ZTE Wins $85 Million UMTS Contract with India's Aircel

ZTE Corporation, a global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has won an $85 million UMTS contract with India’s Aircel to build and deploy an advanced SDR-based 3G network for the pan-India mobile service provider.

Officials with ZTE (News - Alert) Corporation said that as the long-term partner and supplier of GSM networks for Aircel, the company will be also responsible for its 2G network upgrade and implementing the new 3G network and subsequent upgrades. Aircel (News - Alert) is the Indian subsidiary of Malaysia’s Maxis Group.

Company officials said that the new UMTS network for Aircel is based on ZTE’s SDR (unified 2G/3G/HSPA/HSPA+) platform. When completed, it will not only achieve multiple modes in a single base-station, but also create a smooth transition toward next generation networks such as LTE (News - Alert).

According to company officials, this will allow Aircel to achieve cost-effective networking and improved mobile services. In addition, Aircel will benefit from ZTE’s green base-station technology, which is already at the forefront of the industry.

 “This contract between ZTE and Aircel is a significant one for ZTE in the Indian market,” said Huang Dabin, CEO of ZTE India, in a statement.

Dabin said that as always, ZTE will continue to invest in and maintain a commitment to the Indian market, especially since the company’s Indian customers are regarded as strategic global partners.

Based on the advanced technology of its SDR platform, ZTE has continuously increased its investment in LTE technology -- to date, it has more than 4,000 R&D staff focusing on 4G technology development.

To date, ZTE already has 12 LTE commercial application contracts and more than 65 test networks globally, including Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.