LTE mobile broadband has already been rolled out in some markets and is on the verge of deployment in many more, but as data consumption grows, a challenge that will face operators is how to backhaul their LTE networks. Without enough backhaul capacity for their networks, network customers will not feel they are getting the level of service they have paid for, which is one of the prime causes for customer churn.
Wireless networking kit vendor DragonWave on Friday announced plans to acquire the microwave transport business of Nokia Siemens Networks. The price is around €15m with extras and performance related payouts potentially raising the value of the transaction to above €80m.
Swedish equipment vendor Ericsson turned in a strong set of figures for the third quarter, notching up an increase in net sales of 17 per cent year on year to SKR55.5bn (€6bn), while net income edged up six per cent to SKR3.8bn.
euNetworks, a fibre-optic infrastructure provider has announced a network supply deal with Vodafone Germany. As part of the agreement, euNetworks will deliver fibre services to the operator in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. The deal will enable Vodafone Germany to enhance its backhaul for its LTE network, which it is continuing to roll-out since in launch in December 2010 and now reaches more than four million homes. euNetworks owns 13 fibre-based metropolitan networks across Europe and according to a statement the deal will, “enable Vodafone to benefit from euNetworks extended footprint”.
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With mobile data traffic expected to double annually, small cell base stations are set to play an important role in expanding the capacity of wireless networks. Mobile operators are realizing that to meet the demands for data, video and application access caused by smart phones and other devices, there is a real beauty to going small.
Backhaul specialist MLL Telecom is pitching a managed service offering for UK LTE networks, designed to help operators cope with the incremental data increases they will face one LTE networks are rolled out.
A high capacity submarine cable system linking southern Africa with Europe landed at its final destination in Cape Town this morning. The West African Cable System (WACS), a 14,000km, 5.1Tbps system was brought ashore at Yzerfontein in the Western Cape and will both complement and compete with the 340Gbps Sat-3 system that went into service in the region in 2002.
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Russia’s mobile operators are moving to IP backhaul to deal with explosive growth in data traffic. Leading Russian carrier MTS (Mobile TeleSystems) said this week that it is expecting 86 per cent growth in Russian data traffic by 2015, forcing a strategic focus on network transport.
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International fibre network operator Level 3 Communications on Tuesday agreed to acquire rival carrier Global Crossing in a stock for stock transaction valued at approximately $3bn.

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