Nokia signed a deal with China Telecom to enhance 4G coverage and capacity for the operator over 19 provinces in the country.
Due to increasing subscriber demand for further capacity, China Telecom decided to expand its deployment of 4G technology, which will also pave the way for 5G services to come.
In 2015 China Telecom saw4G traffic increase by over six times on its network, and the operator predicts 4G will account for over 90 per cent of mobile data on its network by 2017.
The operator stated that by growing its radio access network it will be able to provide the 4G services its customers are demanding in both urban and suburban areas in China, while also creating the foundations for the company’s planned 2017 launch of voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, using Nokia’s technology.
Subscribers are signing up to China Telecom’s network rapidly; it had 207 million mobile subscribers, with 90 million of those using 4G, by the end of June this year. That marks an increase of over 31 million to its subscriber volume in the first half of 2016.
The 4G rollout will include Nokia’s Flexi Multiradio 10 base stations, while Nokia optimisation experts will use Nokia NetAct to maximise the performance of the network for subscribers.
Meanwhile, Nokia Global Services will provide project management, network design and installation. Also Care hardware and software maintenance services will also be provided.
Nokia is deploying its 4G technology in 19 provinces in China: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Sichuan, Anhui, Liaoning, Guizhou, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.
In June this year, Nokia signed a one year deal with the top Chinese mobile operator and biggest mobile operator globally, China Mobile, for €1.36 billion ($1.5 billion) in a frame agreement that will see Nokia help the operator transition to a flexible cloud network infrastructure, as well as continuing to deliver mobile, fixed, IP routing, optical transport, customer experience management technologies and operational support as well as global services throughout the year.
Nokia and China Mobile showcased techniques to optimise VoLTE performance at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai in early July, through the Chinese operator’s subsidiary Shanghai Mobile.
For more:
- see this Nokia, China Telecom press release
- see this Nokia, China Mobile VoLTE story
- see this Nokia, China Mobile deal release
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