Sprint plans to offer LTE services by 2012 (USA)
Sprint, America’s third largest mobile carrier, plans to offer Long Term Evolution (LTE) network by 2012. As per reports, Sprint has begun work on the equipment installation and is testing the network at certain locations. In an attempt to stay competitive with its biggest rivals, Verizon Wireless and AT&T who have announced their LTE plans, Sprint reportedly plans to rollout its 4G LTE services by the first half of 2012.
Sprint has also been approached by iPhone maker Apple, to carry its latest iPhone, to be launched next week. Initially, the iPhone was available only with Verizon Wireless and AT&T connections, causing Sprint to lose a significant amount of market share. Further, the telecom operator is hopeful that its unlimited data plans will help acquire a larger subscriber base.
China Telecom signs deal with Alcatel Lucent to upgrade 3G network (China, France)
China Telecom has chosen Alcatel-Lucent to expand and upgrade the operator’s 3G network. With this move, China Telecom aims to improve the coverage and speed so as to enhance customer experience as well as ensure a smoother movement to 4G technology. The new network will help China Telecom attract new subscribers and increase its customer base.
According to reports, Wei Leping, Chairman of China Telecom Science & Technology Committee, has said that working with Alcatel-Lucent gives them confidence that they can attract a growing number of subscribers in China, knowing that they can offer all their customers, old and new, the services, speeds and experience they expect, now and in the future.
Rajeev Singh-Molares, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in the Asia-Pacific Region, has reportedly said that Alcatel-Lucent’s long history of CDMA leadership together with their knowledge of the China market and China Telecom’s network allows them to help them meet rising demands for mobile broadband. Their expertise and understanding will allow China Telecom to maintain quality as their customer base grows, as well as prepare for the faster future of 4G LTE mobile broadband, and for the new applications and demands it brings.
ACMA outlines LTE spectrum auction plans (Australia)
The Australian telecom regulator, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), plans to use a combinatorial clock auction (CCA) format for the sale of the LTE spectrum.
According to reports, ACMA believes this process will allow bidders to bid on packages of spectrum in both the 700MHz and 2.5GHz bands, offering them the opportunity very importantly to acquire the specific combinations of spectrum which best meet their business needs. Further ACMA claims that the combinatorial clock auction is well suited to auctions where the value of an individual lot to a bidder depends significantly on what other lots that bidder can acquire. The winning bidders then are those that make the highest value combination of bids.
Sources claim that ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman believes that this decision paves the way for a successful auction, which is expected to take place in 2012. He further added that CCA format has already been used successfully overseas and is the methodology most likely to produce an efficient allocation of spectrum.
Mobistar to upgrade its network with LTE equipment from Huawei (Belgium)
Mobistar, Belgium’s second largest mobile network provider has reportedly said that it plans to replace its entire 2G Nortel equipment with the new Long Term Evolution ready (LTE ready) equipment from Huawei.
The company plans to upgrade its entire network by 2013 citing that the new Huawei base stations would cut the company’s carbon-dioxide by around 50 per cent. As per the contract, nearly 500 cellular antennas will be replaced this year, with the remaining network upgrade spread across the next year, following project completion by 2013.
The new 3G equipment obtained through the $49 million project is expected to increase the firm’s transmission capacity and in-building penetration capabilities.
Etisalat and Mobily compete to be the first to provide LTE services in the Middle East
Mobile operators Etisalat in the UAE and Mobily in Saudi Arabia are both in an attempt to become the first operator to provide LTE services in the Middle East. According to reports, Marwan Zawaydeh, Etisalat’s CTO, said in April, that the firm was satisfied with its trials of LTE and that the market was ready for the technology, hinting at an early launch. However, based on recent news, sources claim that Etisalat may offer the service early next year.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabian operator Mobily has been facing problems with the allocation of LTE spectrum in Saudi Arabia. With the military using the 2.6 Ghz spectrum band, the operators are not allowed to launch their preferred FDD-LTE in that band. As a result, Mobily aims to launch a TD-LTE service using spectrum that it holds through a subsidiary.
