M1 looks at 35% reduction in carbon footprint in Singapore; LTE trial in February

Operator to leverage benefits of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio base stations

MobileOne (M1), the leading mobile operator in Singapore, expects to achieve up to 35% reduction of its telecommunications networks carbon footprint by early 2011. This is made possible by Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio base stations. The vendor is currently modernizing M1’s 2G network to prepare it for a smooth transition to Long Term Evolution (LTE).

In addition, M1 is set to start an LTE trial in February 2010. Undertaken in collaboration with Nokia Siemens Networks, the trial will last two months and marks another step in M1’s commitment to deliver an energy efficient, high-speed mobile broadband service to its subscribers.

The LTE trial includes Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio Base Stations that enhance network coverage and capacity, while lowering site power consumption significantly. This forms part of its end to end Energy Solutions portfolio, which is a clear commitment from Nokia Siemens Networks to drive innovative solutions for energy efficiency. Evolved Packet Core nodes are provided as part of the end-to-end trial*. Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing its cost-efficient mobile softswitching and subscriber data management core network solutions and its NetAct network management system, as well as network optimization and related maintenance services to ensure optimum network quality.

As part of the LTE trial, M1 will be show-casing the hjgh-speed wireless broadband capabilities of LTE at its flagship store in Paragon on Orchard Road. This will allow customers to see amongst other things High Definition (HD) TV streaming, as well as high-speed Internet browsing and web surfing over the LTE network.

Patrick Scodeller, chief technical officer at M1, said. “Our network modernization contract with Nokia Siemens Networks represented our first steps in our evolution to LTE. The trial will help pave the way for faster and better quality mobile broadband services in the future. The extensive use of Nokia Siemens Network’s proven energy efficient equipment will ensure that we have in place a network that is well able to meet the increasingly demanding environmental standards now and in the future.”

“LTE will not only enable a rich end-user experience but also pave the way for new business opportunities for service providers. As M1 continues to keep pace with new technology, we believe that the operator is well positioned to gain a competitive edge in this market,” said Ricky Corker, head of the Asia Pacific region at Nokia Siemens Networks. “At the same time, we’re honored to work with M1 in contributing to Singapore’s carbon emission reduction goals.”

Recognized as the world’s most progressive mobile network technology by many, the Flexi Base Station has received multiple awards, including The Best Network Technology Advance Award at the annual GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2009, CTIA Awards 2009 for green network innovation, and the Gold Award in the Green Infrastructure category of Juniper Research’s 2010 Future Mobile Green Awards. Nokia Siemens Networks has shipped its LTE-ready Flexi Base Station hardware to close to 140 operators worldwide.

Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to driving the commercialization of LTE networks. In September 2009, it completed the world’s first LTE call using a commercial base station and fully standard compliant software. This was followed by the world’s first LTE handover test in October and interoperability tests with four leading mobile device vendors in November.
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

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*Note to editors:
The trial includes two products that make up the key elements of Nokia Siemens Networks Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network solution for Long Term Evolution (LTE), allowing operators to modernize their network to support a wide variety of access types using a common core network. The Flexi Network Server and the Flexi Network Gateway will enable operators to efficiently offer a comprehensive range of voice, data, high quality and real time multimedia services using the same ATCA base platform.

The Flexi Network Server (NS) functions as the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the EPC architecture to provide call control for LTE. It is a dedicated control-plane element that is optimized to operate in all-IP environments. It utilizes the competencies of implementing flat network architectures that Nokia Siemens Networks has gained through providing Direct Tunnel for current HSPA networks.

The Flexi Network Gateway (NG) functions as the System Architecture Evolution Gateway (SAE) for processing routing call traffic in the EPC architecture. It is designed to serve as a high capacity gateway for mobile broadband networks, and offers high packet processing and signaling capabilities to accommodate high volumes of real-time traffic, especially Voice over IP (VoIP), and to offer high signaling performance in a flat network architecture. It also allows the implementation of policy control to enable operators to stay in control of their usage of network resources. The Flexi NG scales to meet the needs of both distributed and centralized network architectures.

Advanced Telecommunications Computer Architecture (ATCA) is an industry specification for communications equipment envisioned by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG). It defines open standards-based guidelines for the design and manufacture of next-generation carrier-grade telecom hardware. AdvancedTCA and ATCA are trademarks of PICMG.