Telenor Norway has completed a rip and replace of its entire network, giving it what it is calling “Europe’s most modern network”.
The operator has installed 9,000 new base stations in 6,379 new sites, reaching 1,000 of the sites by helicopter.
“We have replaced the entire infrastructure while still handling daily operations of the network. The process has been a bit like changing the engine while driving the car. The implementation was a team effort, with participants from Telenor Norway and more than ten suppliers and contractors. Around 700 people of more than 20 different nationalities have worked together. I am extremely proud of the work that has been done, and not least, the results,” said Berit Svendsen, CEO of Telenor Norway.
Half of the base stations are ready for 14.4 Mbps and 21Mpbs HSPA, and are also upgradeable to support LTE services from 2012, Telenor said.
The upgrade marks the end of a two year project, with Huawei providing the Radio Access Network, and Starent (now Cisco Networks) providing the core network infrastructure. The network upgrade also brought about a consolidation of Telenor’s OSS systems, with Telcordia leading the consolidation of inventory and management systems.
Telenor’s network upgrade in numbers
• Telenor has replaced all 9,000 base stations located at 6,379 different sites in Norway.
• 50 percent of the base stations are ready for 14.4 Mb/S and 21 Mb/s.
• 700 people of more than 20 different nationalities have worked together to modernize the mobile network.
• Approximately 1,250 tons of equipment was removed. This has either been recycled or destroyed.
• The new equipment reduces Telenor’s energy consumption by around 15 GWh per annum, which can be compared to the consumption of 800 homes.
(PICTURE: 15 year old Emilie Nereng, described by Telenor as “one of Norway’s most popular bloggers”, officially opens Telenor’s new mobile network alongside Berit Svendsen (left), Telenor Norway’s CEO)