Average download speeds on TeliSonera's LTE network are 36.1Mbps, while VoIP quality is deemed to be excellent

Early testing on TeliaSonera’s LTE network in Finland saw maximum download speeds hitting 48Mbps with an average of 36.1Mbps. This compared with average 3G speeds of 4.1Mbps. Meanwhile LTE network latency averaged 23ms, some five times faster than the average 3G latency of 117ms.

The figures were revealed in a new report by British network intelligence firm Epitiro. The company performed the tests over a five day period with over 20,000 data points collected. A ‘consumer experience’ test probe was used to ensure real world results and the tests included basic web browsing, file downloading, VoIP calls, video streaming and gaming.

For voice testing, VoIP calls were made to a UK VoIP network. According to ITU-T PESQ MOS analysis, line quality was judged to be “excellent”, with less than 0.3 per cent of calls being considered as having inferior quality. There were no dropped calls.

While Epitiro said that it had a 95 per cent confidence level in the accuracy of its results it admitted that as the current subscriber base for TeliSonera’s LTE network is quite low it is still too early to judge the effect that contention will have on real world performance. Equally, as the network is only available in a relatively small radius the results are only indicative of stationary performance and it is not know how it will stand up in-motion, such as on trains and cars.

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TeliSonera’s LTE network has been online in Finland since November 2010 and is available in Turku and Helsinki. It operates on the 2.6GHz frequency and speeds of between 20Mbps and 80Mbps had been predicted. Estimates for the end of 1Q11 from Informa’s WCIS put the firm’s LTE subscriber base at just 2,000 users, compared to a total user base of 3.3 million.

Coverage will be extended throughout Helsinki in the Spring

LTE pioneer TeliaSonera has launched Finland’s first commercial LTE service, in the cities of Turku and Helsinki. The Nordic and Baltic specialist activated the world’s first LTE service in Stockholm and Oslo a year ago.

“The explosive growth of mobile broadband shows that the demand for bandwidth is unlimited, and with 4G we can offer more speed and capacity for mobile data,” says Marek Hintze, Head of TeliaSonera’s Mobility Services in Finland. “We have now been operating our 4G network for pilot customers in Turku for six months and the interest in 4G has steadily increased. Therefore we are very happy to launch commercially.”

As in the Swedish and Norwegian deployments, service will be limited to dongle-enabled laptop access, with Korean vendor Samsung supplying the dongles. Hintze said that service in Helsinki will be extended beyond the business district when the firm has access to dongles that operate in the 1.8GHz frequency band. Finland has allocated both 1.8GHz and 2.GHz spectrum for LTE and multimode modems are expected to be available during the spring of 2011, he said.

The Turku network was supplied by Nokia Siemens Networks, while Ericsson provided the kit for the Helsinki deployment. TeliaSonera said that it has yet to decide which vendor will win nationwide deployment contracts.

The price for carrier’s 4G service “Sonera Full Net 4G” is €46/month, including a 4G modem that supports also 3G and 2G.

Meanwhile TeliaSonera also announced that its Kcell subsidiary in Khazakhstan will begin offering 3G services from December 1^st.

Sonera can use both the 1800 and 2600MHz bands for LTE, although there aren’t any LTE1800 devices available in the market. Sonera expects dual-band devices to be available by the spring of 2011.

Broadband becomes a legal right in Finland

With effect from July 1, Finnish citizens will have a legal right to fixed line broadband with a connection speed of at least 1Mbps.

According to new universal service obligations for operators, which came into play late last week, broadband access must be included in basic communications services like telephone or postal services. Telecom operators defined as universal service providers must be able to provide every permanent residence and business office with access to “a reasonably priced and high-quality connection with a downstream rate of at least 1 Mbps,” Finland’s Minister of Communications said.

The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority, FICORA, has defined 26 telecom operators across Finland as universal service operators.

“From the end-user’s point of view the usability of a service depends not only on availability but also on price and quality. In the future, the Finnish communications policy will focus more and more on these two areas,” said Suvi Lindén, Finland’s Minister of Communications.

According to Informa’s WBIS, Finland had a fixed broadband penetration of 29 per cent at the end of March, with a total of 1.6 million subscriptions, most of which are on xDSL.

Finland blazes UMTS900 trail

The Finns have long been at the forefront of the spectrum refarming movement, and the deployment of 3G in the 900MHz band made further headway this week with TeliaSonera.

The Finnish arm of the Nordic carrier said Friday that it has tapped Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to deliver WCDMA and HSPA kit that operates in the 900MHz band, to help provide coverage is some of the remotest areas of Finland.

The new UMTS900 network will be built on NSN’s Flexi base stations and RNC 2600 radio network controllers, which TeliaSonera claims will help it save on operational costs in rural areas as well as increasing quality in more populated regions.

Finland, and Sweden, are trailblazers when it comes to opening up the 900MHz frequencies, which have long been tied to GSM services. Potential changes to the GSM Directive in the near future, could lend significant impetus to the development of UMTS900 by opening up the 900MHz band to technologies other than GSM. Such amendments should give a boost to operators looking for easier and cheaper ways to roll out next-generation networks.

A notable step has already taken place with the European Parliament’s recent informal acceptance of the Commission’s proposed amendment. The text still needs to be formally adopted by the Parliament and Council, which could happen soon, followed by the Commission’s adoption of the amendment.

The move would represent a breakthrough for the Commission, which has been trying to alter the directive for a couple of years. The Commission had originally tried to repeal it by end-2007 or early-2008, but the attempt was blocked by the European Parliament. The revised amendment appears to have more positive momentum.

Member states aside from Finland and Sweden have been awaiting the amendment, and the move would give more clarity to those looking to pave the way for UMTS900. Ideally, it should also lead to more concrete guidance on tackling some of the hurdles that regulators and operators face in enabling UMTS900 rollouts.

There are several major challenges in enabling rollouts, and chief among them has been finding a fair way to reallocate spectrum among operators. Even when the situation has been resolved, it could take a long time to carry out the process.

The main problems are in countries where later entrants have access to only 1800MHz or 2100MHz frequencies. These companies want 900MHz spectrum in order to compete on equal terms, but their requirements must be balanced with incumbents’ reluctance to give frequencies up.

Finland paves way for 4G evolution

Finnish carriers TeliaSonera, Elisa and DNA have all been allocated additional wireless spectrum, potentially allowing them to start building out 4G mobile networks immediately.

According to Finland’s minister of communications, Suvi Linden, the decision is unique in Europe, with the frequencies located in the 1800MHz range. This band, which has traditionally been used for GSM services, offers substantially wider coverage at a lower cost than the more commonly reserved 2600MHz band.

According to Linden,  LTE could be commercially available in Europe as early as 2009 or 2010 as a result of the award.

“The decision will help to make fast wireless networks more widely available in all parts of Finland and they will now also become accessible to people living outside built-up areas. I hope that telecommunications companies start making preparations for the introduction of the 4G technology even though at the moment, the emphasis is still on 3G technology,” Linden said.

Earlier this month analysts said that next generation wireless technologies such as 3G LTE and Mobile WiMAX would prompt operators to adopt an ‘open access’ mentality, allowing any client device to connect to the network, in turn resulting in higher service stickiness and reduced churn.