Vodafone New Zealand has just launched a 4G LTE ultra-fast mobile broadband services in Auckland.
The new network uses equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks for the LTE-based network, which operates in the 1800 MHz radio spectrum across New Zealand.
According to equipment supplier Nokia Siemens Networks, it upgraded Vodafone’s existing 2G and 3G networks in order to ensure that the new 4G network benefited from greater network coverage as well as high-speed services for its subscribers.
Commenting on the network launch, Vodafone NZ’s Chief Executive Officer Russell Stanners said: “We’ve now joined other countries around the world which are already seeing the benefits of the increased speed and performance with 4G, and we’re delighted to lead the roll-out of 4G service in New Zealand with Nokia Siemens Networks.”
NSN and Vodafone NZ said they have also jointly completed so-called GSM and LTE ‘refarming’, whereby existing 2G radio spectrum that was used on the original GSM network is able to be reused for the new 4G LTE-based network, promising a capacity increase of up to 50 percent, NSN said.
Under the terms of the contract, NSN supplied its Single RAN radio access network based on its Flexi Multiradio Base Station. Voice services for 2G, 3G and 4G are provided by NSN’s Mobile Switching Centre Server and Multimedia Gateway. NSN also provided its Circuit Switched FallBack voice system, enabling the LTE network to transfer subscribers to 2G and 3G to make and receive voice calls and for voicemails whilst retaining ultra-fast data services on 4G user terminals.
NSN also upgraded the existing NetAct network management system for monitoring. NSN further provided expertise in LTE refarming services which, combined with GSM ‘Liquid Radio’ software, delivered the 50 percent capacity increases. NSN said that its care services also include hardware, software maintenance and competence development.