2degrees turms on 3G voice and mobile broadband network

2degrees has enabled 3G voice and mobile broadband services across its network after an extensive program undertaken in partnership with Huawei. The 3G build covers the entire 2degrees network in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, with 2degrees selecting Huawei to provide base stations, transmission equipment, core network, 3G handsets and mobile broadband modems, as well as a professional services contract.

“This is a great milestone in Huawei’s partnership with 2degrees,” said Huawei New Zealand CEO Arthur Zhang. “Having worked with 2degrees to establish its 2G network which went live in August 2009, we’re excited to see 2degrees taking their network to the next level with a full 3G launch.”

“The unveiling of our 3G network is a momentous day for 2degrees, and Huawei has been an ideal partner in the network build,” added 2degrees CEO Eric Hertz.

The launch has seen Huawei activate 3G on all of 2degrees’ base station sites over the past three months, the latest achievement in 2degrees’ four-year partnership with Huawei. To prepare the network for an anticipated flood of new mobile broadband services, Huawei has partnered with 2degrees in building additional transmission, core network, three RNCs (radio network controllers), and Huawei has also been selected to provide professional services to keep the network running at optimum levels.

“New Zealanders have shown an insatiable appetite for mobile broadband, and this 3G network has been built to offer mobile data users the capacity and the speed they need,” Zhang said.

Along with the physical network build, Huawei will also supply 2degrees with a number of 3G devices, including the Huawei U1251 3G handset, the E1552 mobile broadband USB modem, and the E5 Wi-Fi hotspot modem - which allows up to 5 users to share a single 2degrees 3G connection. 2degrees has indicated that users should expect to see average download speeds of between 800 and 1400 Kbps across the 2degrees 3G network.