Tele2 Russia has completed a trial of LTE technology using the 1.8 GHz band in Omsk and Pskov. The test was conducted in cooperation with the Radio Scientific Research Institute (NIIR), using equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN). The test results confirmed that there was no service quality degradation on the GSM network, paving the way for technology neutrality in Russia. Peak downlink data transmission rates on the LTE network reached 75 Mbps.
Tele2, a European mobile operator, announces the successful completion of the testing of the first LTE 1800 network in Russia. The studies conducted under the methodology developed by the Radio Research and Development Institute (NIIR) have demonstrated highly efficient LTE operation in the 1800 MHz band.

The tests in the trial zones located in Omsk and Pskov started on March 13, 2012. Equipment for the LTE network infrastructure created for this purpose was supplied by a leading global manufacturer, Nokia Siemens Networks. The trial zone was set up using energy-efficient and compact Flexi Multiradio base stations as well as the package solution Evolved Packet Core (EPC), which is part of the Liquid Core architecture and manages mobile broadband connectivity for subscribers’ data services to Internet, operators’ own network or corporate networks.

Specialists from Tele2 and NIIR performed a complete range of tests on the mobile network, including performance measurements under peak loads in an urban district with the highest concentration of subscribers. The test results confirmed that there was no service quality degradation in the GSM network, while the data transmission rate in the LTE network reached 75 megabits per second.

A detailed report on the LTE technology testing in the 1800 MHz band will be prepared by NIIR and submitted to the State Commission for Radio Frequencies.

Dmitry Strashnov, President of Tele2 Russia:

“Technology neutrality, i.e. possibility to use different technologies on the same frequency band, has already become a global industry standard. The number of mobile operators in different countries who have declared their intent to develop LTE 1800 networks is constantly growing. The world’s leading manufacturers of network and subscriber equipment also support this trend. I am certain that the appearance of LTE 1800 networks in Russia will contribute greatly to the country’s technological development and help address socially important tasks, such as the bridging of “digital divide”. Technology neutrality is the most effective way for LTE development, and I hope that Russian mobile operators will be able to take advantage of it.”