Telecom Italia selects Nokia Siemens for LTE upgrade contract (Italy)
Nokia Siemens Networks will upgrade Telecom Italia’s mobile infrastructure in several Italian regions with 7,000 base stations (BTS) to offer LTE services.
Nokia Siemens Networks will undertake the radio network modernization in some Italian regions in the 900-1800 and 2100 MHz frequency bands, supplying its Single Radio Access Network Flexi Multiradio Base Stations. No financial or timeline details were provided about the network upgrade.
The LTE technology has already been tested by the two companies in some Turin city areas.
Airtel Kenya joins hands with KDN for 3G launch
Airtel Kenya has partnered with infrastructure provider, Kenya Data Networks (KDN) to upgrade its transmission network to launch its 3G network in April, raising the stakes in the battle for the Internet market.
The firm’s low cost strategy targets the mass market, with the planned network set to offer high speed mobile internet access, mobile video conferencing and videophone, among other services which it cannot provide with its 2.5G system.
Under the five year partnership, KDN will inter-link Airtel sites through its countrywide fibre optic network.
According to Airtel Kenya Managing Director, Mr Rene Meza, the service will lead to increased mobile internet speeds for Airtel mobile consumers. Both corporate and personal consumers will benefit from increased speed and coverage. This will allow customers to enjoy more multimedia applications and experience enhanced operation of existing applications, including real-time video conferencing.
With the 3G launch, users will also be able to download videos, images and music faster; besides accessing email, games and performing financial transactions faster.
Airtel has partnered with IBM, Nokia Siemens and Ericsson in the roll out of the 3G network and is planning to spend $250 million to expand its network across the country.
Mobile infrastructure market revenues reach $11.2 billion mark
A latest research report has unearthed that mobile infrastructure market revenues increased 33% in the fourth quarter of 2010 to $11.2 billion. The report indicates that the market expansion was a result of continued strong WCDMA sales, as well as a pick up in the 2G market. In addition, vendors started recognizing significant LTE infrastructure revenues during the fourth quarter.
According to analysts,the demand for mobile broadband is spreading throughout the world, and they saw strong WCDMA performance in all regions as the massive growth in data traffic resulted in operators worldwide investing in their 3G networks.
They added that the fourth quarter marked the first period of significant LTE revenues. While the U.S. operators led in terms of covered LTE population, it was the European vendors who took the lead in the LTE infrastructure market. Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens in particular, accounted for 80% of LTE infrastructure revenues during the quarter.
The report indicates that the positive momentum seen during the fourth quarter will continue in 2011, as the total mobile infrastructure market is forecast to grow 5% next year, with the WCDMA and LTE markets forecast to show significant expansions.
Airtel introduces staff transfer program (Africa)
Airtel Africa has launched a staff transfer program which will give African employees the opportunity to gain valuable work experience within the company’s parent company Bharti Airtel. The program started on the 23rd of February, 2011.
The initial phase of the program saw the integration of specialized staff from Bharti airtel into some African markets. In this phase of the program, the initial group from Africa to India will be employees from Airtel’s operations in Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, the democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Niger and Zambia.
They will spend up to one year working within various units, which include Bharti Airtel’s network infrastructure development, solutions for medium sized enterprises, sales & distribution, financial systems, marketing and other functions.
According to Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) & Joint Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, the company’s strongest pillar is the people. They invest considerable resources in developing capabilities whilst giving their human capital opportunities to grow. The transfer of knowledge is a conscious strategy informed by the fact that globalization has changed the required skill sets of the team.
According to Mr. Kohli, the transfer program is a mutually beneficial program between all Airtel operations in Africa and the Indian sub-continent. The need for consumers to leapfrog existing technologies and embrace new innovations is a reality as evidenced by some of the latest innovations rolled out by Airtel in Africa. They need to ensure that their solutions connect in a cultural and socio-economic context. This initiative is just a first step of getting their teams connected across the Globe.
During the launch of its operations in Africa, the telecom operator reiterated its intention to harness local manpower which stands at over 6,500 employees across the African continent. In addition to investing in the skill sets, Airtel has partnered with some of the leading technology providers to develop specialized skills and nurture job opportunities across the continent. The company has kicked off partnerships with global technology leaders such as IBM, Nokia Siemens, Huawei, Ericsson and Business outsourcing partners such as Spanco & Tech Mahindra.
