3 and technology partner ZTE have presented the new Austrian 3Meganetwork at Mobile World Congress. By upgrading the entire 3G Austria network to the latest dual-carrier HSPA+ technology, 3 offers its customers speeds of up to 42 Mbps and a tenfold increase in network capacity. Already 50 percent of the Austrian population can benefit from the faster 3Meganetwork. By autumn 2011, the entire network will offer HSPA+ coverage to 94 percent of the Austrian population. Additionally, 3 is preparing the network for the 4th generation of mobile networks, LTE, whose rollout in urban areas will start later this year.
“Now 3 has the frequencies, the technology and data transfer rates for optimal use of state-of-the-art smartphones, innovative multimedia services and nationwide high speed broadband Internet,” said 3 CEO Jan Trionow.
Austrian users will benefit from the upgrade in a number of ways. The 3Meganetwork provides perfect conditions for the use of multimedia services. Smooth, HD quality videos can be enjoyed everywhere and at any time. With the 3Videothek and 3MobileTV services, 3 provides a generous selection of high quality content.
3 data customers will benefit significantly from the network upgrade. They will enjoy remarkably faster transfer speeds and a tenfold increase in capacity, at the usual low prices and with the high flexibility of mobile broadband.
“This is an immediately noticeable improvement of service for our customers. We offer blanket access to the best broadband internet in Austria. Together with ZTE, we were able to realise the modernisation of our network under excellent conditions. For us, this is a major cost advantage that we pass on to our customers in the form of cheaper tariffs,” said Trionow.
With the new 3Meganetwork, 3 is responding to recent developments in mobile networks. “The traffic is growing at enormous rates. Above all, videos are the major driver of this development and now represent the largest share of total data transfers. In the past five years, we have recorded an increase of 1,000 percent. This means that the 3Meganetwork currently transmits over 1 petabyte per month – more than any other mobile network in Austria,” said Trionow.
The huge popularity of mobile broadband Internet – already 43.8 percent of all internet accesses in Austria are mobile – and the increasingly intensive usage of high-bandwidth services are causing this significant increase. In 2010 the average data user consumed almost 3 GB per month – back in 2006 it was only 600 MB per month.
Furthermore, smartphone usage results in higher demand on mobile networks. “2010 can be called the year of the smartphones. About 80 percent of our new customers opted for a smartphone,” explained Trionow. The 3Superphone tariffs, which are tailored to the strengths of modern handsets and come with an unlimited data volume, have been especially popular. Additionally, 3 offers the best phones of its portfolio starting at 0 Euro with these tariffs.
Last year the mobile operator realised a customer growth of 26 percent and now has more than a million customers.
“With our new 3Meganetwork we offer our customers perfect performance, and we strengthen our competitive position at the same time. We have created ideal conditions to continue our rapid growth in the years to come, ” Trionow concluded.