Monday, 11 February 2008

Ericsson to Deploy Microwave & Optical Transmission Technology for Singapore Telco

Ericsson and Singapore’s leading mobile communications provider M1 announced yesterday that they have entered into a two-phase turnkey contract that will see Ericsson implement microwave and optical transmission solutions for M1...

Ericsson and Singapore’s leading mobile communications provider M1 announced yesterday that they have entered into a two-phase turnkey contract that will see Ericsson implement microwave and optical transmission solutions for M1.

The project aims to vastly enhance the capacity of M1’s mobile network backbone to meet the current and anticipated traffic increase in their mobile network resulting from an uptake of the operator’s mobile broadband services.

Under the agreement, Ericsson is to supply, implement and maintain full turnkey microwave and optical transmission solutions that allow optimization on both network and sites - acting as the backhaul of M1’s wireless broadband and cellular traffic - thereby resulting in a more robust and cost-effective network.

“This announcement marks a significant milestone for M1 as we are now more self-sufficient in network ownership. We have chosen Ericsson as their microwave transmission solution provides us with a platform for flexible, scalable and cost-effective network expansion and management, in addition to helping us meet the emerging challenges of next-generation networks (NGNs),” said Neil Montefiore, M1’s Chief Executive Officer.

The transmission portfolio, comprising of Ericsson’s MINI-LINK solutions, Optical MultiService Metro-Edge (OMS) platform and the ServiceOn management system, is expected to rollout in early part of 2008 and will involve several hundred sites across Singapore.

The two-phased project will focus on expanding the capacity of these 600 sites and fully utilizing backhaul speeds, thereby improving performance of M1’s transmission network.

Ericsson’s MINI-LINK portfolio can be optimized for simple installation with a compact, capacity agile outdoor unit. New base stations or interfaces can be added to the backhaul network configuration in a matter of minutes, thus minimizing maintenance and upgrade costs.

“Today’s announcement underlines the trust and confidence M1 has in Ericsson’s proven technology and our commitment to deliver quality services. We are honored to help M1 meet its goal of being an innovative mobile communications service provider that is constantly seeking ways to offer superior user experience to its subscribers,” said Ann Emilson, President and Country Manager of Ericsson Singapore.

According to Ericsson, some 450 worldwide customers have chosen the MINI-LINK solution and it has a market share of more than 40 percent of the short haul microwave market.