Telecom Ministry expect 3G in seven months (Lebanon)
The Lebanon Ministry of Telecommunications has launched a project to upgrade its telecom network to 3G.
The implementation of 3G service is expected to increase by 70 times the speed of current mobile Internet services.
It stated that the upgraded network will have the capacity to provide high-speed mobile Internet to up to 850,000 subscribers to the network, and medium-level speed to 1.5 million subscribers.
The ministry has indicated that the overall investment costs for the network upgrade total $80.3 million, including $15.7 million in maintenance fees, a $36.2 million contract with Ericsson to upgrade the MIC1 network operated by Alfa, a $25.6 million contract with the Chinese firm Huawei to upgrade the MIC2 network operated by MTC Touch, and a $2.7 million contract with Nokia Siemens to provide equipment.
The network upgrade is expected to be finalized in seven months. In parallel, the ministry also announced the extension of the Alfa and MTC Touch operating contracts for one year.
Nokia Siemens can’t meet Indian security demands
Finland’s Communication Minister Suvi Linden has stated that Nokia Siemens Networks, the network-equipment joint venture of Nokia Oyj and Siemens AG, finds India’s demand to get access to hardware and software design documents impossible to meet.
According to Suvi Linden, Finland can understand that India wants to be careful with network security, but it is important that restrictions are not too tough so that companies can’t be here.
India altered its phone-license rules this year, requiring equipment vendors to allow authorities to inspect telecommunication source code in design documents for security threats. Escrow accounts were proposed as a mechanism for this. The country this year blocked Chinese companies Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from selling equipment to domestic phone carriers, citing espionage concerns.
According to Nokia Siemens spokesman Ben Roome, the escrowing of their source code is unacceptable to them as an option for meeting security concerns in India. They have suggested alternate means and are hopeful that the Indian government will consider those suggestions.
According to the new license rules released in July, mobile phone companies would face a penalty equivalent to the value of their equipment contracts if inspectors find security breaches.
Huawei in talks with Airtel for African Contract
As per reports, citing Ron Raffensperger, manager of Huawei’s marketing department, Huawei is in talks with Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecommunications operator, to cooperate in a network project in Africa.
According to reports, Bharti Airtel is seeking a telecommunications equipment provider for its African project. The candidates are Ericson, Nokia Siemens and Huawei. The contract value is estimated at $3 billion.
Separately, Huawei is planning to launch its intelligent cell phone Android in the Indian market in December.
Huawei bags one third of LTE contract
Huawei is the LTE market leader in terms of contracts signed, accounting for more than a third of the deals signed to date, according to reports. That’s more than twice as many as 4G deals as the nearest rivals, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens.
Certainly, the sizes of those deals are with developing market operators. When it comes to the dollars, Ericsson is still the global champion. Ericsson is also looking for some high-profile early deployments, such as the TeliaSonera’s network, which went live last December, and the first US LTE launch by MetroPCS last month.
Huawei has signed 18 contracts for commercial LTE deployments or 36% of the total – including deals with some major players including TeliaSonera, Vodafone Germany and China Mobile.
Twelve LTE networks have been deployed, with two tier one operators Verizon Wireless and NTT DoCoMo due to light up by year-end.
To this number add one more – Hong Kong’s CSL, which will reveal its 4G service isusing a network built by Huawei’s rival ZTE.
Bharti consider Ericsson, Nokia Siemens & Huawei for African operation contracts
If reports are to be believed Bharti Airtel is set to award telecoms infrastructure contracts for its African operations to three network vendors—Ericsson, Nokia Siemens and China’s Huawei.
According to reports, the contracts, which are likely to be for five years, will be worth upwards of $3 billion.
According to sources, Bharti is slated to close the Africa deal closely, and had so far been unable to do so since China’s ZTE too had come up with a competitive offer. Ericsson, Nokia Siemens and Huawei have been associated in some form with Zain’s operations in Africa. It is ZTE, which is the new player in the fray.
This will be the third major outsourcing contract that Bharti will be awarding for its Africa operations, and will mark yet another significant step towards replicating its hugely successful outsourcing model in that continent.
