ZTE Assists BASE in Rolling out 4G Network in Belgium

BASE Company, also known as KPNGB, is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Koninklijke KPN, which is one of the most important telecom operators in Belgium and across Europe. BASE Company has 4.1 million customers under brands such as JIM Mobile, AY Yildiz, and BASE. BASE has the best voice network in Belgium and is investing heavily to become the top mobile operator in Belgium. ZTE was selected as the primary vendor for BASE’s 3G and 4G mobile network.

Long-Term Partner

BASE and ZTE have a long-term partnership that began with the 3G access network. Over the past four years, ZTE 3G base stations have been deployed across BASE’s network, and the 3G network now covers 99.54% of the Belgian population. In recent years, BASE has been upgrading its network to dual carrier, which can reach speeds of up to 42 Mbps (double that of 3G). 3G dual carrier was launched in April 2013 and now covers 83% of the Belgian population. With a Uni-RAN solution that ensures smooth evolution and good equipment performance, ZTE was selected as BASE’s 4G radio equipment supplier. ZTE’s engineering team helped BASE construct a high-quality 4G network.

Fast Rollout

ZTE provides BASE with an end-to-end 4G access network solution that includes base stations, core network, and unified network management system. ZTE helped BASE quickly launch a high-performance 4G network that works smoothly with BASE’s existing 2G/3G network.

Today, BASE is recognized as the leader in Belgium in terms of speech quality and is on par with other operators in terms of data quality. With the launch of 4G in more than 15 cities, BASE demonstrates its ambition in rolling out 4G.

Jos Donvil, CEO of BASE, said, “Rolling out 4G as the second operator in Belgium is important in order to meet the new needs of our customers. In recent years, we´ve seen the number of smartphones and data usage on these devices skyrocket. Customers use their mobile phones for much more than just calling and sending text messages, and that evolution is continuing. As a challenger in the mobile market, we always want to give our customers the ultimate user experience.”

Li Jun, general manager of ZTE Benelux and Germany, said, “I am very pleased that ZTE has been able to help BASE roll out its 4G services. I am confident that with this new 4G network ZTE can help BASE attain an even stronger position in the Belgian mobile market. For ZTE, the successful launch of another 4G network with a European operator is a milestone and confirms our 4G footprint in Europe.”

High Performance

BASE is the second operator to launch 4G in Belgium; however, with ZTE’s advanced LTE solution, BASE’s 4G network performs better than its competitor’s. ZTE’s wideband, multichannel RU with high output power and high-capacity, multimode BBU are both based on the Uni-RAN platform and were widely deployed in BASE’s 4G access network. These provide higher spectral efficiency and make the best use of BASE’s 10 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz band. BASE customers can use the new 4G network immediately provided they have a 4G device, 4G coverage, and a subscription that offers 4G. With 4G, customers can quickly share photos, watch movies, download apps, and much more at a realistic speed of around 20 Mbps (theoretical speed of up to 86 Mbps). This is 10 times faster than 3G.