M1 looks at 35% reduction in carbon footprint in Singapore; LTE trial in February

Operator to leverage benefits of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio base stations.

MobileOne (M1), the leading mobile operator in Singapore, expects to achieve up to 35% reduction of its telecommunications networks carbon footprint by early 2011. This is made possible by Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio base stations. The vendor is currently modernizing M1’s 2G network to prepare it for a smooth transition to Long Term Evolution (LTE).

In addition, M1 is set to start an LTE trial in February 2010. Undertaken in collaboration with Nokia Siemens Networks, the trial will last two months and marks another step in M1’s commitment to deliver an energy efficient, high-speed mobile broadband service to its subscribers.

The LTE trial includes Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi Multiradio Base Stations that enhance network coverage and capacity, while lowering site power consumption significantly. This forms part of its end to end Energy Solutions portfolio, which is a clear commitment from Nokia Siemens Networks to drive innovative solutions for energy efficiency. Evolved Packet Core nodes are provided as part of the end-to-end trial*. Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing its cost-efficient mobile softswitching and subscriber data management core network solutions and its NetAct network management system, as well as network optimization and related maintenance services to ensure optimum network quality.

As part of the LTE trial, M1 will be show-casing the hjgh-speed wireless broadband capabilities of LTE at its flagship store in Paragon on Orchard Road. This will allow customers to see amongst other things High Definition (HD) TV streaming, as well as high-speed Internet browsing and web surfing over the LTE network.

Patrick Scodeller, chief technical officer at M1, said. “Our network modernization contract with Nokia Siemens Networks represented our first steps in our evolution to LTE. The trial will help pave the way for faster and better quality mobile broadband services in the future. The extensive use of Nokia Siemens Network’s proven energy efficient equipment will ensure that we have in place a network that is well able to meet the increasingly demanding environmental standards now and in the future.”

“LTE will not only enable a rich end-user experience but also pave the way for new business opportunities for service providers. As M1 continues to keep pace with new technology, we believe that the operator is well positioned to gain a competitive edge in this market,” said Ricky Corker, head of the Asia Pacific region at Nokia Siemens Networks. “At the same time, we’re honored to work with M1 in contributing to Singapore’s carbon emission reduction goals.”

Recognized as the world’s most progressive mobile network technology by many, the Flexi Base Station has received multiple awards, including The Best Network Technology Advance Award at the annual GSMA Global Mobile Awards 2009, CTIA Awards 2009 for green network innovation, and the Gold Award in the Green Infrastructure category of Juniper Research’s 2010 Future Mobile Green Awards. Nokia Siemens Networks has shipped its LTE-ready Flexi Base Station hardware to close to 140 operators worldwide.

Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to driving the commercialization of LTE networks. In September 2009, it completed the world’s first LTE call using a commercial base station and fully standard compliant software. This was followed by the world’s first LTE handover test in October and interoperability tests with four leading mobile device vendors in November.