NEC Corp. and Cisco announced a partnership this week whereby the pair will join forces on the construction and sale of commercial long-term evolution (LTE) networks for service providers.
The two companies said they will together provide equipment for building LTE networks. That will include including NEC's wireless network equipment (eNodeB) and mobile backhaul solutions, and Cisco's Mobile Internet network equipment ASR5000.
NEC and Cisco have completed network verifications in preparation for the construction of LTE networks in a variety of environments for the delivery of a variety of mobile broadband services. Extensive interoperability testing was done in real-world scenarios.
"Cisco is a recognized leader in the development of intelligent, high-performance Mobile Internet network equipment for 3G and 4G Mobile Internet networks. Our ASR 5000 mobile multimedia platform, for example, provides a smooth transition to LTE and also the most suitable migration scenario, customized for an operator's service trends and network configuration," said Ash Dahod, senior vice president and general manager, Mobile Internet Group, Cisco. "Together with NEC, Cisco enables comprehensive interworking without impacting existing networks when deploying LTE."
"NEC offers a variety of wireless base stations that support cells ranging from macro cells to small cells," said Nobuyuki Yanaginuma, associate SVP of NEC. "The company adopts new and advanced technologies, such as miniaturization using the world's highest level of amplifier efficiency, low power consumption developments, and Self-Organized Networks (SON), which enable base stations to be constructed and operated efficiently. The combination of Cisco and NEC's strengths will enable the provision of competitive LTE systems and contribute to the construction, service launch and expansion of commercial LTE networks for telecom operators."
NEC points to its experience fully installing NTT DOCOMO's commercial LTE service, "Xi," from infrastructure to handsets. The company has also shipped commercial wireless base stations for KDDI, and global accomplishments in the area include participation in a number of LTE field trials with companies like SingTel and Telefonica.
