Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (Huawei), a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications networks around the world, has been awarded a contract by Saudi Telecom Company (STC), the largest mobile operator in the Middle East, to deploy its 3G network in Saudi Arabia.
In another Huawei development, the company launched the industry’s first carrier-class metro ethernet switches, the Huawei Quidway CX series switches, to help operators better serve their customers.
“With the global launch of the Quidway CX suite, Huawei is the first vendor to provide carrier-class end-to-end solutions covering the core layer, the convergence layer and the access layer,” a Huawei statement said. The Quidway CX is expected to become a key infrastructure product for the metro ethernet market, which is expected to grow 27 per cent annually reaching $7.7 billion by 2008, according to Infonetics, a data networking and telecom market research firm.
“Huawei’s Quidway CX series switches are a new generation of convergence and access switches designed to address the carrier-class features of the metro ethernet,” said Wang Jiading, vice president, Huawei Technologies Middle East and North Africa region. “Some of the key benefits include delivering increased protection, reliablity, a high-level of security and easy management in addressing service requirements for next-generation networks, 3G, and broadband access, among others.”
Under the STC contract, Huawei will supply a complete core network and new-generation NodeBs to help STC launch 3G services countrywide and maintain its leading position. STC selected Huawei after its GSM Softswitch network built by Huawei successfully withstood tremendous peak traffic during the last Haj.
Dr Zeyad Thamir Al-Otaibi, vice president of STC, commented that “STC is dedicated to delivering superb 3G services through a reliable 3G network and chose Huawei because the performance and reliability of Huawei’s 3G solution more than meet our requirements.”
This contract further reaffirms Huawei’s position as a leading supplier of UMTS infrastructure. Huawei’s solution reduces operational and capital expenditure for telecom operators and enables flexible networking and coverage.
“Huawei is pleased to be a major supplier for STC’s 3G Network,” said Li Huang, vice president of Huawei Middle East and North Africa. “We are confident in our ability to continuously bring value to customers with innovative and leading 3G solutions.”
Huawei’s UMTS new-generation NodeB incorporates features such as the highly efficient digital power amplifier supporting the multi-carrier technology and support for full–performance HSDPA. The new-generation UMTS NodeB effectively improves network performance and reduces the total cost of ownership for operators.
As one of the world’s mainstream UMTS suppliers, Huawei has won 29 UMTS commercial contracts to date. Huawei’s innovative mobile Softswitch and new-generation NodeBs serve many operators around the world and the company has accumulated abundant experience through the deployment of large-scale networks. Huawei’s new-generation UMTS NodeBs have been deployed in countries like Malaysia, Portugal, Poland, Indonesia and Hong Kong. STC’s network capacity exceeds 10 million and is now serving 12 million mobile subscribers and 4.5 million fixed-line subscribers. It provides fixed-line services, mobile services, data services and transmission services, among other things.
