Swisscom Selects Ericsson for LTE and Mobile-Network Modernization

Looking for mobile-network modernization and an upgrade to LTE, Swisscom, Switzerland's largest mobile and fixed operator, has extended its partnership with Ericsson, the company has announced.

Optimizing all of Swisscom's networks, Ericsson will modernize 6,000 mobile sites with its RBS 6000 multi-standard radio base stations. The operator's mobile-data users all over the country – and especially those living in areas where traffic is dense, such as in inner cities – will benefit from faster speeds as a result, the company stated in a press release.

Anders Runevad, head of Region Western and Central Europe at Ericsson said, “We are pleased to help Swisscom introduce LTE and allow its users to enjoy the benefits of LTE on their smartphones, laptops and tablets. As Ericsson sees mobility and broadband as pillars of the Networked Society, in which everyone and everything is connected, this extended partnership marks yet another step towards realizing that vision.”

For the swap of the existing infrastructure under the five-year contract, Ericsson will deliver core network, multi-standard radio base stations for 2G, 3G and 4G, as well as related installation services. This includes software, hardware and the introduction of small cells, mostly in traffic-dense areas.

Swisscom will have GSM, WCDMA and LTE access networks with this deployment. Supporting all three access technologies, a key component in the core network is therefore Ericsson's SGSN-MME node. The rollout will start in January 2012 and all mobile sites will be modernized by mid 2014, the company stated.

Recently, the company released its report on mobile data traffic. This report has been released as part of Akamai’s  The State of the Internet report and it reveals that mobile data traffic is growing day by day and it has doubled in twelve months, from Q2 2010 to Q2 2011.

Normal seasonal fluctuation and the mobile data growth patterns reveal that the quality of a smartphone affects which applications people use and the length of time they surf the mobile Internet.