China Mobile makes Alcatel-Lucent primary LTE supplier

Details: James Barton; Category: Wireless Networks; 19 November 2013; 7547 views

Alcatel-Lucent and China Mobile have announced that the French vendor’s all-IP Evolved Packet Core portfolio has been selected to support the nationwide rollout of China Mobile’s 4G LTE network, set to be the world’s largest mobile ultra-broadband network.

The Alcatel-Lucent Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is a high-capacity IP solution that sits at the heart of a mobile network. Consisting of the three platforms – data, mobility and policy – it provides an essential link between the end user and the scope of mobile communications they might wish to make use of.

China Mobile has awarded Alcatel-Lucent 24% of its overall EPC network, making Alcatel-Lucent the primary EPC supplier for the entire 4G LTE network. In September 2013, China Mobile selected Alcatel-Lucent to deploy 11% of their new LTE network, consisting of more than 200,000 TD-LTE base stations, by the end of 2013.

China is now the world’s largest market for mobile data services and smartphones, increasing at a rate of more than 50 percent each year. China Mobile (CMCC) has more than 750 million subscribers, which accounts for more than 60% of the total mobile subscriptions in the country. CMCC is deploying TD-LTE to help meet the ever-increasing demand for mobile Internet, video and data in the world’s largest smartphone market.