Swiss telco plans to use the test to evaluate future commercial launch
Network operator Swisscom announced it’s currently testing a combination of its fixed-line and mobile networks to offer higher speeds for subscribers.
The European telco said it’s testing DSL/LTE bonding with selected residential customers across the country in a move to combine the bandwidths of fixed-line and mobile networks. The technology is said to allows for network speeds of up to 20 megabits per second in its initial phase. Higher bandwidths will also be tested in later phases, the telco said. The availability of DSL/LTE bonding and the actual bandwidth are determined by the length of the copper fixed line and the 3G or LTE mobile coverage at the customer’s home. Swisscom is looking to use the pilot test to determine whether a market launch is feasible.
Swisscom said it has also developed a LTE receiver designed to pick up a mobile data stream and pass it on via a wireless local area network to the DSL router. The router is equipped with intelligent software combining the mobile and fixed-line data streams.
Swisscom is looking to provide faster broadband services to approximately 85% of all homes and businesses in Switzerland by the end of 2020. The operator is using a mix of technologies to offer faster speeds in certain locations outside the major urban areas, including vectoring, fiber-to-the-street, fiber-to-the-building and fiber-to-the-home.
Swisscom, which provides mobile, broadband, fixed telephony and pay-TV services, ended the third quarter of 2015 with 6.61 million mobile subscribers. The company also offers telecom services for residential and corporate customers in Italy through its Fastweb subsidiary.
NatCom to launch LTE in Nigeria in March
In other EMEA news, NatCom Consortium, the parent company of Nigeria Telecommunications and its subsidiary Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited, expects to launch LTE services in March.
The LTE service will be initially offered in the cities of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
NatCom has invested USD $1 billion into NiTel/M-Tel since its acquisition last year. The consortium comprises NatSpace Telecommunication Investment, Hong Kong-based telco PCCW Global, Prime Union Investment, Olutoyl Estate Development & Services, Sahara Energy Resources, Legal Resources Alliance & Co and technical partner LM Ericsson Nigeria.
