3 Denmark gets largest spectrum in 2.5GHz auction
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The main bidding in 2.5GHz spectrum auction has been completed by Denmark which is suitable for LTE. 2×10 MHz paired spectrum and 25 MHz unpaired spectrum has been awarded to 3 Denmark in the 2.5GHz frequency band during the LTE auction organized by the local regulator.
According to the operator, it expects to begin the roll-out of an LTE network in the 2.5GHz frequency range at the end of this year. 2×20 MHz paired spectrum has been awarded to the Danish mobile operator TDC in the same auction and 2×20 MHz paired spectrum and 10 MHz unpaired spectrum has been given to Telenor Denmark and Telia Denmark respectively.
Telenor expects to start testing LTE this summer already. Operators will be allowed to name their preferences for specific places in the band after the final round of the bidding and the exact awards and prices for the licenses will be announced by the regulator.
TDC to launch LTE network by June (Denmark)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: LTE network will be deployed by ¬Danish mobile network operator, TDC within the next few months. The initial deployment has been planned in Copenhagen and Aarhus and from here the process will extend to the most densely populated areas in the rest of Denmark.
New network will be used in the first phase for testing to gather experience before allowing customers access while the test will be conducted when new modems and telephones are available that can use the LTE network together with the existing mobile network.
According to Carsten Dilling, President of TDC Operations & Wholesale, LTE is one of the cornerstones of TDC’s network strategy which is aimed at giving customers the best broadband experience in Denmark and LTE supports the increasing need for higher network capacity and speed in the coming years, and it is therefore important that the company start using the technology and gather experience as quickly as possible.
The firm has expressed its confidence that one of the licenses that are currently put up for auction will be issued to them.
FT, TDC ink final agreement to merge Swiss units
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to combine the Swiss subsidiaries Orange Communication (Orange Switzerland) and Sunrise Communications, a final agreement has been signed between Danish telecoms operator TDC and France Telecom (FT). The deal abides by the terms of the transaction announced on November 25, 2009.
It is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010 after attaining approval from the local competition and relevant regulatory authorities. According to Jesper Ovesen, CFO at TDC, this transaction creates a stronger and more efficient operator in the Swiss market and the company is pleased by its continuing cooperation with France Telecom in this market and look forward to creating further value for all stakeholders.
EUR1.5 billion (USD2.24 billion) will be paid by FT to TDC and FT will become a 75% shareholder in the combined entity, with TDC holding the remainder. The merged company will account for around 38% of the mobile telephony market and 13% of the country’s fixed broadband connections with approximately 3.4 million mobile and 1.1 million fixed and broadband customers.
TDC enhances Play digital music service
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In order to include unlimited music streaming, TDC has enhanced its Play digital music service. No PC client or DRM component installations will be required in the unlimited streaming feature.
With no additional cost, the Danish operator’s subscribers can access to stream songs from the 6.1 million track library. The TDC Play service is included in all mobile and broadband subscriptions and available for both Windows and Mac users.
The enhanced playlist function with increased usability enables customers to listen to music while simultaneously downloading tracks. Besides, a super distribution function enables quick file sharing among TDC Play service users.
