* Meeting the explosive growth of mobile broadband usage
* New £400 million contract awarded to Nokia Siemens Networks
T-Mobile UK and 3 UK are on course to complete their groundbreaking joint network infrastructure program by the end of 2010. When completed, it will be Europe’s largest shared network and will offer smartphone and dongle customers the biggest 3G coverage in the UK, along with excellent levels of connection coverage and performance.
The HSDPA 3G network already offers outdoor coverage to more than 90% of Britain’s population. By the end of this year, the network coverage will be expanded to more than 98% of the population.
In December 2007, anticipating the rapid growth of Mobile Internet and data usage that was to come, T-Mobile UK and 3 UK pooled their 3G network infrastructure in a 50:50 joint venture company, Mobile Broadband Network Ltd. (MBNL). The purpose was to be able to create Britain’s best 3G network more rapidly and more efficiently than either party could do alone.
The resulting shared network requires fewer masts, consumes less energy and provides customers with a superior mobile broadband service.
Today, T-Mobile and 3 UK are building Europe’s largest shared network in record time. MBNL has already consolidated more than 7,000 sites out of a total of over 12,500 T-Mobile UK and 3 UK mast sites due to be brought together by October this year. When completed, the integration program will also mean more than 3,000 redundant sites will have been switched off.
Reinforcing the network’s capacity, a new contract worth over £400 million has been agreed between MBNL, on behalf of T-Mobile UK and 3 UK, and Nokia Siemens Networks. This will include the provision of 3G radio network infrastructure, mobile network planning, implementation, optimization and maintenance. The provision of equipment and services is already underway.
Graham Payne, managing director of MBNL said: “Smartphone and mobile laptop data traffic growth in the UK has been unprecedented, and every sign is it will continue growing fast. With Nokia Siemens Networks, we are confident of providing the UK’s most smartphone friendly, high-speed 3G network to more people in the UK than any other operator, delivering exceptional services to both T-Mobile UK and 3 UK subscribers.”
Both T-Mobile UK and 3 UK have experienced very high growth in mobile data and Internet usage resulting in the MBNL network carrying by far the highest volume of data traffic of all networks deployed by Nokia Siemens Networks globally.
Emin Gurdenli, technical director at T-Mobile UK said: “As high-speed mobile broadband becomes increasingly adopted for fast, simple Internet access wherever you are, network performance becomes an increasingly important competitive differentiator. The growth in mobile broadband usage clearly provides challenges for networks. They are challenges we have anticipated and intend to keep on anticipating with our further investment in technology and services.”
Graham Baxter, chief technology officer at 3 UK said: “We believe that with Nokia Siemens Networks as our principal technology partner, MBNL will deliver on its objective of creating what will be Europe’s largest HSDPA network in record timescales to quickly enable the best customer experience.”
To ensure that both operators can enjoy the benefits of the MBNL network expansion, while functioning independently, Nokia Siemens Networks has implemented its Multi-operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) platform which offers flexibility while merging two networks, enables the re-use of existing infrastructure, and allows a reduction in the number of sites.
Steve Glanville, head of the T-Mobile UK and MBNL customer team at Nokia Siemens Networks said: “As operators across the world strive to realize the opportunities offered by mobile broadband, they also face major challenges related to costs and efficiency. We have a strong existing relationship with T-Mobile and 3 UK, and are committed to helping them deliver their growth objectives. We are helping them simplify their network, meet the ever increasing consumer demand for capacity, and realize cost savings.”
Nokia Siemens Networks is the market leader in network consolidation solutions, and this contract further strengthens this position. Over the past several years the company has gained substantial experience in building and operating shared networks. Today, Nokia Siemens Networks’ technology provides a complete range of network sharing methods for 2G and 3G – from simple site sharing to a fully managed network. The company’s 3G networks are particularly suited to efficiently handling the unique signalling demands of today’s smart devices.
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Engage in conversation about Nokia Siemens Networks’ aim to reinvent the connected world at http://unite.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and talk about its news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at http://connectivityscorecard.org
About MBNL
Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL) is the joint venture formed by 3 UK and T-Mobile in December 2007 to manage their consolidated 3G network. By the end of 2010, MBNL will manage a network incorporating more than 12,500 3G sites with room for future expansion to achieve greater capacity and 3G population coverage. MBNL will give T-Mobile and 3 UK customers access to Europe’s largest 3G network
About T-Mobile UK
T-Mobile is one of the world’s largest mobile operators with more than 150 million customers worldwide and is the service provider of choice for 17 million customers in the UK. T-Mobile offers a range of innovative products and services, such as the SIM-only plan and recently launched new pay monthly plans across all price points with a range of flexible boosters. T-Mobile continues to innovate with new devices such as the UK’s first Android™-based smart phone, the T-Mobile G1, and its successor the T-Mobile G2, both with access to more than 1,000 applications. T-Mobile has pioneered the mobile internet, and operates an award-winning 3G network with speeds of up to 4.5Mbps. As a pioneer of deep network sharing in the UK, T-Mobile is continuously improving population coverage for 3G services and will operate the best 3G network by the end of 2010.
For more information about T-Mobile UK, please visit www.t-mobile.co.uk
About 3 UK
3 is a mobile operator focused on bringing the benefits of the internet to mobile communications. We offer attractive pricing and give our customers the widest choice of ways to stay connected at home or abroad. To do this we're building the UK's best high-speed mobile broadband network. 3 UK is a member of the HWL group of 3G companies, which include 3G operations in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Macau and Sweden.
Three facts about 3:
* 3 launched the UK's first 3G network offering national coverage for calls and texts, and has more than 93% population coverage for 3G services. As we consolidate our radio access network with T-Mobile we expect to reach almost complete UK population coverage for 3G by the end of 2010.
* 3 has over 5 million active customers in the UK and more than 25 million worldwide.
* 3 was the first to enable free voice over internet calling with Skype and the first to launch a dedicated Skype mobile phone, the 3 Skypephone.
For more information about 3 UK, please visit www.three.co.uk
Labels: Mobile operators , Nokia Siemens Networks
0 comments:
Post a Comment