Telecom Lead Europe: Ericsson is assisting Orange France to transform Orange 2G/3G networks and deploy LTE.
As part of the 4G transformation project, Ericsson is installing its RBS 6000 multi-standard 2G/3G/4G radio base stations to enhance the user experience in terms of quality and capacity for Orange subscribers in Greater Paris, as well as in the south- west and north-east regions of France.
Ericsson on Wednesday said it’s the sole vendor for deployment of LTE in the 2.6GHz and 800MHz bands in south-west and north-east France as well as the Greater Paris region.
As one of Orange’s key technology suppliers, Ericsson started deployment of 4G/LTE to upgrade the operator’s networks in June 2012.
France Telecom-Orange had 230.7 million customers at 31 December 2012, an increase of 3.0 percent year on year (+6.8 million net additions), reflecting growth in mobile, with the customer base up 4.5 percent. In France, the mobile customer base rose 0.4 percent in the year.
France Telecom-Orange’s Capital expenditure (Capex) at 5.818 billion euros rose 1.7 percent compared to 2011 on a comparable basis, led by investment in very high speed fixed (FTTH) and mobile (4G) broadband, which is accelerating, notably in France. The ratio of Capex to revenues was 13.4 percent.
Franck Bouétard, head of Ericsson in France, said: “The brisk pace of 4G deployments for Orange demonstrates Ericsson’s ability to support the customer’s key strategic objectives and provide the capacity gains needed to manage the increase in data traffic while improving quality of service.”
