24 May 2011, Shenzhen – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today announced Africa’s first 42Mbps DC-HSPA+ 900MHz commercial network based in South Africa’s Port Elisabeth.
The network is run by South Africa’s mobile operator Cell C which is one of the top three mobile operators in South Africa, and is the first mobile operator to operate the GSM 900MHz/1800MHz dual-band network. Last July, ZTE and Cell C jointly announced Africa’s first HSPA+ 900MHz network, which was upgraded to 42M DC-HSPA+ in less than a year.
The GSM/UMTS 900M network deployed by ZTE for Cell C has the most advanced SDR base-stations in the industry, which not only simultaneously supports both GSM and UMTS, but also evolves towards HSPA+/LTE.
Compared with the 2100MHz network, the 900MHz network offers better coverage. The download rate and the indoor penetration rate can be effectively increased, making the network the most technically advanced and fastest in South Africa.
Zhang Jianguo, General Manager of ZTE’s GU Product Line, said: “The continuous improvement of Cell C’s network performance has demonstrated the great cooperation between us, and has also demonstrated ZTE’s commitment to deploying high-quality networks for customers using the SDR-based Uni RAN solution. We will continue to enhance the strategic partnership with Cell C to build an advanced mobile broadband network in Africa.”
Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt said: “With the SDR technology, our system does not need to replace any hardware, and a simple hardware expansion and remote software upgrade can support the dual-carrier capacity.”
"We delivered on our promise. When we announced the HSPA+ 900M network, we promised that we would upgrade it to 42Mbps in the next few months to provide a better user experience, and today we made good on that promise,” he added.
As planned, Cell C will continuously implement network upgrades and in the future it will support the 42Mbps DC-HSPA+ function throughout the network.
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