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Orange Leads Groundbreaking HSPA Pilot in the 1800 MHz Band to Boost the UMTS1800 Ecosystem
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Orange plans to start trials of HSPA in the 1800 MHz band in November in France in partnership with equipment vendor Ericsson and chipset maker Qualcomm. The trial is aimed at increasing 3G capacity by re-farming the 2G frequency band to address increasing demand from operators and consumers and to stimulate the 1800 MHz HSPA ecosystem. Ericsson will provide its multi-standard RBS 6000 base stations, with Qualcomm offering chipset devices that support both 900 MHz and 1800 MHz 2G, as well as 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.1 GHz 3G/HSPA.

Today, leading mobile operator Orange announces it will engage in a joint trial with telecommunications equipment and services supplier Ericsson and chipset provider Qualcomm Incorporated to test HSPA in the 1800 MHz band, in order to show the technology readiness and stimulate the 1800 MHz HSPA ecosystem.
The HSPA trial in the 1800 MHz band will be conducted on the Orange network in France starting in November 2010, using Ericsson base stations and Qualcomm-based devices. Both, base stations and devices, will support 2G at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz and 3G/HSPA at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.1 GHz.

The strong growth of smartphones and Mobile Broadband devices such as USB sticks or connected computers stresses the need for more capacity in mobile networks. Using existing 2G frequency bands, like the 1800 MHz band, for 3G connectivity is a cost effective and straightforward way to address this increasing demand from operators and consumers. Supported by the EU Commission’s decision to open up GSM spectrum for HSPA, the companies plan to enhance their Mobile Broadband offerings by developing HSPA in the 1800 MHz band.

“Orange already uses HSPA in the 900 MHz band to expand 3G coverage. By running HSPA on the 1800 MHz band as well we will better utilise all existing spectrum resources to enhance customer experience for Mobile Broadband”, said Alain Maloberti, VP Network Architecture & Design, Orange Group. “Deploying HSPA in the 1800 MHz band is the fastest and most cost effective way for an operator to increase network capacity due to the small impact on both network infrastructure and devices. UMTS1800 is the natural choice to boost 3G capacity”.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: "Ericsson is ready to offer products and solutions that support HSPA on the 1800 MHz band. We are happy to work with the chipset industry for consumer devices and France Telecom Orange, one of the world’s leading operators, on this groundbreaking activity. Together we are shaping the new usage of existing 2G frequency bands, enabling a mass-market ecosystem for Mobile Broadband, also for the 1800 MHz band.”

“HSPA in the 1800 MHz band is a very important development in a proven 3G technology for the industry.  We are pleased to be engaged with Orange and Ericsson for this trial,” said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Europe. “Qualcomm offers industry-leading flexibility with our RF solutions to help take advantage of opportunities such as HSPA in new frequency bands.”

Ericsson's offerings for the 1800 MHz band are based on its multi-standard RBS 6000 series of base stations. These energy-efficient base stations support all radio technologies in the same base station. Ericsson's solutions help operators leverage their network investments by providing optimal voice communication and mobile broadband services. Ericsson employs scalable architecture and allows seamless network expansion, providing an efficient migration path to broadband, regardless of the legacy technology in place.