By Telecom Lead Team: Ericsson is powering 3 Italia’s
backhaul network upgrade work to enable the operator to offer downlink speeds
of up to 42Mbps.
Initiated in 2011, Ericsson is upgrading 3 Italia’s
network architecture and helping the operator migrate to a full-IP backhaul and
access architecture.
“Since our world-first launch of UMTS in 2003, we
have taken a proactive approach to building and maintaining a state-of-the-art
network for our customers. Consumers expect a fast and reliable 3G network that
meets their requirements when accessing their voice, video, internet and mobile
TV services via mobile devices,” said Dina Ravera, chief operating
officer, 3 Italia.
Ericsson is responsible for design, installation and
system integration. The upgrade includes Ericsson’s microwave MINI-LINK
products, its optical Smart Packet Optical (SPO) 1400 products and its
SmartEdge 600 Multi-Service Edge Router.
“As data consumption grows due to the massive uptake
of mobile broadband, network operators need to upgrade all parts of their
networks – not just the radio access network. 3 Italia’s backhaul upgrade will
provide the operator’s end-users with fast data services, improving the
end-user experience on all devices. I am pleased that Ericsson is now involved
in this part of 3 Italia’s network,” said Nunzio Mirtillo, head of Region
Mediterranean, Ericsson.
The relationship between 3 Italia and Ericsson dates back
to 2001, when the operator selected its UMTS suppliers. In 2005, the two
parties signed one of the largest managed services contracts in the telecom
industry. On June 5, 2009, 3 Italia awarded Ericsson a network transformation
deal to upgrade its WCDMA/HSPA network and extending the managed services deal.
