estimates this to represent a 2Q 2013 market share of 31.1%, up 7.2 points from 1Q 2013 and up 2.5 points from the year-ago quarter, with an improvement in rank to #1 in 2Q 2013 from #2 in 1Q 2013. Huawei’s QoQ growth in RAN revenue this quarter is well ahead of average seasonality for the quarter. The only other vendor reporting a sequential growth in RAN revenue was Alcatel-Lucent who’s RAN equipment revenue increased 3.4% QoQ to match average seasonality for Q2, and decreased 0.8% YoY to reach a value of $1,102 million, representing a RAN market share of 14.3%, a decrease of 0.3 points QoQ and 0.8% YoY. The company’s market share rank position remains unchanged at #4.
Source: TelecomPaper

LG Confirms Plans for New Android Tablet

One of LG’s country managers has confirmed that the company is working on a new tablet, and that it is likely to be released before the end of this year. LG’s head of mobile communications for Bulgaria, Dimitar Valev confirmed that the tablet is being developed in an interview with a local newspaper. He also confirmed that the company is considering launching a new Windows Phone based device, but that would be dependent on how Microsoft develops the OS next year. Finally, the company is likely to launch a smart watch with a flexible display next year. The company has already launched smart watches in the past based on a GSM phone, but this would be a return to that increasingly crowded market.
Source: Cellular-News

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Huawei and ZTE Take Half of China Mobile’s $3.2 Billion 4G Tender

Huawei and ZTE are reported to have taken more than half of China Mobile’s huge 4G infrastructure tender. China Mobile has awarded initial TD-LTE contracts worth around RMB20 billion (US$3.2 billion), with the two Chinese vendors taking about a quarter each. Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and NSN each took about 10 percent of the contracts. Who got the remaining just under 20 percent is still unclear. This is just the first phase of a planned US$6.7 billion investment in its 4G network this year alone. The company is seeking a total of 207,000 4G enabled base stations compatible with its TD-LTE service. It is expected that the deployment will expand the mobile networks’ test services in 15 cities to around 100 cities and cover 500 million people.
Source: Cellular-News

Nokia Shows Off Premium Feature Phone

Nokia today unveiled the Nokia 515, what it describes as being a premium mobile phone made with style-conscious people in mind. The new phone is available in single and dual-SIM variants. The Nokia 515 features scratch resistant Gorilla Glass 2 and a classic highly polished camera bezel. The chassis is made from aluminum and it is just 11mm thick. Other specifications include a 5 megapixel camera and 3.5G HSDPA connectivity. Plus, with the pre-installed Transfer app, they can sync contacts directly from a Lumia, other Windows Phone 8 smartphone or Android device. For those who prefer to use a separate phone for voice calls, the Nokia 515 uses the same micro SIM card as typical smartphones.

Source: Cellular-News

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AT&T Purchase of Alltel Spectrum and Customers Delayed by Regulator

The US telecoms regulator, the FCC has delayed the process of approving AT&T’s purchase of Alltel’s customer base and its radio spectrum. The regulator halted the 180 day process on day 175 saying that it had not received enough information from AT&T about how it planned to shift Alltel’s customers onto its network. The customers being asked to migrate are currently on Alltel’s CDMA based network, and will have to be offered new handsets as well as new tariffs when they migrate services. Alltel has around 182,000 customers on prepay tariffs that are the topic of concern. In a statement, AT&T said that it is “extremely disappointed at the FCC delay today on this small transaction.” The small transaction being US$780 million in value.
Source: Cellular-News

[/column] [column] [img w=”195″ h=”130″ align=”lift”]http://3gca.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ATT.jpg[/img] [/column] [/columns] [columns indent=”20″ bottom=”25″] [column places=”3″]

Huawei Completes GSM-R Integration for High Speed Railway Line in Turkey

Huawei has successfully completed the full set of GSM-R Interoperability Tests (IOT) with the core network of Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) and Huawei Base Station Subsystem for the Turkish GSM-R railway project under Turkey’s EKB High Speed Railway Line. The EKB High Speed line consists of a large number of network elements, chosen from various vendors for their special designs that fit the needs of the project. The Turkish project, with a total length of 464 km, will be equipped with an ETCS L2 train control system from Alstom allowing Turkey to continue their rollout of a railway communication network with improved rail operational efficiency.
Source: Cellular-News

NSN Wins Network Upgrade Contracts in Ukraine and Turkmenistan

NSN said that it has won network upgrade contracts from MTS in Ukraine and Turkmenistan. MTS is also deploying additional 3G base stations in Turkmenistan. NSN said that it will provide the core network elements, radio access and services for these upgrades. The NetAct network management system will be upgraded to monitor, manage and optimize the complete network. NSN will also deliver its Single RAN platform to modernize a large part of the existing sites. Additionally, the company will deliver its Multicontroller Platform for the 3G Radio Network Controller, 2G Base Station Controller and related 2G Transcoder (TC). Financial and timeline details of the contract were not disclosed.

Source: Cellular-News

[/column] [column] [img w=”195″ h=”130″ align=”lift”]http://3gca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Nokia-Siemens-Networks.jpg[/img] [/column] [/columns] [columns indent=”20″ bottom=”25″] [column places=”3″]

Huawei Secures $1.5 Billion Equivalent 5-year Term Loan

Huawei says that it has signed US$1.5 billion worth of equivalent 5-year term loan and revolving credit facilities. The dual-currency facilities comprise a US$750 million equivalent term loan, and a US$750 million equivalent revolving credit facility, which are available in both USD and EUR with the EUR tranche capped at EUR300 million. The company said that the proceeds of the facilities will be used to finance its general corporate purposes and / or to refinance existing indebtedness. The Facilities marks the first time that the Company has raised a dual currency syndicated facility in line with its growing global presence and, in particular, its strategic expansion plan in Europe.
Source: Cellular-News

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3G Technologies (Guarantee) Ltd.
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