China Mobile Communications (CMCC) has selected Motorola as the primary TD-LTE solution partner to provide indoor coverage for all major pavilions at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China, and will also integrate and launch, what is claimed to be, the world’s first TD-LTE USB dongle that supports both 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz.

The World Expo is scheduled to be held from 1 May to 31 October 2010.

At the event, Motorola will deploy an LTE network to provide indoor coverage in all CMCC selected pavilions. The company informed that its LTE network will serve as the primary source of broadband connectivity in those locations, as well as providing backup networks for other vendors’ TD-LTE systems.

Motorola informed that it will provide an end-to-end TD-LTE solution that includes its evolved packet core (EPC including MME and GW) and radio access network (RAN), user equipment (UE) and leverage its experience of commercial Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) networks with professional services to deploy, maintain and optimise these networks.

Ericsson will provide field maintenance and other services for the Telefonica O2 UK 2G and 3G networks.

Under the new agreement, Ericsson will provide field maintenance services for radio and switch sites, spare parts management logistics support as well as optimisation and drive services and facilities engineering services for Telefonica O2 UK.

Ericsson and Telefonica O2 UK have a multi-year relationship for supply of mobile core network technology. This new agreement marks the first time that Ericsson will undertake day-to-day operations for Telefonica O2 UK.

Nokia Siemens Networks has signed an agreement to acquire key assets from Nortel. The agreement is being seen as a step towards strengthening Nokia Siemens Networks’ position in Long Term Evolution, or LTE, next generation wireless technology and expanding its market presence in North America.

The planned $650m acquisition, which will bring together the complementary assets of the two companies in the field of mobile radio access, is also expected to add key talent and resources to improve Nokia Siemens Networks’ existing momentum in LTE.

Ericsson recently announced an exclusive contract with 3 Italia that includes a seven-year agreement to modernise and upgrade the existing WCDMA/HSPA network with Ericsson technologies and architectures. It also includes an extension of the current managed services deal.

Under the network transformation contract, Ericsson will modernise and upgrade the existing 3G mobile broadband access and core networks, optical and radio transport, data charging, and consumer-services platforms and systems.

The deal also extends the exclusive managed services contract signed in 2005 for the total management of 3 Italia’s multi-vendor 3G network and telecom IS&IT infrastructure. The prolonged contract runs for five years.

The agreement combines extensive technology modernisation and network upgrade with operational process improvements and managed services. At the end of the transformation and modernisation process, 3 Italia’s mobile broadband network will be powered and managed by Ericsson.

Turkish operator Avea is hoping to introduce high-speed mobile broadband services to its subscribers with the help of WCDMA/HSPA and mobile backhaul technology from Ericsson. The companies have signed a four-year contract for HSPA-enabled network.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will be one of the main suppliers and will integrate and deploy WCDMA/HSPA radio access and packet core networks, as well as a complete mobile-backhaul solution based on microwave transmission and optical transport.

The new HSPA-enabled network is aimed at ensuring mobile broadband without bottlenecks, allowing Avea to offer multimedia services and high-speed mobile internet access. Additionally, Ericsson will expand and upgrade the speed and capacity of Avea’s existing GSM network.

Ericsson will also be responsible for network deployment, systems integration and support including spare-parts management.

Alcatel-Lucent has successfully completed the deployment of its microwave packet radio technology for the IP transformation of the mobile network operated by Digicel Antilles, a mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean, to support both traditional and new, advanced high-speed services in the Antilles.

The company informed that by optimising traffic transport and aggregation from the base stations to the core network, the Alcatel-Lucent microwave packet radio solution provides Digicel with optimised mobile backhaul capabilities for increased efficiency reduced operational costs and improved quality of service.

The end-to-end mobile backhaul solution deployed by Alcatel-Lucent is based on the 9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR) that can aggregate any type of traffic – TDM, ATM and Ethernet – over a converged Microwave Packet network.

The product uses statistical multiplexing to optimise the transport network capacity and service driven adaptive modulation to adapt to variable propagation conditions, such as bad weather.

Any traffic type (video, voice, data) is recognised and its transmission automatically adapted to ensure the quality required by the various service types, the company said.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel-Lucent also supplied its 9400 AWY low and medium capacity short-haul digital microwave system. The entire Alcatel-Lucent solution is managed by the 1350 network management and also included network optimisation, testing and project management services, as well as site studies, training and maintenance services.

Alcatel-Lucent has been awarded a contract by Vinaphone, a mobile operator in Vietnam, to upgrade its GSM network in 16 northern provinces with advanced EDGE broadband data functionality.

In addition, Alcatel-Lucent’s solution is expected to provide Vinaphone with the flexibility to introduce new technologies in the future, including EDGE+, W-CDMA, HSPA, HSPA+, and LTE.

The contract was signed through Alcatel-Lucent’s flagship company in China, Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell. The deployment is currently underway and the expanded network will begin providing commercial services in April 2009.

The company informed that upon commercial launch, this network upgrade and modernisation project will boost the capacity and coverage of Vinaphone’s network and enable the operator to offer its customers a range of advanced services in the future.

Under the terms of the contract, Alcatel-Lucent will design, deploy and maintain its GSM/EDGE radio access solution including its latest Base Station Controller platform and TWIN transceivers.

Alcatel-Lucent has signed a contract worth $52.87m with China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), a wholly-owned subsidiary of China obile, to expand its existing GSM/EDGE network. The expansion, which is now underway, will allow CMPak to provide improved commercial services in northern Pakistan by the end of the first quarter of 2009.

Alcatel-Lucent will have the full responsibility for building the network, providing design, deployment and integration services. The company will also provide project management and maintenance services to help CMPak lower its network operational costs.

Alcatel-Lucent, through its flagship company in China Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, will supply CMPak with its GSM/EDGE radio access solution including its latest Base Station Controller platform and TWIN transceivers, along with microwave transport solutions for improving interconnection among base stations and providing mobile traffic backhauling capabilities.

The company will also provide a comprehensive suite of network integration services such as network optimisation, system support and general project management, to enable CMPak to introduce new technologies and services in the future.

Ericsson has entered into an agreement to divest its TEMS-branded products business, consisting of tools for air interface monitoring and radio network planning, to Ascom.

The agreement involves the transfer of about 300 employees of which around 180 are based in Sweden. The transaction is expected to close in June this year.

Ericsson said that with the divestment, the company seeks to refine its Professional Services portfolio to focus more on the services business.

Ericsson’s TEMS-branded products business provides tools for air interface monitoring and radio network planning. These solutions facilitate planning, implementation and optimisation of networks.

Mobilkom Austria has commercially activated mobile broadband services powered by HSPA Evolution, Ericsson’s latest high-speed broadband access technology. HSPA Evolution, commercially marketed as HSPA+ by Mobilkom Austria, is aimed at boosting network capacity and enabling peak data rates of up to 21Mbps.

The network upgrade is expected to allow the customers of Mobilkom Austria to improve mobile broadband experience for its users.

Ericsson is the main supplier for the upgrade of Mobilkom Austria’s WCDMA/HSPA radio access network with the HSPA Evolution step to 21Mbps, and is also responsible for network deployment and integration services. Transmission speed of up to 28 Mbps will be reached in the course of the year, the company said.