ZTE, a global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced that Optimus will be deploying its software define radio (SDR) multi-mode solution, enabling the operator to upgrade its GSM/UMTS network in Portugal and providing an evolution path to LTE. ZTE's SDR network will include SDR RAN, network management system, and operation systems and software (NMS/OSS), enabling Optimus to optimize current 2G/3G services and smoothly upgrade to LTE. The network roll-out will cover 4 regions in central Portugal. 

Optimus is the only integrated telecommunications' Portuguese operator owned by Sonaecom – a joint venture owned by the Portuguese SONAE Group(80%) and France Telecom(20%) – it is Portugal's second and third largest provider of fixed-line and mobile services respectively.  

"The Portuguese telecom market is highly competitive. In order to continue to develop its mobile network and provide to its customers a high-speed service and superior mobile broadband experience, Optimus is continuously looking for new and more efficient solutions. The choice of ZTE uni-RAN solution for central part of Portugal will allow, not only to modernize the existing infra-structure, but also to be ready for future LTE developments, helping us to stay ahead of competition" said José Pinto Correia, Optimus Executive Board Member. 

"There is a growing demand for mobile broadband services, which is only going to continue with the success of data services such as email and social networking. ZTE's SDR-based network enables Optimus to meet this growing demand for high-speed services. More importantly, this network is future-proof as it can easily support a LTE network," added Zhang Jianguo, ZTE's general manager of UMTS / LTE. 

This is the first contract win for ZTE's SDR technology in Western Europe and follows a series of key contract wins in the region. ZTE currently has wireless network agreements with seven of the top 10 European operators, and includes GSM/UMTS networks for TeliaSonera, Telenor, and KPN as well as LTE trials with Telefonica. ZTE is conducting LTE trials with more than 10 operators, including Singapore Telecom, China Mobile and CSL.     

Andrew Solutions, a specialist in wireless communication systems and products, has teamed up with Turkey's three mobile operators to ensure reliable wireless signals reach 2G and 3G subscribers throughout Istanbul's new Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

The three operators-AVEA, Turkcell and Vodafone-led the project, Andrew supplied its ION-M optical distributed antenna system (DAS), and Mikom Microwave, Andrew's business partner in Turkey, assisted with system design and commissioning. Andrew's ION-M is a multi-operator coverage and capacity solution, supporting the operators' 2G and 3G subscribers in the airport. ION-M transmits wireless signals across both fiber optic and coaxial cables to remote antennas from a master unit. The result is clear wireless coverage for travelers and employees throughout the Sabiha Gokcen Airport campus.

"Andrew's DAS solution is the first Turkish installation to support three frequency bands and three wireless operators with one dynamic system," said Andrea Casini, Andrew's vice president of sales and marketing, Europe, Middle East, North Africa. "We are pleased to bring the coverage and capacity solution deployed in airports, subway systems, sports stadiums, and other large structures around the globe to Turkey's new airport."

Andrew's ION-M system supports both GSM and UMTS frequency bands in the Sabiha Gokcen Airport, and plans are underway to install a similar wireless coverage solution in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, as well. Because the ION-M supports multiple operators with one network infrastructure, installation time and aesthetic impact inside the airport are limited

"Andrew's ION system was chosen by the mobile operators because its superior performance for providing multi-operator, multi-band mobile indoor networks has been proven in many demanding projects in the field," said Engin Arikan, chief executive officer of Mikom. "Andrew's extensive experience with such projects also made the entire process run smoothly."

See interviews with top executives from across the mobile industry at Mobile World Congress 2010

ME was in Barcelona on the show floors last week asking exhibitors what they think of mobile operators' businesses, and how they can help. Please toggle to full screen for sharing options.

Mobilkom Austria Group, a mobile operator in Central and Eastern Europe, has selected Openmind Networks as the Group's preferred provider for next generation messaging platforms.

The move is said to signal a new trend that is gaining ground with mobile operators globally, namely the replacement of legacy SMSC systems with a new breed of technologies that address three critical business issues with one fully integrated messaging platform.

"Today, mobile operators across the world are faced with similar challenges in the SMS market", explains Wolfgang Fleischer, Group Director, Core Service Network at Mobilkom Austria Group.  "In a nutshell, as margins continue to be squeezed on SMS traffic, we need to find more cost effective ways to route our messages while still delivering high levels of service to our subscribers.  Secondly, we need to replace the revenue that is being eroded  in the SMS market with  new sources and to do that we need to be able to design, build and launch new messaging services quickly and easily – simple in theory but complex in reality".

Unlike many legacy SMSC systems, says Openmind, which tend to be closed and proprietary, the Openmind messaging platform is open, flexible and fully integrated.  Using one platform Mobilkom Austria Group can address three critical issues: reduce the cost of routing their SMS traffic with no impact on subscribers' service levels; access a wide range of new message personalization services – pre built and out of the box – that they can launch quickly to subscribers; and design  build and launch new messaging services, unique to their subscribers, that will positively impact both revenue and customer churn.

