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Nokia and French operator SFR have carried out a technical pilot on WCDMA 3G/HSDPA voice call on the 900 MHz band in SFR’s network. The equipment used for the voice and data calls included the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station with a special solution for sharing the existing GSM site infrastructure and thus reducing implementation costs significantly, and a Nokia prototype of a WCDMA 900 mobile device.
The 900 MHz band can provide a larger coverage area than the most commonly used 2 GHz band, thus reducing network deployment costs significantly especially in the rural areas. It also improves the availability of 3G services indoors due to better radio signal propagation characteristics.
"We are impressed by the voice quality of the call, and the HSDPA user data transfer speed reached our expectations. The WCDMA 900 MHz variant brings us an efficient solution, which could allow us to extend our 3G services to rural areas cost-effectively," says Paul Corbel, Chief Technical Officer, SFR.
"These WCDMA 900 voice and data calls are another testimony of Nokia’s strong end-to-end capability and commitment to support operators in developing their offering to better meet the demand that they face in today’s increasingly competitive environment," says Olivier de Percin, Account Director, Networks, Nokia. "With the Nokia WCDMA 900 solution, network operators can provide wireless broadband services, such as HSPA, to their customers in a very cost-efficient way."
Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station and Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner enable SFR to share their existing GSM900 base station site, including base station cabinets, antenna lines and power system, with the WCDMA 3G network.
Nokia and SFR have been working together for more than 10 years and Nokia has provided SFR with GSM and WCDMA 3G/HSDPA radio and core network equipment and services.
Source: Nokia PR
Sweet! Now we can start hoping for a dual or even triband WCDMA device from Nokia.
About The Author
Stefan Constantinescu
Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.
