Nokia Siemens Networks pairs with Consortium of Advanced Telecommunications (COTA) & Wimax Online on country’s first TD-LTE service
Nokia Siemens Networks, has provided the solutionfor the first 4G mobile broadband pilot with TD-LTE technology in Murcia, Spain, ahead of a November launch for commercial services.
COTA, a new player in Spanish telecoms, working with Wimax Online, selected Nokia Siemens Networks as sole supplier for a customer-focused end-to-end LTE service. The operator plans to launch commercial mobile broadband Internet access service using Nokia Siemens Networks TD-LTE technology by the end of the year.
The implementation, in the autonomous “Región de Murcia”, is Southern Europe’s first TD-LTE, 2.6 GHz network. Services from regional operators make the Spanish market highly diverse. COTA, in collaboration with Wimax Online, is an example of a local operator with a flexible and efficient business model. COTA acquired 10 MHz in the 2.6 GHz band auction in the summer of 2011 and immediately began to plan for a service launch. Wimax Online will benefit from the wholesale LTE access provided by COTA. In addition to extending the existing service portfolio with broadband offering, they will provide DSL-like services in the Murcia region where it is currently not possible to provide fixed-internet connectivity and VoIP. COTA also plans to provide television services through an IPTV-platform in the future.
The deployment marks the first Single Radio Access Network (RAN) TD-LTE project in South Europe, the first Band 38 TD-LTE deployment in Spain, and one of the first 4G networks in South Europe. Using advanced TDD/FDD, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) techniques and Single RAN TD-LTE is the most cost-effective solution for the acquired band.
The end-to-end TD-LTE service is based on Nokia Siemens Networks’ energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station technology together with existing TD-LTE customer premises equipment (similar to WiFi routers), the CPE indoor 7212 and CPE outdoor 7210. In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks’ partner Athonet provided core network components for COTA. The agreement also included Nokia Siemens Networks’ professional services.
Miguel Araujo, head of customer teams for Spain and Portugal at Nokia Siemens Networks, said, “Nokia Siemens Networks understood that the first priority for COTA was to provide best-in-class customer experience for the end users. We put our focus and attention in building flexible Single RAN capacity to meet the growing demand for broadband services in the region of Murcia.”