Nokia Siemens Networks gears up to exploit Digital Dividend

“As countries switch from analog to digital TV, they are freeing up spectrum that can be used for mobile networks,” said Thorsten Robrecht, head of LTE product management, Nokia Siemens Networks. “Most countries in Europe, and several in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, are evaluating this frequency band for LTE deployments. Recognizing the opportunity that this digital dividend presents for operators, we have stayed on top of this development and have now started producing base stations that operate in the 800 MHz band, with commercial deployments targeted for the second half of 2010.”

The longer range of the 800 MHz band allows operators to cover a given area with fewer sites, as compared to higher frequencies. Operators deploying LTE in 800 MHz can easily achieve the same coverage as GSM (900 MHz) networks using their existing base station sites, allowing them to take a big step towards the vision of providing universal broadband. 

Seeing its potential to cost-efficiently cover rural areas, as well as improve indoor penetration in towns and cities, industry stakeholders and regulators at the World Radio Conference 2007 agreed to assign the 800 MHz band for mobile broadband communication. Germany is currently in the midst of auctioning the available spectrum to operators, and more countries are expected to follow suit.

Nokia Siemens Networks successfully tested LTE technology for 800 MHz last year at its R&D centers in Ulm, Germany, and Oulu, Finland, using the Flexi Multiradio Base Station.

The Flexi Multiradio Base Station is the most compact and energy-efficient LTE base station on the market. Deliveries started in September 2008 and today are used by a majority of Nokia Siemens Networks’ WCDMA customers. Its unique design consists of a common system module (which works with all frequency bands) and a radio frequency (RF) module for the particular frequency used in the network. The RF module for the 800 MHz version is now under production. The Flexi Multiradio Base Station supports GSM/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA and LTE. Its compact, weather-proof and modular design allows for swift integration into existing base station sites.

About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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Notes to Editors
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the next-generation mobile broadband technology and the evolutionary step from GSM, WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, CDMA and WiMAX networks. It promises the delivery of broadband and smart device services thanks to increased data rates, reduced latency and a scalable flat all-IP network architecture. Nokia Siemens Networks is the frontrunner in LTE, being the first to make an LTE call using commercial hardware and standard compliant software in September 2009.

Nokia Siemens Networks has a long track record in demonstrating its technological leadership in LTE:

• November 2006 Nokia Siemens Networks conducted the world’s first LTE demo with a handover to HSPA at the ITU World Congress in Hong Kong
• September 2008 Nokia Siemens Networks shipped the industry’s first LTE base station hardware to customers.
• November 2008 Nokia Siemens Networks conducted the world's first demonstration of LTE-Advanced Relaying technology.
• September 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks made the world’s first LTE call using a commercial base station and fully standards-compliant software (3GPP Rel 8 March 09 baseline).
• October 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks made the world’s first LTE handover test using a commercially available base station and fully standards-compliant software (3GPP Rel 8 March 09 baseline).
• October 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks conducts end-to-end LTE interoperability testing with four leading device vendors across several frequency bands.
• November 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks is a founding member of the One Voice initiative providing a blueprint for the early deployment of IMS-based Voice over LTE service. The company’s Fast Track approach is fully compliant with One Voice.
• December 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks rings up another first in LTE with 3GPP standardized voice over LTE calls. Successful IMS-compliant voice calls and SMS messaging using standardized LTE equipment marks an important step towards commercial voice over LTE deployments.
• January 2010 Nokia Siemens Networks and LG Electronics achieve record LTE data speeds: First data call at maximum downlink rate of 100 Mbps for a Class 3 USB wireless modem.
• March 2010 World’s first call between different VoLTE clients showcased at CTIA 2010. Nokia Siemens Networks demonstrates standards-based Voice over LTE (VoLTE) interoperability using two different clients running on Samsung LTE devices.
• April 2010 Nokia Siemens Networks sets up industry’s first TD-LTE Open Lab. Provides smart phone and terminal testing facility to accelerate TD-LTE ecosystem.