Nokia, NEC and Siemens build 3 network


17 Aug 2005

Ireland’s newest mobile operator 3 revealed NEC, Nokia and Siemens are the network infrastructure suppliers for its Irish 3G network. The deals include supply of the WCDMA 3G core network, internet protocol (IP) backbone and core management solution.

“After a thorough process, we selected the best network suppliers for 3 in Ireland,” explained 3 Ireland commercial development director Stephen Pilkington. “They offer the necessary expertise, which will be so vital in the rollout of our network over the next few years.

“We are confident Nokia’s expertise in 3G WCDMA deployment and its ability to respond to our needs will ensure we are able to offer our Irish customers the most advanced mobile services, while NEC and Siemens offer us the guarantee of reliability and speed to market that is vital to 3.”

The infrastructure supplier agreements, which were completed in 2004, represent the backbone of 3’s 3G network, which launched on 26 July and currently covers 60pc of the Irish population.

3 also has 99.5pc population coverage for voice and text through an agreement with Vodafone.

In accordance with the contract, Nokia is also providing network planning and design, project management, implementation and integration services for the core network. The design service provides the required designs and configurations for the circuit switch core, packet switch core and IP backbone.

As the major supplier of 3’s W-CDMA/UTMS radio access network, NEC and its 3G partner Siemens Information and Communication Mobile (Siemens Mobile) are providing the detailed design for the network together with commissioning integration and network optimisations services.

In addition, NEC is delivering a full complement of NEC Node-B radio base stations, NEC radio network controllers and NEC ‘Pasolink’ microwave access radios with an aim to providing ubiquitous 3G network coverage for 3 customers around Ireland.

By John Kennedy