[Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 22, 2014]: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced it had signed a contract with Saudi Arabian operator Mobily to deploy Huawei’s innovative Active Antenna Unit (AAU) solution.
The signing of the contract marks the first large-scale commercial deployment of the AAU solution in the Middle East. And it is also an important part of realizing a countrywide “Smart City” project recently announced by the Saudi Arabia government, which will invest more than $26.6 billion in cutting-edge broadband and ICT solutions for modernizing governmental services and other public sectors like transportation, energy, healthcare, education, and public safety.
The Smart City project aims to improve the lives of individual people and create more opportunities for enterprises of all sizes. As part of the project, Mobily has sought to provide ultra-high quality Mobile broadband to all of its subscribers.
To help achieve this goal, Huawei is supplying AAU as well as its SingleRAN wireless networking solution for simultaneously utilizing four spectrum bands running on four different technologies: GSM, UMTS, LTE FDD and LTE TDD.
Huawei’s AAU solution for high-integration, high-capacity network site design provides operators with a multi-mode base station platform that can reduce site space by up to 75%. With only one set of equipment, operators can drastically simplify their site deployment process while greatly enhancing overall network capacity.
AAU integrates multiple radio frequency (RF) unit and antenna unit into a single unit while offering enhanced performance and features. The benefit to operators is dramatically simplified site design and deployment along with huge savings in network operations and future equipment evolution. The AAU is an important part of Huawei’s innovation portfolio for capitalizing on changing trends in mobile business. After deployment of AAU and SingleRAN, Mobily’s subscribers will be able to enjoy a greatly enhanced mobile data and voice service experience.
ALAA MALKI, CTO of Mobliy, said of the contract signing: “The AAU solution really meets our demands. It is very efficient and has ensured we will conserve site space resources. I predict it will be a main mobile broadband industry trend in the near future.”
Mobily is a subsidiary of Etisalat, the fastest growing mobile communications and technology provider in Saudi Arabia.
Wu Weitao, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia, said: “Huawei’s innovative AAU solution supports fast site deployment, reduces site complexity, and greatly enhances overall network capacity. We’re proud that AAU will be a part of the Smart City project, which will serve as a shining example of development throughout the Middle East.”
To date, Huawei’s AAU solution has been trialed or commercially deployed for more than 30 operators in China, Canada, Russia, as well many countries in Europe and South America.
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