Hutchison 3G Austria is modernizing its radio access network to be ready for HSPA+ and LTE. At the same time, says the company, the move will allow the operator to halve the energy consumption of its base stations. Nokia Siemens Networks will undertake this upgrade starting in autumn 2009.
"The demand for increased mobile broadband capacity and throughput in Austria is reflected in the increasing usage of data cards and mobile services like Mobile TV, video download or video sharing," said Berthold Thoma, CEO of Hutchison 3G Austria. "Mobile broadband is also one of the most pragmatic solutions to bridging the digital gap between cities and rural areas. For rural areas, mobile broadband coverage is simply less expensive and faster to deploy than "fiber to the home" solutions. We hope that with our nationwide coverage we will contribute significantly to this end."
Hutchison 3G Austria has a clear rollout plan for upgrading its network – already covering 94% of the Austrian population with HSDPA – to the latest technologies and hence delivering new multimedia services to its subscribers. With Nokia Siemens Networks as its services and technology partner, the operator's network will be ready for download data rates of 21 Mbps (High-Speed Packet Access, HSPA+) in early 2010. As of 2011 the network can be upgraded to Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, offering 'theoretical' data rates as high as 100Mbps or more.
Under the scope of the deal, Nokia Siemens Networks will upgrade the network which will bring the benefits of HSPA+ and later LTE including high speeds and lower latency, by means of 'simple' software upgrades. Nokia Siemens Networks will also enhance mobile backhaul for Hutchison 3G, and provide it with NetAct network management system for efficient operation of the network. With the upgrade it is claimed that Hutchison 3G will also enjoy significant cost savings, as the network will consume 50% less energy than traditional networks.
"Together with Hutchison 3G Austria, we will bring the latest mobile broadband technology to the country. With this, we hope to usher in a new era in connectivity," said Dietmar Appeltauer, Head of Central East Europe at Nokia Siemens Networks. "We have shared a strong working relationship with Hutchison 3G Austria since 2002 and with this deal we are glad to bring the new HSPA+ and LTE technologies to Austria."