CSLNWM's network in Hong Kong to be replaced with an all-IP network

17 February 2009, Barcelona, Spain - ZTE, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions and Hong Kong’s #1 mobile operator CSL New World Mobility (CSLNWM), a subsidiary of Australia’s Telstra Corporation, today announced that they would work together to build in Hong-Kong, the world’s first SDR (Software Defined Radio) based HSPA+ network making it the first large-scale all-IP network with such technology.

Selected after a thorough competitive tender process ZTE will upgrade CSLNWM’s existing infrastructure with a fully integrated 2G/3G all-IP SDR-based network. Furthermore, ZTE and CSLNWM have successfully completed testing of the HSPA+ network capability in Hong Kong on 15 February 2009, delivering HSPA+ (64QAM) services which can provide up to 21Mbps download speed. 

ZTE’s SDR technology provides CSLNWM’s network with increased flexibility by reducing equipment space and power requirements, and at same time enabling high speed, advanced traffic management and future-proof systems. SDR solutions enable operators to upgrade to next generation networks, including HSPA+, MIMO and LTE.

CSLNWM CEO Tarek Robbiati said Hong Kong was undoubtedly one of the most difficult places to deploy a network. “Many skyscrapers and the dense population create a complicated wireless environment. So the reconstruction of a converged all-IP 2G/3G network is a challenging task.

“We congratulate ZTE on the system’s outstanding performance in QAM64 testing and we believe our work with them will help CSLNWM to stay way ahead of the competition and deliver its 2.5 million subscribers superior service,” Mr. Robbiati said.

ZTE CEO Mr. Yin Yimin said the CSL network reconstruction project was an arduous and complicated undertaking.

“ZTE set up a special project team comprised of more than 300 engineers and technical experts to work with CSL. We are very proud that together we are enabling the world’s first SDR-based HSPA+ network,” Mr. Yin said.

The dual-mode 2G/3G SDR CSLNWM network will be the first large-scale all-IP network in the world, delivering superior services and user experience, while providing a smooth transition from the existing network to HSPA+. CSLNWM’s new network will include a single core network, RAN and network management system and operation systems and software (NMS/OSS).

CSLNWM is the largest mobile operator in Hong Kong and a subsidiary of Telstra. Its GSM/UMTS network counts over 2.5 million subscribers.

Telstra was the world’s first operator to roll-out a nationwide 3G HSDPA network. The network was commercially launched in Australia in 2006, covering an area larger than Western Europe, and the entire project was completed in the record time of 10 months. Telstra Australia’s Next G network operates in the 850MHz range and is expected to reach speeds of 100 Mbps over the next few years.