Espoo, Finland - Nokia and French operator SFR have carried out a technical pilot on WCDMA 3G/HSDPA voice call on the 900 MHz band in SFR’s network. The equipment used for the voice and data calls included the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station with a special solution for sharing the existing GSM site infrastructure and thus reducing implementation costs significantly, and a Nokia prototype of a WCDMA 900 mobile device.

The 900 MHz band can provide a larger coverage area than the most commonly used 2 GHz band, thus reducing network deployment costs significantly especially in the rural areas. It also improves the availability of 3G services indoors due to better radio signal propagation characteristics.

“We are impressed by the voice quality of the call, and the HSDPA user data transfer speed reached our expectations. The WCDMA 900 MHz variant brings us an efficient solution, which could allow us to extend our 3G services to rural areas cost-effectively,” says Paul Corbel, Chief Technical Officer, SFR.

“These WCDMA 900 voice and data calls are another testimony of Nokia’s strong end-to-end capability and commitment to support operators in developing their offering to better meet the demand that they face in today’s increasingly competitive environment,” says Olivier de Percin, Account Director, Networks, Nokia. “With the Nokia WCDMA 900 solution, network operators can provide wireless broadband services, such as HSPA, to their customers in a very cost-efficient way.”

Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station and Nokia Flexi Multiradio Combiner enable SFR to share their existing GSM900 base station site, including base station cabinets, antenna lines and power system, with the WCDMA 3G network.

Nokia and SFR have been working together for more than 10 years and Nokia has provided SFR with GSM and WCDMA 3G/HSDPA radio and core network equipment and services.

About SFR
With more than 17.8 million customers and 8,000 employees, SFR is the second largest mobile telecommunications operator in France. Operating its own GSM/GPRS and UMTS/HSDPA networks, SFR is able to provide a complete range of mobile telephony and multimedia services, as well as mobile data solutions to its personal, SOHO and business customers. SFR has become the operator of choice for new uses of mobile phones, having been the first operator to launch 3G and 3G+ services on the French market, and now boasts 2,7 million 3G customers. The company is also a player on the fixed telecommunications market through its 40,6 % interest in Neuf Cegetel, the leading alternative operator on the French market. SFR benefits from a stable ownership structure, with two major shareholders, Vivendi (56%) and Vodafone (44%).

via Nokia