Russian carrier VimpelCom is to undertake a significant expansion and upgrade of its national network through a strategic agreement with Ciena, including the deployment of a new 100Gbps fibre ring in the far east. Under the contract, Ciena’s packet optical platform will be deployed on networks links of over 10,700km, with upgrades to both VimpelCom’s Moscow to Urals and Urals to Siberia routes, and the southern part of its western Russian network.
Polish operator Polkomtel and its partner Aero 2 have selected Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to modernise and expand their GSM, HSPA+, and LTE networks. The upgrade is being undertaken to provide better coverage and advanced voice and data services for mobile broadband users. The operators have signed a framework agreement for the delivery, integration and maintenance of the operators’ mobile access network and a separate for care services.
Equipment vendor Ciena has been selected to deploy the next generation of the national Research and Education (R&E) network in the UK, named Janet6. The 100Gbps coherent network is designed to drive the UK’s knowledge economy by connecting and supporting the requirements of the research and education community. It will support bandwidth growth and service delivery, as well as partnerships and collaboration with the likes of CERN and the European VLBI Network of telescopes. Janet6 serves more than 18 million users and connects UK universities, colleges, research councils, specialist colleges and community learning providers as well as the UK’s national school network.
Australian carrier Optus has launched 4G services in the cities of Sydney, Perth and Newcastle, with Melbourne to follow on September 15. Optus said that the 4G launch builds upon recent enhancements to its 3G network that have resulted in strong mobile performance for customers. The carrier is offering 4G smartphones to customers immediately as well as USB modems.
A time extension for AT&T’s Virgin Island submarine cable links has reportedly been approved, according to Virgin Islands Daily News. AT&T first received a permit from the St Thomas Coastal Zone Management Committee in 1991 for the installation of seven subsea cables in Estate Peterborg, St Thomas but this permit expired in 2011. The new application did not request any expansion but just the continued occupancy of the cables.
Etisalat’s Egyptian mobile operation Misr is reportedly set to invest approximately $500 million in the development and modernisation of its network, including the roll-out of LTE technology. News site Zawya reports that the company is awaiting bids for the project from equipment vendors, with preliminary testing having already been conducted for parts of the project.
State-owned incumbent Myanmar Post and Telegraph (MPT) is upgrading its mobile backhaul and backbone network using Canadian network vendor Optelian’s DWDM system. The infrastructure will be deployed throughout the country and is supported by Myanmar World Distribution. Josephine Su, director of Myanmar World Distribution, said that the deployment of Optelian’s LightGAIN system with integrated Ethernet aggregation addresses the demand of MPT’s network growth and challenging environmental conditions.
MTS has commercially launched Russia’s first TD LTE network in Moscow and 40 urban areas in the surrounding region. The operator plans to make 4G services available in 96% of the Moscow territory by the end of 2012, doubling the number of population centres with 4G coverage.
Zimbabwean mobile operator Telecel is reportedly set to speed up its network expansion with the intention of achieving 85% population coverage by the end of the year, according to News Day. The publication cited Telecel CEO, Francis Mawindi, as saying that the company would spend $70 million on the expansion of its mobile network this year.
PIPE Networks, a subsidiary of Australian carrier TPG Telecom, has selected Infinera’s DTN-X platform to upgrade its PPC-1 submarine cable network between Guam and Sydney to 100Gbps, and to upgrade its terrestrial network in Sydney. For the upgrade PIPE is deploying FlexCoherent super channels on the system, increasing speeds for international and Australian carriers, which use PPC-1. The optical vendor’s platform was also selected for PIPE’s terrestrial network, to deliver 500Gbps super channels to data centre sites in Sydney.
German internet exchange DE-CIX has partnered with interconnection and ENUM registry specialist XConnect for the launch of the DE-CIX Next Generation Network (NGN). The service is designed to provide seamless multilateral interconnection of different networks for next-generation communications and VoIP. It is claimed to offer national and international operators NGN interconnection to multiple networks by passing the PTSN, improved voice quality, number portability, policy control, and a reduction in capital and operating expenses. The service will be officially launched on September 13.
Brazilian state-owned telco Telebras has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Spanish subsea vendor IslaLink for the deployment of a submarine cable linking South America and Europe. The cable is one of five sections of a 24,000km subsea network announced by Telebras earlier this year to connect Brazil to the Southern Cone of Latam, the US, Europe and Africa. It will have a total cost of $900 million, according to Business News Americas.
