SaskTel to Test Huawei Supplied LTE Network in Rural Canada

­Canada’s SaskTel has awarded an LTE trial contract to Huawei for TDD-LTE based fixed wireless services in Saskatchewan. The trial will help determine the feasibility of wireless broadband and voice services for customers in predominantly rural locations, using Huawei solutions and equipment.

The trial will occur in a minimum of three rural locations. In addition, the trial will encompass the provisioning of equipment to a local telephone service, in order to determine comparability with existing landline services using copper wire infrastructure.

The trial is scheduled to be launched in rural locations in Saskatchewan by the end of December, 2012 and will conclude in August, 2013. Following the completion of the trial, Huawei and SaskTel will work jointly to analyze results, and provide a report that includes an economic overview for the replacement of parts of its rural copper network.