Ntelos taps Alcatel-Lucent, RUS for Rev. A upgrade

Just days after announcing completion of a LTE network trial, regional telecommunications provider Ntelos Holdings Corp. (NTLS) said it has selected Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to expand and upgrade its current CDMA network in Hagerstown, Md., with EV-DO Revision A technology. The expansion and upgrade is being funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Service broadband stimulus program.
Financial terms of the expansion were not released.
In addition to the technology upgrades, Alcatel-Lucent is also providing an IP mobile backhaul network and professional services. Alcatel-Lucent has been the exclusive provider of CDMA technology to Ntelos for its markets in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and North Carolina since 2007.
“We are particularly excited about the RUS broadband stimulus funding and the fact that this project will create local jobs and help drive economic development in the community,” said Bobby McAvoy, SVP and wireless engineering and operations for Ntelos Wireless.
Alcatel-Lucent also participated in Ntelos’ recent LTE trial. The trial included Alcatel-Lucent’s eNodeB base stations, evolved packet core, IP service routing network elements, and operations, administration and maintenance systems.
Ntelos’ wireless business served 433,698 retail customers at the end of the third quarter with a network covering 5.6 million potential customers with an average of 23 megahertz of spectrum.