Linden says LTE is next big step

President for Ericsson in the sub-Saharan Africa region, Mr. Lars Lindén, has said that the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, is the next big step in the development of telecommunications globally.

He made this disclosure while discussing his firm’s sponsorship and active participation in the annual pan African telecoms event, AfricaCom, which commences on Wednesday in Cape Town, South Africa.

“As the world-leading telecommunications provider, we views its participation at this conference as pertinent, especially considering our commitment to driving growth, sustainability and positively impacting lives in Africa,” he said.

This, he said, would enthrone real innovation in telecommunications service delivery.
Apart from impacting on lives on the continent, Linden was quoted by the Communications Manager for the region, Ms Omasan Ogisi in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online as saying that Ericsson sees LTE is the next big step in the development of telecommunications.

“We are inviting delegates and the industry to move forward with us and take the next steps in the telecoms evolution by using LTE for real innovation,” he said.

LTE networks, he said, would enable operators to deliver much faster mobile broadband to millions of customers around the world who will then be able to download or upload the latest mobile applications to improve their lives and entertain themselves.

To date, he said, Ericsson has signed commercial LTE contracts with six major global operators, three of which are in the United States, the world’s fastest growing LTE market.

“Ericsson has also launched several live commercial LTE networks in three countries with TeliaSonera in Sweden and Norway and with MetroPCS in the US,” he disclosed.

Further, Linden said, Ericsson was the main supplier for both networks and has demonstrated LTE in many countries around the world including South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Hungary, India and Japan.

“Earlier this year, in Amsterdam, Ericsson Research won the award for the best contribution to LTE standards at the Informa LTE Awards 2010,” he said, stressing that it’s another feather in Ericsson’s Fourth Generation (4G) technology cap.

Also, he said, Ericsson would be speaking at the conference mainly with a focus on the 3G Evolution to LTE, technology choices and the investment required towards year 2011.

He disclosed that Ericsson has been nominated for two awards at AfricaCom 2010 including Telecom Innovation of the Year for their Base Transceiver Station, which leads to substantial increase in energy efficiency of both new and already installed base stations.

Additionally, he said, Ericsson with a partner has been nominated for the Best Solution for Rural Services for their E-site; a revolutionary and ‘green’ off-grid base station site solution powered mainly by renewable energy sources and controlled by an intelligent control system, enabling massive savings in operating expenses and maintenance visits.

“We are proud to be part of the conference as it provides the platform to share our knowledge and industry vision. Let’s take the next step in evolving networks and businesses – the future is what we make of it and, what we see is 50 billion connected devices by 2020. Join the conversation and see the possibilities,” Lindén submitted.

In addition, Ericsson, he said, would be showcasing its innovations in Africa including Consumer and Business Applications, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and fixed broadband and convergence.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D