Cooperation creates innovation

At the end of July 2009, Nokia Siemens Networks and Vodafone jointly announced the world’s first demonstration of active antenna technology on a commercial WCDMA network. The Active Antenna solution integrates base station elements within the antenna, reducing the base station footprint, improving coverage and lowering power consumption.

Active Antenna shows the kind of innovation that can be expected from the recently launched Nokia Siemens Networks Innovation Center (NICE) in Madrid, Spain. Working closely with Vodafone’s own Radio Center of Competence in Madrid, NICE will develop ground-breaking radio technologies for medium to long-term deployment.

“The opening of NICE in Spain is good for Vodafone. It is a fine example of Nokia Siemens Networks’ commitment to working jointly with us. As a permanent base to exchange ideas, NICE will be instrumental in strengthening our cooperation,” comments Santiago Tenorio, Head of 3G Products at Vodafone Group. “Active Antenna shows the level of innovation that we can create together and we have already agreed a plan to develop other advanced technologies in the near-term.”

The center’s opening underlines a common commitment to innovate together with Vodafone. “In recent months Nokia Siemens Networks has really pushed ahead with its HSPA roadmap, for example, being able to complement our own R&D work,” Tenorio comments.

Two drivers: customer experience and efficiency

Although keeping future project details under wraps, Tenorio says the work will all focus on two simple criteria – delivering an improved customer experience and achieving higher operational efficiency. This is what drives Vodafone’s technology development, he says.

Tenorio highlights two innovations, MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) and Single RAN (Radio Access Network), that Vodafone and Nokia Siemens Networks have high on their agendas and which address both drivers.

“MIMO is a fundamental building block of HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) and delivers the best performance to users across the cell area by doubling the typical throughput for users, including the cell edge, which is very important. There have been some critical voices in the industry about the viability of the technology. In contrast, we see the introduction of MIMO as an example of cooperation and innovation in this industry in which Nokia Siemens Networks has of course played a key role. All in all, we can now say that MIMO works as expected,” explains Tenorio.

“Single RAN changes the way networks are built. Instead of rolling out dedicated network layers for each technology, we can deploy all radio technologies, including GSM, 3G, HSPA+ and future network requirements with one single box. As a consequence, there are likely to be significant reductions in network infrastructure costs. We will be able to dismantle old GSM shelters and create huge energy efficiencies. Single RAN also offers extreme flexibility to adapt and provide the best service to customers. Soon it will be possible to provide simultaneous GSM and UMTS, or even LTE services, from the same box with flexible capacity dimensioning to meet changing customer demand.”

And looking to the evolution of HSPA and the future network requirements, Tenorio points out how Vodafone and Nokia Siemens Networks have been at the forefront of the technology. “Nokia Siemens Networks has, for instance, had a clear lead in the field of Internet-HSPA that deploys the same flat network architecture that LTE will. This is a flexibility that has proven useful not only to support high traffic volumes of mobile broadband, but also to optimize infrastructure costs.

“We both continue to play a key role in the development of LTE which could provide a quantum leap forward. In the long-term, we have to rely on new technology and even in its first step, expectations are high for LTE to provide completely new levels of speed, capacity, customer interactivity and reduced cost of operation. These are measures that our customers value highly and which are all connected to the customer experience.

“We are working together for an even brighter future,” concludes Tenorio.