Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – June 6, 2012
Refarm 1800 MHz GSM frequency bands and manage operator’s 4G network, in addition to GSM and 3G networks
The Saudi Arabian operator Zain KSA has selected Nokia Siemens Networks as its LTE (4G) mobile broadband infrastructure and services vendor for Jeddah, the country’s second largest city. The operator aims to address the growing demand for mobile broadband and smartphone data services by refarming its 1800 MHz GSM frequency band to offer 4G services. As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will also manage Zain KSA’s 4G network in Jeddah, in addition to the operator’s existing GSM and 3G networks in the city.
“The upsurge in smartphone usage is putting a huge pressure on networks, while also increasing customers’ service expectations,” said Ahmed AlGhanmi, deputy chief technology officer at Zain KSA. “We share a long-standing relationship with Nokia Siemens Networks, and are well aware of the company’s sound expertise and excellent support services in mobile broadband. We are confident that this engagement will help us offer a superior 4G experience at a fast pace.”
“Spectrum refarming is becoming a huge trend across the world, primarily since spectrum is a limited resource, and refarming offers huge cost benefits,” added Dany Choueiry, customer team head at Nokia Siemens Networks. “With this contract, we will provide leading technology and network optimization services to Zain KSA. This will enable the operator to maximize the benefits of existing 1800 MHz GSM band by offering LTE services, making it move well ahead of the curve in a fiercely competitive market environment.”
Nokia Siemens Networks will provide its Single RAN (radio access network) platform, based on the compact, energy efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station for 4G deployment and 3G network modernization. Optimized backhaul will be provided by FlexiPacket Microwave platform.
As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will upgrade and expand Zain’s legacy Home Location Register (HLR) to the latest, One NDS subscriber data management solution, supporting a total of 25 million subscribers’ mobile services, including 4G. This solution will allow Zain to meet market demands, cover capacity requirements and generate operational savings. Nokia Siemens Networks will also provide its NetAct platform for efficient monitoring, management and optimization of Zain KSA’s LTE network.
Using its professional services capabilities, Nokia Siemens Networks will manage the operator’s 4G network, in addition to GSM and 3G networks in Jeddah, and will provide network implementation services. The company already manages the customer’s networks that carry over 700 million subscribers worldwide and has provided planning and optimization for over 23 commercial 4G roll outs.
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About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world’s most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly.
With headquarters in Espoo, Finland, we operate in over 150 countries and had net sales of over 14 billion euros in 2011. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
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Notes:
Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the commercialization of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in terms of commercial references and live network performance. With commercial FDD LTE and TD-LTE networks based on the award-winning Flexi Multiradio Base Station family and its new LTE small cell solution Flexi Zone, Nokia Siemens Networks is the leader in LTE commercialization and LTE innovation. This top position in implementation and innovation has been reconfirmed by ABI Research’s 2012 LTE Base Station Vendor Matrix.
Among Nokia Siemens Networks’ 58 commercial LTE deals are Azerfon in Azerbaijan (radio); Bell Canada (radio); Bharti Airtel in India (TD-LTE radio, EPC); Deutsche Telekom in Germany (radio); Du in UAE (radio); Elisa Finland, Elisa Estonia (radio, EPC); EMT in Estonia (radio); Hrvatski Telekom in Croatia (radio); KDDI in Japan (radio); KT in Korea (radio); LG U+ in Korea (radio); LMT in Latvia (radio, EPC); Mobily (Etisalat) in Saudi Arabia (TD-LTE radio, EPC); Mosaic Telecom in USA (radio, EPC); NTT DOCOMO in Japan (radio, EPC); SK Telecom in Korea (radio); SKY in Brazil (TD-LTE radio, EPC); SOFTBANK MOBILE in Japan (radio); Sonera in Finland (radio); StarHub in Singapore (radio, EPC); STC (Saudi Telecom Company) in Saudi Arabia (TD-LTE radio); T-Mobile in USA (radio, EPC); Tele2 in Estonia (radio, EPC); Tele2 in Latvia (radio; EPC); Tele2 in Lithuania (radio, EPC); Tele2 in Sweden (EPC); Telecom Italia (radio); Telefónica O2 in Germany (radio); Telenor Denmark (radio); Telia in Denmark (radio); Telia in Sweden (radio); Telus in Canada (radio); TMN in Portugal (radio, EPC); Verizon in USA (IMS for LTE); Zain Bahrain (radio, EPC) and Zain KSA (radio). Out of these, 27 operators have already commercially launched LTE and serve about 40% of all LTE subscribers worldwide.
In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks is involved in half of the TD-LTE trials that are currently ongoing around the world: over 16 major field trials in China, Taiwan, Russia and other areas of the world. The company has commercial deals with seven TD-LTE network operators including STC, Mobily, SKY in Brazil and Bharti Airtel.
Nokia Siemens Networks’ Single RAN including the Flexi Multiradio Base Station provides a future-proof, easy and cost-efficient path to LTE in both FDD and TDD spectrum bands via a simple software upgrade. Besides the Single RAN that supports GSM, 3G, FDD-LTE and TD-LTE, the company’s LTE telecom infrastructure offering also features the Evolved Packet Core, including Flexi NS (Network Server) and Flexi NG (Network Gateway), transport solutions, network management system, Self Organizing Networks (SON), the award-winning Voice over LTE (VoLTE), provisioning and charging solutions and a range of professional services to plan, install, maintain and operate networks. For more information, follow this link.
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