Menatelecom schedules TD-LTE launch in June/July

Bahraini wireless broadband operator Menatelecom has signed a contract with China’s Huawei Technologies to deploy a nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network based on time division duplex (TDD) technology. No financial details of the contract were disclosed, but the deal forms a significant part of Menatelecom’s USD40 million investment programme for 2013. The TD-LTE project is aimed at raising broadband speeds to 100Mbps and higher in addition to offering advanced voice services. Menatelecom currently offers mobile and fixed-wireless broadband and voice services over a WiMAX network covering the whole of Bahrain, and signed up 80,000 subscribers by the end of October 2012, four years after launch, according to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database. Huawei will supply an end-to-end TD-LTE radio and transmission network, core network infrastructure, mobile broadband terminal equipment and managed services for network operation and maintenance. Menatelecom’s LTE services will be aimed at business and residential customers, offering a range of 4G devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, with a target commercial launch date of June or July 2013.