SaskTel plans to launch LTE services in 2012 (Canada)
SaskTel (Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation), a leading service communications provider in Saskatchewan, has announced plans to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in 2012. The current SaskTel 4G wireless technology has a download speed of about 21 Mbps while the LTE technology is expected to have a download speed of 100 Mbps and an upload speed of 50 mbps. Sources claim that according to Bill Boyd, Minister Responsible for SaskTel, the LTE technology will have a major significance in improving the customer experience by providing customers with faster data speeds than the existing 4G network.
The initial deployment of the LTE technology is expected to begin in the fall of 2012 to Regina and Saskatoon, and surrounding areas. Reports also suggest that LTE will be deployed to other urban and rural areas starting in 2013 based on the demand for incremental data services. SaskTel is the first wireless service provider to begin work for the LTE technology in the Province.
Telefonica to launch LTE services in Spain
Telefonica, an integrated operator in the telecommunication sector, is planning to launch LTE services in Spain, with Vodafone expected to follow suit. As per reports, the Spanish operator will launch the 4G services on its new LTE network in various cities of Spain.
Sources claim that Julio Linares, COO, Telefonica, said that mobile technology will be key to spreading broadband connections to 100% of Spain’s population by 2013, while reaching speeds of 30 Mbps by 2020 will require advanced mobile technologies like LTE, in addition to cable and fibre networks.
Following this, it has been reported that in order to give tough competition to Telefonica, Vodafone has announced that it will offer LTE services across few cities by the end of the month. The telecom operator is planning to initially target large enterprises and public institutions across Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga.
Ericsson optimistic for 4G and 3G services to grow together (India)
Ericsson, a world leading provider of telecommunications equipment, has assured users that the launch of the 4G services in the country will not hamper the existing 3G services. According to reports, Mikael Back, vice president of product and portfolio management, business unit networks, Ericsson AB, said that 4G will complement 3G with its data services, with 4G expected to be a big market in India.
Sources claim that Ericsson has been working with different operators in India on long term evolution (LTE) technology. The company has reportedly conducted field trials of 4G LTE mobile technology with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Qualcomm.
In regard to the pricing of the LTE devices, Mr. Back has said that unlike 3G devices, LTE devices will be expensive initially, but prices will come down with growth in demand.
AT&T’s LTE service expected to begin in Chicago (USA)
AT&T, the second largest carrier in the U.S., had planned to introduce its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network by this summer, but subscribers are still waiting for its official launch. However, sources claim that it may be possible to connect to an AT&T LTE service in Chicago by using the company’s terminal devices – the Momentum 4G dongle and the Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G.
According to reports, presently the network coverage available delivers a download speed of around 13Mbps and an upload speed of 2Mbps, similar to the real world speeds available on Verizon Wireless. Rumours suggest that the Samsung Impulse 4G will be the first LTE enabled smartphone to appear in the network.
Emaxx Telecom partners with PureWave networks for 4G infrastructure network (Cambodia)
EMAXX Telecom Limited has selected PureWave Networks Inc for its 4G network infrastructure network. Emaxx Telecom expects to expand its mobile WiMAX network to cover 7 cities by year end and to attract 150,000 customers over the same period. Currently, the network is commercially operating in the cities of Phnom Penh and Sean Reap. A total of 25 cities are expected to be covered by the end of 2012.
Reports suggest that according to Mr. Frank May, Chairman of Emaxx Telecom Network Group, network reliability and performance along with the economics of network deployment were the prime reasons for selecting PureWave. Further, the ability to deploy high-performing base stations in an all-outdoor configuration presents a winning combination that greatly reduces the network deployment costs. This, combined with PureWave’s exciting LTE roadmap, made them the ideal infrastructure partner for the network.