"What really convinced us to select Openmind as our preferred supplier was the fact that they have one fully integrated messaging platform – we can route all our messages and launch and create new services for our subscribers – quickly and easily", adds Fleischer. "Historically we would have needed several systems coupled with significant IT development, and long lead times, to do this. That drives up hardware costs, support and maintenance costs and operational costs. Extrapolate the impact across eight operators and very soon you have a hefty impact on the balance sheet".

Mobilkom Austria Group have deployed Openmind's messaging platform across six of its operators which include mobilkom austria, Mobiltel Bulgaria, SiMobil Slovenia , Velcom Belarus ,  VIP Macedonia and VIP Serbia.

Commenting on the deal Alex Duncan, CEO of Openmind Networks explains, "Naturally we are delighted with our group deal with Mobilkom.  It is good to genuinely be able to help solve some of our clients' challenges.  We are able to do this because we designed our platform differently; we focused on the future needs of mobile operators and made it open and flexible to accommodate changes in market dynamics.  We are seeing the reality of that play out in the market today – the SMS market dynamics have changed but some of the legacy SMS platforms are hindering operators from reacting to those changes.  We are glad we have a solution to that."

Increasing apps business, NFC-ready handsets and mobile broadband pushing future revenues were put into the spotlight at last week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Forecasts by operators, vendors and system integrators all expressed cautious optimism while keeping in mind one question: the increasing load on networks due to ongoing NG services coupled with nearly unlimited flat-rate offers.  Orga Systems, a specialist in real-time charging and billing, offers an answer to this question. The real-time based Next Generation Control Point enables dynamic Policy Management thus intelligently unburdening the network and strongly supporting profit-oriented business models. 

How to avoid the network breaking point

Solutions to the problem of overloaded data networks will dominate the requirements of network operators in the next few years. It seems to be impossible to move away from flat-rate models, and therefore spectrum limitations are under discussion to succeed in the long-run. To overcome the dilemma of price-driven subscriber growth, dynamic policy control offers an intelligent alternative. With its Next Generation Control Point (NGCP), Orga Systems covers key aspects, such as service control, Quality of Experience and service differentiation in real-time. By using this solution, operators can utilize significantly less Hardware per gigabyte, fact which means a strong competitive advantage in this data driven telecommunications world.

Single platform approach to save costs

NGCP helps operators to manage complex subscriber profiles and charging rules for all services across all networks for pre- and postpaid subscribers. Differentiated charging and a fine-grained policy management allow for the control of bandwidth-hungry applications like "peer-to-peer" file sharing, while generating additional revenues with new individualized service offerings. Unifying policy management, active mediation and charging control in one single platform, NGCP meets Tier 1 operational requirements as well as Greenfields' need for long-term scalability.

UK based Horsebridge Network Systems has announced the release of the industry's first, Sub 6-GHz Microwave PDH System from Radwin.

Designed specifically to meet the cellular backhaul needs of carriers, by offering up to 16 x E1s/T1s and Ethernet, this latest system is capable of delivering high-end performance and capacity to even the most challenging of urban and rural environments.

The new PDH system incorporates technologies such as MIMO, OFDM and Diversity; this, combined with unique proprietary protocols, ensures high resilience within sub-6 GHz bands.

Radwin's 2000 PDH System comes with a flexible combination of native TDM and Ethernet, and 1+1 Monitored Hot Standby support. It also incorporates Spectrum View for locating the cleanest channel for operation.

"Radwin 2000 PDH is the natural choice for carriers" says Geoff Smith of Horsebridge "It delivers unparalleled performance and we can offer it at a price that is more competitive than any other solution on the market today. Radwin 2000 PDH was designed with carriers' needs in mind, allowing them to relieve backhaul capacity bottlenecks and extend their network reach".

The combination of smartphone proliferation, a surge in application storefront launches and new developments in hybrid positioning technologies are expected to help drive revenues from mobile location-based services to more than $12.7 billion by 2014, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

The Mobile Location Based Services report found that while MLBS had experienced in number of false dawns over the 2000-2007 period, improvements in handset user interfaces – exemplified by the iPhone – together with easier consumer access to an array of app distribution channels had led to greater interest from service providers in providing MLBS applications. In addition, growth was being further facilitated by the deployment of high capacity network infrastructure and attendant increases in mobile Internet adoption, providing greater opportunities for browser-based services.

Furthermore, the Juniper report noted that advertising was likely to form an increasing share of MLBS-related revenues over the next five years. According to report co-author Dr Windsor Holden, "Location-based applications are extremely interesting for brands and retailers in that they allow those companies to direct consumers to outlets in their vicinity while simultaneously providing information about the products on offer. When these are allied to measures such as mobile coupons and vouchers, you have the combination of information and financial incentive which can be compelling for consumers."

Other findings from the Mobile Location Based Services Research include:

• Improving the user experience of MLBS on feature phones will be key in driving usage beyond the core smartphone base
• Despite the confluence of factors driving growth, deployments may still be affected by constraints including privacy and information security
• While service usage will be highest in Far East & China over the next five years, greatest revenues will come from Western Europe