Alcatel-Lucent Unveils 3G CDMA/EV-DO Distributed Base Station That Offers Greater Deployment Flexibility While Lowering Power Requirements
LAS VEGAS, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — CTIA Wireless 2008 — Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris & NYSE: ALU) today announced the expansion of its CDMA/EV-DO portfolio with a new distributed base station that gives mobile operators greater flexibility for third-generation (3G) network deployments while lowering power consumption and reducing operating expenses. The Alcatel- Lucent 9234 Base Station d2U Distributed is designed to support CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) services, enabling both high-quality voice and high-speed data services such as streaming video, Web browsing, voice over IP (VoIP) and more.
This “zero footprint” distributed base station seamlessly integrates into existing networks and can be deployed in a wide array of physical locations such as utility poles, the sides of the buildings and tower tops, without taking up any floor space at an existing site, or with minimal space at a new site, thus minimizing real estate costs, a key expense for operators. The platform effectively separates baseband and radio frequency components into a baseband unit and remote radio heads (RRH) allowing a wide variety of configurations, and enabling different elements of the base station to be separated by miles. This provides exceptional flexibility for operators facing physical site constraints and site acquisition challenges, allowing them to provide seamless coverage to their subscribers.
“The concept of remote radio heads is not new, and W-CDMA operators have been introducing compact baseband units for some time,” notes Peter Jarich, Research Director with Current Analysis. “Carrying this combination forward to the CDMA market, however, promises operators the zero-footprint capabilities necessary for growing their networks — in terms of capacity and coverage — cost effectively.”
“The introduction of this new platform highlights our continuing focus on bringing the latest innovations to market to help mobile operators maintain their competitive edge,” said Mike Iandolo, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s CDMA/EV-DO activities. “This new distributed base station gives our customers exceptional flexibility to deal with the most challenging deployment scenarios, enabling them to quickly and easily close coverage gaps to ensure that their subscribers enjoy the same high-quality experience no matter where they are.”
Alcatel-Lucent’s RRH portfolio complies with the strictest environmental standards. As all of the RRH products are fanless, they are silent, and combined with a 50 percent improvement in power saving over earlier generation products they bring a significant reduction in energy consumption. These lower power requirements enable this new base station to operate on alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power, a considerable advantage in remote locations where access to power can be limited. Finally, this new platform can substantially reduce the number of base stations needed to cover a given area, further reducing the overall environmental impact of the network.
Alcatel-Lucent is the first company to adapt the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) specification to CDMA. It allows the company to better support customers by leveraging development across multiple wireless technologies (CDMA and W-CDMA), and support a smooth, and consistent evolution path to 4G. The distributed portfolio reinforces Alcatel-Lucent’s customers’ investment protection with a hardware platform common across both the CDMA/EV- DO and W-CDMA/HSPA portfolios, and is ready to support future technology upgrades including LTE and UMB.
As a global leader in the development and deployment of third-generation (3G) networks, Alcatel-Lucent has deployed commercial 3G (UMTS/HSPA and CDMA2000) systems for more than 70 operators worldwide.
Alcatel-Lucent and Climate Change
Alcatel-Lucent is committed to eco-sustainability with a particular focus on climate change. This is a key component of the company’s business strategy. The company has developed corporate strategies and practices to reduce the environmental impact of its products and operations. It leverages its research and innovation teams to develop and implement groundbreaking, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient technologies. As a leading global telecommunications player, Alcatel-Lucent engages actively with its key stakeholders including customers and suppliers to address eco-sustainability and climate change issues throughout the entire supply chain. Alcatel-Lucent has signed the UN Global Compact “Caring for Climate” initiative and is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. The company has been awarded the 2008 SAM Silver Sustainability Recognition.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprise and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel- Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/
Alcatel-Lucent
CONTACT: Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts, Regine Coqueran,+33 (0)1 40 76 49 24, regine.coqueran@alcatel-lucent.com, or Mary Ward,+1-908-582-7658, mary.ward@alcatel-lucent.com; or Alcatel-Lucent Investors,Remi Thomas, +33 (0)1 40 76 50 61, remi.thomas@alcatel-lucent.com, or JohnDeBono, +1-908-582-7793, debono@alcatel-lucent.com, Tony Lucido,+33 (0)1 40 76 49 80, alucido@alcatel-lucent.com, or Don Sweeney,+1-908-582-6153, dsweeney@alcatel-lucent.com
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