The telco aims for LTE coverage to reach 90% of European population by end of fiscal 2015
U.K.-based telecom operator Vodafone has modernized 80,000 mobile sites and added a further 36,000 2G, 47,000 3G and 41,000 4G sites, and upgraded 71,000 sites to high-capacity backhaul since Project Spring began in 2013.
Under its Project Spring, Vodafone expanded its capital expenditures to improve network quality for customers in Europe and emerging markets such as India and South Africa.
In the fixed-line segment, Vodafone has extended its next-generation cable and fiber networks to an additional 820,000 households in the first fiscal quarter of the year, ended June 30, bringing the total number of households passed in Europe to 26 million, or 62 million including wholesale arrangements.
Vodafone also said that its 4G outdoor population coverage in Europe currently reaches 75%, up from 52% a year ago. The telco said that it aims to reach a coverage of 90% by the end of this financial year.
The operator ended June with 24.1 million LTE customers across its 18 markets. In Europe, 4G accounts for 35% of total data traffic. “Our emerging markets have maintained their strong momentum and more of our European businesses are returning to growth, as customer demand for 4G and data takes off,” Vodafone’s CEO Vittorio Colao said. “We continue to hit our Project Spring build milestones and customers are beginning to value the improvement in service. Contract churn in Europe is now falling and mobile ARPU trends are stabilizing in a number of key markets,” he added.
Ukranian telco Kyivstar selects Nokia Network for 3G deployment
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest Telco, has selected Nokia Networks to modernize and expand part of its mobile radio network. Based on the compact Nokia Single RAN Advanced solution, the operator can modernize its 2G network and deploy its 3G network, while simultaneously preparing for 4G.
Kyivstar recently acquired a 3G license and has now begun to offer 3G-based voice and data services to its customers. The service is already available in the central Ukrainian town of Poltava.
The Ukranian telco currently has 26 million mobile subscribers in mobile and 827,000 mobile broadband customers. Kyivstar is a part of Dutch telecom group VimpelCom.
