Tcell Paves the Way for a 3G Network

Tajikistan is a mountainous, landlocked country in Central Asia. The country has a population of approximately 7.7 million and covers an area of 143,100 square kilometers. Mountains cover 93% of the country, and more than 50% of the country is 3000 meters above sea level.

The mobile industry in Tajikistan has developed rapidly over the past two years. The number of mobile users has hit 3.5 million, and mobile penetration is 41.54%. A considerable proportion of the mobile market is GSM and WCDMA. Industry players such as Babilon, Tcell, MLT and Beeline are scrambling to gain market share. Tcell is a GSM and UMTS operator with 1.6 million subscribers and a market share of 35%. It has the largest operating revenue and second largest number of subscribers in Tajikistan.

Tcell's Pressing Need to Upgrade Transmission Network

Tcell comprises Indigo Tajikistan in the capital and Indigo Somoncom in the north. Indigo Somoncom has been in operation for a long time and provided early network coverage. It dominates the northern area and has 400,000 voice users. Indigo Tajikistan targets mid- and high-end users, and is famous for its voice quality and relatively high ARPU.

In the 3G era, Tcell must provide new data services to attract customers and keep them satisfied. However, Tcell’s existing network equipment was mostly outdated 2G equipment with insufficient capacity and functions to meet the ever-growing demand for data services. Therefore, Tcell urgently needed to build a 3G network that had extremely large capacity, that was stable, and that could flexibly accommodate new components.

Tcell required

• greatly improved network capacity, stability, and reliability. Tcell wanted to replace its old, outdated equipment and expand network capacity in low-coverage areas within three years. The newly deployed 3G equipment would provide data services to VIP areas in big cities. The networking area was divided into north and south. More than 400 hops of microwave equipment were replaced or built.
• full 3G support for the features and functions of the existing network. This was necessary to co-site 2G and 3G base stations and smoothly evolve to LTE.
• detailed surveying and project management, network planning and optimization, and equipment trials. Tcell required wireless equipment, core networks, network management, intelligent networks, and services, transmission, power supply, and auxiliaries.

The existing network equipment provider did not have sufficient R&D and construction capabilities to meet Tcell’s demands. Therefore, Tcell had to find a reliable and comprehensive provider of telecommunication products. For half a year, Tcell rigorously tested ZTE's solutions and equipment and finally selected ZTE for the network expansion project.

Future-Oriented Hybrid & All-IP Microwave Solution

Transmission is particularly important in 3G network expansion. ZTE's future-oriented hybrid & all-IP microwave solution has perfectly met the demand of Tcell for mobile backhaul in the 3G era.

IP microwave multilayer header compression 

IP microwave multilayer header compression significantly boosts microwave bearer bandwidth and saves spectrum resources. Currently, the maximum capacity of a microwave carrier is approximately 400 Mbps. When combined with multilayer compression, ZTE's hybrid & all-IP microwave solution can boost capacity to 1 Gbps in the case of short bytes. This alleviated the pressure on Tcell caused by rapid growth in data services. Because IP transmission capacity and efficiency over links is enhanced, demand for uplink physical bandwidth is reduced when transmitting data services that are the same volume. This helps save spectrum resources, lower investment, and increase earnings.

OAM improves network stability and service satisfaction

OAM involves supervising and regulating networks by troubleshooting, raising alarms, positioning, and performance monitoring. ZTE’s hybrid & all-IP microwave solution supports Ethernet OAM protocols. Tcell can monitor the entire network, including the access links and the inside of network, in real time. They can track the running status of network at any time, promptly spot faults, and intervene in the network. This enhances network stability and subscriber experience.

Smooth evolution protects investment

ZTE's microwave equipment can smoothly evolve from hybrid to all-IP. When LTE arrives, all-IP can be realized by simply adding interface cards and upgrading software. There is no need to replace outdoor equipment and adjust facilities. This can significantly cut costs and save time when upgrading to an LTE network.

Clock synchronization cuts networking costs

Clock synchronization is required for a mobile wireless system to work normally. In a traditional 2G/3G backhaul network, clock synchronization in base stations is realized with GPS, and this increases network construction and maintenance costs. ZTE’s clock synchronization technology provides BITS, synchronous Ethernet, 1588v2, and 1PPS+TOD interfaces for synchronizing frequency and time. Through the microwave network, the clock can be transferred to the base station without the need to install GPS equipment. This reduces network construction costs. Ring network protection technologies can also be used to improve the reliability of clock transmission.

The contract with Tcell was signed on December 15, 2010, and the project was completed in June 2012. Network deployment involved overcoming some difficult obstacles thrown up by Tajikistan’s harsh environment. However, ZTE’s after-sales team completed the project on schedule and demonstrated efficiency, collaboration, and executive capability. Tcell was very satisfied with the enhanced performance of their network.

Tcell said that their 3G network is one of the best in Tajikistan, and ZTE is their trustworthy partner.