ZTE wins KPN’s 3G upgrade contracts
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Two contracts to build HSPA networks for European telecoms operator KPN of the Netherlands has been won by ZTE, a Chinese telecoms equipment manufacturer.
Under the agreement, HSPA platforms will be supplied by ZTE for the upgradation of Dutch telco’s German and Belgian subsidiaries, E-Plus Mobilfunk’s and KPN Belgium’s (Mobistar) 3G networks.
A wireless data services with a maximum download speed of 21.6Mbps will be offered after the completion of the two high speed networks
ZTE’s Android to be launched this quarter
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Android-powered smartphones would be launched by ZTE which has joined the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), in the first quarter of 2010.After phone and PC maker Lenovo and rival kit vendor Huawei, ZTE becomes the third Chinese equipment supplier to join the OHA.
The announcement was made after Korean phone maker LG plans to launch 20 smartphones based on a range of operating systems including Android, Windows Mobile and Linux.
According to Lin Qiang, general manager of ZTE Smartphones, the company has has invested heavily in the research and development of Android smartphones during the last year because of its trend and popularity and is committed to invest in this innovative platform to meet the market demand.
ZTE chosen by KPN for HSPA roll-out in Belgium, Germany
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: ZTE, Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer has been selected by KPN for supplying HSPA enabled 3G equipment for expanding and technically upgrading its mobile networks in Germany and Belgium.
Both E-Plus Group and KPN Group Belgium will be supported by ZTE with data network expansion strategy and cutting edge future-proof technologies. This partnership with ZTA is expected to speed up the roll-out of KPN’s 3G network in Belgium and Germany at lesser prices.
It will also offer HSPA speeds of up to 21.6 Mbps to their customers target segments.
Telefonica reveals plans to test LTE in UK, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Argentina.
O2 has revealed plans to test long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G technology in the UK within the next few months.
Telef³nica announced this week that it will do trials of the Long Term Evolution of 3G networks (LTE) within the next few months across UK, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Argentina.
Telefonica’s O2 in the UK will be the first operator in the UK to carry out LTE trials. T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange are all expected to follow O2′s lead in the future.
Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Huawei, NEC, Nokia Siemens Networks and ZTE are supporting Telefonica’s initial technology trials, though it is still open to working with other suppliers.
LTE will allow Telef³nica to offer its customers peak mobile broadband speeds of up to 340Mbps ‘in ideal conditions’ and will also deliver more flexible use of its spectrum as well as boost network capacity.
ZTE to market $20 mobiles in India
ZTE has entered the Indian retail market as a standalone player.
It is hoping to hike the contribution of the Indian market to its global handset sales would go up to 20 per cent from the existing 16 per cent.
ZTE India Chairman & Managing Director D K Ghosh said in a statement that India is a key focus market for ZTE.
The company has launched a range of low-cost GSM handsets — S315, A261, R220, R230 and R230BT at price points ranging from USD 20 to USD 80. ZTE has sold over 20 million handsets in India through operator partnerships . It is targeting a network of 100,000 retail outlets in India by this year-end.
The company has appointed “Overseas Mobiles” as its national distributor. Overseas Mobiles will be appointing 80 regional distributors across India and will manage relationships with distributors and corporate customers on behalf of ZTE.
With global sales of over 100 million handsets last year, ZTE is currently the sixth-largest handset manufacturer in the world. It has established partnerships with mobile operators like Vodafone, Hutchison Whampoa, Telefonica globally and BSNL, Reliance, Tata, Vodafone, Spice Telecom and Aircel in India.
MegaFon reveals 3G suppliers (Russia)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Russian mobile operator MegaFon, announced Finland-based equipment vendor Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) as the winner of its tender for the right to supply and construct 3G networks for MegaFon. NSN is said to supply at least 60% of 3G node-B base stations for the operator’s upcoming network expansion.
Five firms, NSN, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and ZTE, would collaborate on the company’s 3G deployment and upgrades until 2010 end. Moreover, Huawei and NSN will provide MegaFon’s staff with full technical support for the supplied equipment. The cellco says it will decide the territory of the deployments within Russia and there will be no exclusive rights granted to vendors.
Bintel signs interconnection agreement with Zain (Gabon)
UTL introduces solar-powered handsets (Uganda)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Uganda Telecom has introduced a solar-powered mobile phone in the market. The new phone is named Kasana, that runs on solar-powered mobile phone after an initial charging on electricity grid power. According to Uganda Telecom, it agreed an exclusive distribution deal for the phone with its designer ZTE. The handsets are manufactured from recycled materials and has a built-in solar panel that charges the phone using the sun’s rays. After an hour of exposure to the sun, the solar phone provides up to 12 hours of talk-time. It comes with a travel charger.
