Siemens Communications is to supply Vodafone Germany with remote radio head systems for the new installation of W-CDMA base stations and the expansion of existing ones. Radio heads are usually permanently integrated in base stations, but a new modular system from Siemens permits the physical separation of the radio head from the server of a base station.

That means that, for the first time, carriers are able to install the radio head remotely, giving them unprecedented flexibility in building networks. This also lets them reduce power consumption in the final stage of the transmitter by up to 50 percent and line and installation costs by between 30 and 70 percent.

Vodafone Germany has decided to deploy remote radio heads in order to increase the capacity of its W-CDMA network quickly and in a cost-effective manner. It plans to install remote radio head technology at suitable new locations and also use it to expand the capacity of existing W-CDMA base stations. This technology has now been shipped and installed and is undergoing field trials.

In a second step, the operator can also install remote radio heads for GSM base stations. In conjunction with a small standardized 19-inch slider server, Vodafone can make its GSM stations W-CDMA-capable at little cost and effort.

NEC and its 3G partner, Siemens Communications, have successfully run the first live implementation of High Speed Downlink Data Packet Access (HSDPA) with mobile media company 3, on 3’s network in the UK. Kevin Buckley of NEC gives HSDPA the thumbs up.

NEC supplied, installed and tested the HSDPA UTRAN infrastructure (including RNC and Node B), but unlike competitor tests carried out in strictly controlled laboratory conditions, this implementation is in a live network, successfully intermixed with heavy Release 99 traffic, on a live, busy Node B, in central Reading.

HSDPA significantly improves the data rates that can be delivered over a 3G network and means 3 can offer new and enhanced services to customers. HSDPA also means 3 can make more efficient use of its existing network capacity, delivering capacity more cost effectively. It primarily works by introducing 2 techniques; Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC), which results in more efficient resource usage, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), which enables faster retransmissions. HSDPA effectively facilitates high user peak rates of downlink up to 14.4 Mbps by placing key packet data processing in the Node B closer to the end users, thus minimising the delays.

The live pilot, conducted jointly between NEC and 3, has been running for the last two months and has already seen speeds of up to 1.4 Mbps(million bits per second), over three times faster than current 3G speeds and more than forty times faster than GPRS. The pilot will be extended to other areas, including some central London locations in June and 3 is planning to implement HSDPA in its commercial network in the second half of 2006.

“The recent success of NEC’s HSDPA trials in the UK and also on Hong Kong’s 3G network highlights our thorough confidence in the high performance of a commercial HSDPA system. NEC is ready to deliver its HSDPA to commercial networks worldwide”, said Toshiyuki Mineno, Senior General Manager at NEC’s Carrier Solutions Business Unit. “Since Europe’s first commercial services launch by Hutchison 3G in the UK in March 2003, NEC has delivered many 3G networks to Hutchison. This latest win is further testimony of our leading competence in this field and another great milestone in the continuing success of the highly reliable 3G and HSDPA network provided by NEC to Hutchison, together with our 3G partner Siemens. We fully intend to implement further HSDPA operation trials in Europe and Asia with the cooperation of local mobile operators to ensure the successful spread of our high performance HSDPA.”

David Cooper, Chief Technical Officer 3 UK said: “3 has led the development of 3G in the UK and with this successful trial we are leading the development of HSDPA. HSDPA will bring a range of benefits to our customers including faster download speeds, higher quality content and easy transfer of larger files. HSDPA will allow us to continue offering our customers the best new services first, over the largest and most advanced 3G network in the UK. Our objective for 2006 and beyond is to continue to have the best 3G network in the UK, HSDPA is the next step.”

Kevin Buckley, Director, Mobile Network Solutions Division, NEC UK. Ltd. said: “This announcement is particularly significant as this is an actual, live commercial pilot for HSDPA and not just another HSDPA test. It underscores the ongoing success of the NEC/Siemens partnership and its commitment to HSDPA and beyond. Here, we have created a commercially viable, high-performance delivery platform, optimised to support the ever increasing array of multimedia applications and services 3’s customers continue to demand.”

The mobile operator SFR, with headquarters in Paris, is equipping its existing W-CDMA network with High-Speed Data Access (HSDPA) technology from Siemens.

SFR is launching its new data service “3G+” in the Western French region of Nantes/Saint Nazaire/Rennes and offering its customers mobile network access with a maximal transmission data rate of 1,8 megabits per second. That makes it particularly well suited to transmit broadband multimedia applications.

SFR is the first mobile operator in France to launch commercially the 3G offer integrating HSDPA technology in its W-CDMA network. Integrating the Siemens solution requires no additional hardware – a simple software upgrade is all it takes. This made it possible to put the modernized network into operation in just four weeks. Siemens began constructing the W-CDMA network for SFR in 2002 and has been involved in building it out since then.

“Siemens’ technology has enabled us to launch the first commercial HSDPA pilots for our business customers from March 2006. Our customers can now enjoy all the benefits of latest technology in telephony,” said Paul Corbel, Chief Technology Officer of SFR.

“We are excited about this launch, because it enhances our already solid partnership. And it again strengthens our technology leadership in future-ready mobile communications networks,” said Christoph Caselitz, President of Mobile Networks at Siemens Communications.