TEL
09/04/2013 09:33
GENERAL
REL: 0933 HRS Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Limited
GENERAL: TEL: Telecom 4G LTE to go live in October 2013
MEDIA RELEASE
9 April 2013
Telecom 4G LTE to go live in October 2013
Telecom New Zealand announced today that it will have 4G LTE live on a large
part of its Smartphone Network in Auckland by October. The company will then
extend 4G LTE coverage to Wellington and Christchurch by Christmas, and
expects to have 4G LTE live on close to half of its nationwide Smartphone
Network during 2014.
Telecom Retail CEO Chris Quin says that 4G LTE will add to the quality,
real-world mobile experience offered by Telecom's Smartphone Network.
"This is another way we are helping Kiwis get better connected. We are very
pleased with the current network's performance across both voice and data and
the feedback from our customers has been very positive. 4G LTE will build on
our steady programme of investment - taking our customers' experience of the
Smartphone Network to the next level."
Telecom has increased the speed, coverage and capacity offered by the
Smartphone Network over time. Its programme of investment has included
installing dual carrier HSPA+ on more than half of mobile sites, having fast
backhaul to 90% of mobile sites, and - from mid 2013 - rolling out
state-of-the-art Optical Transport Network (OTN) technology to the network
core or 'backbone'.
Mr Quin says, "Telecom is also continuously extending our network coverage.
We're co-locating on all of the Government's rural broadband initiative (RBI)
sites where we don't already have coverage, and we've completed a trial over
summer of free public wifi, which involved more than 140 'hotspots' rolled
out to holiday destinations across the country. We have had a very positive
response, and are looking at how we can make this service available to
customers more widely.
"If we are successful in the 700MHz spectrum auction, 4G LTE will also allow
us to significantly improve coverage in rural areas. We intend to install 4G
LTE on RBI sites that we build from early 2014."
Gen-i CEO Tim Miles says, "This investment will build on our existing network
capabilities, ensuring we continue to enable New Zealand businesses to find
new and better ways of engaging and serving their customers in an
increasingly mobile and data-centric environment.
"Together with Gen-i mobility services and the flexibility to deliver
applications and services across our Smartphone Network, the rollout of 4G
LTE will support our clients in doing business anytime, anywhere in the
coverage areas and via a range of devices."
Exciting future possibilities
Telecom also announced today that it has selected Huawei to build its network
of 4G-capable mobile sites - known as the eUTRAN.
Chief Technology Officer David Havercroft says, "Huawei's selection was based
on two main factors. The first is that they have extensive experience, having
built 73 LTE networks in 42 countries. The second is that they are truly
pushing the boundaries of LTE technology.
"Over the past 3 months we have been trialling Huawei's 4G LTE technology in
Auckland and Rotorua. Our testing has encompassed some very exciting new
developments like 'carrier aggregation'. Carrier aggregation allows us to
use two different spectrums simultaneously, and in our trials it produced
maximum peak speeds of up to 250Mbps.
"While such technology is some way from launching commercially, it is very
exciting to be working with a technology partner who has this level of
capability, and a massive commitment to research and development that we can
bring to New Zealand." Mr Havercroft says.
Cisco Systems will build the ePC (enhanced Packet Core), which processes and
transports data through the network. Cisco is a global leader in mobile IP
and core technology, with best in breed technology, which offers
inter-operability between different vendor technologies.
As previously announced, Ericsson will build the new HSS (Home Subscriber
Service) and the replacement HLR (Home Location Register) the central
'brains' of the network, a database that holds all customer profile
information.
ENDS
For media queries, please contact:
Lucy Fullarton
Media & PR Manager, Retail
[email protected]
+64 (0) 21 070 6197
For investor relations queries, please contact:
Mark Laing
General Manager Capital Markets & Investor Relations
+64 (0) 27 227 5890
End CA:00235003 For:TEL Type:GENERAL Time:2013-04-09 09:33:28
