afrol News, 15 October - Vodacom South Africa has signed a Euro 22 million deal with Alcatel-Lucent to design, build and deploy an upgrade of its existing 3G network.

Agreement reached yesterday, according to the partners is a build-up on a relationship of more than 15-years, between the two companies.

22 million deal with Vodacom SA, the South African mobile operator equally owned by Telkom SA and Vodafone Group,

According to deal, upon commercial launch, network upgrade and modernisation project will boost capacity and coverage of Vodacom’s network and enable growing wireless carrier to offer its customers a wide range of advanced next-generation mobile broadband services in future.

"The enhanced 3G wireless network, based on Alcatel-Lucent UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and HSDPA/HSUPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access/High Speed Uplink Packet Access) technologies, will improve Vodacom’s network voice-quality and data-transmission speeds, while further strengthening indoor coverage in urban areas," explained two companies in a statement.

Agreement further said under the terms of the contract, Alcatel-Lucent will supply Vodacom with its industry-leading UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), based on an evolving multi-standard radio access solution, including radio network controllers, node B base stations and a flexible wireless network management system, that will enable mobile operators such as Vodacom to support several standards, including GSM, EDGE and EDGE+ and to introduce new technologies in future, including W-CDMA, HSPA, HSPA+ and LTE with a smooth evolution path to meet their market needs.

Alcatel-Lucent will also provide a comprehensive suite of professional services in conjunction with this expansion contract, including installation, commissioning, programme management, on-site training, network rollout and integration, said a statement.

“Achieving an improved end-user experience with superior mobile voice and high-speed mobile broadband data services is our key objective in expanding our 3G network,” said Andries Delport, Executive Director – Engineering and Technology, Vodacom South Africa. “Continuing to provide our customers with the highest quality of innovative mobile services requires us to partner with a reliable partner such as Alcatel-Lucent, which has a proven track-record in technology innovation. This project will also provide us with the ability to leverage the investment we have in our existing network to meet the growing demand of our customers for advanced services.”

Alcatel-Lucent’s W-CDMA/HSPA advanced wireless solutions will further support Vodacom’s efforts to simplify network operations, reduce operating expenses while enabling the operator to deliver advanced, next-generation mobile services to its customers.

“With our strong local presence, project management skills and our state-of-the-art wireless technology, we are confident that we will be able to ensure that Vodacom will be able to reach its goal of providing its customers some of the most advanced mobile services available on the African continent, through the upgrade and modernization of their 3G network said Vincenzo Nesci, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in the Middle East and Africa.”

As a global leader in development and deployment of third-generation (3G) networks, Alcatel-Lucent has deployed commercial 3G (UMTS/HSPA and CDMA2000) systems for more than 70 operators worldwide.

Vodacom is a Pan-African cellular communications company providing service to more than 34 million customers in South Africa, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho and Mozambique.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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