Nokia Siemens Networks launches LTE solution certification program #MWC11

Mobile World Congress 2011, Barcelona, Spain – 9 February 2011

Operators, channel partners to benefit from comprehensive, standardized approach to end-to-end LTE solutions in multi-vendor environments

Nokia Siemens Networks has launched a training and certification program to provide a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end Long Term Evolution (LTE) solutions in multi-vendor environments. The company aims to roll out the program to customers and third party IT professionals in the second quarter of 2011. In the first two months of its rollout within the company, hundreds of Nokia Siemens Networks engineers and sales people have been certified. Examinations are conducted by industry-leading, independent test centers to verify the LTE expertise achieved. The company expects to increase its number of certified employees to 4,500 by the end of 2011.

“This program has been designed to provide a reliable, valid and fair method of improving and assessing an individual’s skills and knowledge on end-to-end LTE solutions,” said Joseluis Garcia, head of business development at Nokia Siemens Networks. “At the same time, we realize that complex LTE solutions, customized for specific requirements, can only be designed and built in close cooperation with vendors like us and experts from the industry at large.”

“We seek to develop a community of highly skilled, certified professionals by providing people across the industry with the business, strategic and technical understanding of the challenges operators face in dedicated technology areas, such as IP or LTE. For operators, it means faster implementation and time to launch with LTE solutions that fit their needs,” Garcia said.

Nokia Siemens Networks offers four levels of accreditation within the LTE solution certification program - Associate, Specialist, Professional and Expert. Preparation for these certification levels is supported by Nokia Siemens Networks’ Academy* by offering a range of approaches to learning ranging from class-room sessions to e-learning and mobile learning units. The program comprises more than 60 days of training by the academy, followed by an examination by industry-leading, independent test centers for candidates to become a Nokia Siemens Networks Certified Solution Professional (NCSP).

The program supports an expert workforce in terms of market understanding, end-to-end knowledge, technology, interfaces, operations, administration, maintenance and planning for LTE technology.

Nokia Siemens Networks is leading the commercialization of LTE in terms of commercial references and live network performance according to a third party consultancy firm**. Among the company’s 31 commercial LTE deals are: Agri-Valley Communications in USA; Deutsche Telekom in Germany; Elisa Finland and Elisa Estonia; LG U+ in South Korea; LightSquared in USA; Mobily (Etisalat) in Saudi Arabia; Mosaic Telecom in USA; NTT DOCOMO in Japan; Tele2 in Sweden; Telecom Italia; Telenor Denmark; Telia in Sweden; TeliaSonera in Denmark; EMT (TeliaSonera) in Estonia; Verizon in USA and Zain Bahrain.

Network operators, partners, press and analysts are welcome to know more about Nokia Siemens Networks‘ Solution Certification Program for LTE, its benefits, and can try out their knowledge to get an “MWC LTE Demo Certificate” at the Nokia Siemens Networks‘ Experience Center in Hall 8, C01 of the 2011 Mobile World Congress, 14-17 February, Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

Talk about Nokia Siemens Networks’ news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at www.connectivityscorecard.org

Notes to editors:
* Nokia Siemens Networks Academy has a worldwide presence with 150 training centers in 40 countries globally to serve its customers all over the world. The academy organizes over 6,000 training events in a year. The academy‘s large teams of highly competent trainers specialize in different technical areas and can deliver learning solutions covering the full span of Nokia Siemens Networks‘ products and services. The academy covers the complete spectrum of IT training, technical training and business training, and deliver as per individual requirements including classroom or virtual classroom sessions, workshops, seminars, on-the-job activities or web-based training.

Nokia Siemens Networks aims to work with customers to design a learning solution that meets their needs. Identifying the operational problems and understanding their commercial impact are essential steps to be able to select the most suitable learning solutions that help solve customers‘ challenges. Well managed competence development services help customers gain better understanding of training needs, optimize learning solutions in a multi-vendor environment, analyze return on their training investments, and further enable customers to concentrate on their core business activities.

** An LTE performance drive test by Signals Research Group on a Swedish commercial live LTE network confirmed that the overall results achieved in the Gothenburg network (supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks) were better than those achieved in the Stockholm network (supplied by another vendor).