Wireless Networks

East Africa’s only triple-play operator, the Wananchi Group, has signed a contract for the purchase of network technology solutions and services from Cisco.

The Russian operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has launched commercial LTE in Uzbekistan, making it the second operator in the world to launch the next-generation technology...

As part of its drive to create new broadcasting infrastructure across Slovenia, the commercial broadcaster Norkring Slovenia has commissioned NEC Corporation to provide its PASOLINK NEO ultra compact microwave communications system...

The government of Indonesia has announced that it will reopen bids for licences to develop WiMAX infrastructure. The re-launch follows news that three of the eight original licensees have had their licences rescinded after failing to meet the terms of their contracts...

A new Federal Communications Commission report on broadband deployment has called attention to the need for federal regulators to funnel broadband stimulus funding to areas of greatest need, rather than building duplicate networks in market areas which are already competitive...

Telefónica O2 subscribers in Prague and Brno will soon enjoy faster mobile broadband speeds. The operator is upgrading its network to 2.5G, EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM), technology to keep pace with growth in mobile data and the increasing use of smart devices...

LTE test networks will be launched in Russia by the end of this year by both the mobile operator MegaFon and the WiMAX provider Yota...

Bangladesh is set to extend ICT facilities to its rural populace as part of the government’s ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative. Before the year is out, the initiative hopes to provide such facilities to over 2000 unions...

The Philippines’ fastest growing mobile network provider, Digitel Mobile, will invest a further $9 million in mobile backhaul network equipment as part of an ongoing expansion of its 2G and 3G services. The equipment will be provided by Ceragon Networks, a long-time client of Digitel...

Nokia Siemens Networks and Cisco have joined forces to address an issue increasingly affecting mobile operators across the world – the capacity demands of smart devices...

Nokia Siemens Networks has announced a new base station and antenna combination which is claimed to double GSM network capacity by improving spectrum efficiency and network performance...

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has become the first Russian operator to outsource its network operations, in a deal with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN). The company aims to reduce its overall costs while increasing organisational flexibility, transparency and the predictability of its operational expenses. With this managed services agreement, MTS will be able to simplify its overall network operations model, which is especially important with the rollout of 3G services for millions of subscribers in Russia’s central region...

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to modernise and upgrade its 3G network. Qtel’s aim is to offer its subscribers an improved smartphone experience, including faster broadband speeds, while paving the way for next-generation Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. To make this happen, the operator has chosen NSN “to modernise its network and enhance capacity.”...

4G is clearly a very powerful marketing at present. Ned Taleb, CEO and Co-Founder of Nexius, offers his executive commentary on why he thinks 4G is one of this year’s most buzzed-about topics...

Spirit, the provider of carrier-grade voice and video software engines for desktop and mobile video-conferencing, has demonstrated its TeamSpirit video-conferencing engine on iPad, iPhone and Android devices to selected customers in China, Korea, Europe and the USA...

CBOSS Corporation has deployed a comprehensive convergent integrated solution, CBOSSconvergence³, in Palestine. With the new solution, Wataniya Mobile, which is new to Palestine, was able to deploy an intelligent IT infrastructure and provide high-quality communications and Internet access to its users...

Strategic investment by Avnet will expand its ASEAN coverage and will establish a platform to grow its IT solutions distribution business. Avnet has just acquired some of the assets of Indonesia’s  PT Datamation Purwana Utama and PT Mitra Bisinfo Utama (Datamation). Founded in 1990, Datamation is a value-added IT distributor providing server, storage and software products to enterprise system integrators and resellers throughout Indonesia...

Zain Bahrain has showcased the MENA region’s first LTE call, achieving a download data speed of 70 Mb/s. In a trial to demonstrate its LTE readiness, Zain Bahrain “proved its preparedness and commitment” to mass-scale deployment of this advanced technology just six months after announcing the Middle East’s first LTE contract with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN)...

VocalTec Communications, which provides carrier-class VoIP and convergence solutions for fixed and wireless service providers, has announced that Smart Mobile, a mobile service provider in Cambodia, has selected and deployed VocalTec’s Class-4 International Gateway solution to enable seamless VoIP termination and network economies allowing for improved end-user pricing strategies...

Alvarion customer Feira De Santana Municipality has won the Prêmio Anuário TI & Governo award for Best Digital City Deployment in Brazil. Its Feira Digital project brings 300,000 people together wirelessly as well as providing public services to the municipality...

GSM subscriber growth is slowly grinding to a halt. According to forecasts from ABI Research, growth is expected to flatline by mid-2011. Asia-Pacific makes up 45% of the global cellular market compared to 29% in 2000...

Nine players have expressed their intention to bid in India’s lengthy, much postponed 3G process, and yet despite all the publicity, there are no new entrants. Foreign companies are giving an apparently lucrative opportunity a miss....

Guam’s communications network will see improvements costing US$10 million this year. The aim is to set the stage for more competition in wireless, digital TV and broadband...

Recent findings by ABI Research analyse the impending battle for market share, not to say domination, between WiMAX and LTE. Both systems are progressing steadily and, according to ABI, will co-exist for some time to come...

This summer, Alcatel-Lucent will conduct an LTE trial for mobile operator MTS-Ukraine. The aim is an end-to-end solutions incorporating LTE base-stations and IP service routing as well as basic operational systems...

Andrew Solutions has unveiled a multi-operator coverage and capacity solution in Istanbul’s SG Airport. The Distributed Antenna System (DAS) will allow Vodafone, Turkcell and AVEA to provide 2G and 3G services to users throughout the airport...

Jordan is to benefit from an MVNO supplied to Friendi Group by Sysmsoft, which specialises in real-time mobile data, charging and messaging solutions. Friendi’s Jordanian launch follows its Omani deployment, believed to be the first MVNO in the Middle East...

The Dominican Republic will soon benefit from a new mobile WiMAX network, which is to be constructed by Samsung...

This month, BSNL will roll out WiMAX services in Dhakor of Greater Noida, which is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area is under the remit of the Indian National Capital Region...

Alcatel-Lucent and Bulgarian telco Vivacom have signed a five-year partnership focusing on the end-to-end strategic transformation of Vivacom’s fixed and mobile network throughout the country. Vivacom is outsourcing end-to-end network operations to Alcatel-Lucent as of March 1, 2010...

A new contract signed by Trace Systems will be supporting US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), including the Joint Network Operations Control Centre. Valued at over US$55 million, the contract will involve more than 40 IT experts supporting the Joint Network Operations Control Center in Afghanistan...

With demand increasing for super-fast, dynamic broadband services and applications regardless of location, ADC claims that traditional methods to provide mobile coverage cannot scale up to offer mobile operators the coverage, capacity and return on invested capital necessary to deliver 4G services...

Qtel International has concluded a major framework agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks to support its long-term development strategy across international markets...