Swedish telecoms vendor Ericsson has announced that it has inked a deal to roll out a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network for Bhutan Telecom (BT) in its capital city Thimpu. The agreement follows Ericsson’s successful deployment of 2G and 3G networks for BT mobile subsidiary B-Mobile in 2003 and 2008 respectively. As part of the 4G deployment, Ericsson will provide BT with LTE equipment compatible with the 1800MHz spectrum band, including its latest RBS 6000 radio base station technology. As a multi-standard base station the RBS 6000 supports GSM/EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA/HSPA and LTE platforms, allowing for a smooth transition to new technologies in the future.
Under the terms of the contract Ericsson will also provide its Home Subscriber Server (HSS) functionality that contains subscription-related information and authenticates the user. The vendor will also upgrade the cellco’s existing packet core to a multi-access evolved packet core in order to optimise network operation and minimise the total cost of ownership. The contract includes provisioning of LTE software for various nodes, and services including network implementation, commissioning and integration. Nidup Dorji, CEO of BT, commented: ‘By extending our long-standing relationship with Ericsson through this contract, we will make sure to meet the increasing demand for data services from customers including the growing number of tourists who visit Bhutan’.