Zain Saudi Arabia recently concluded a trial putting an Internet-HSPA (I-HSPA) software upgrade from Nokia Siemens Networks to the test within Zain’s existing radio access network, realizing significantly improved data throughput speeds. According to the companies, these tests will pave the way for an all-IP (Internet protocol) flat architecture network for a superior mobile broadband end-user experience at a minimal cost outlay.

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“We want to be the first to unleash the true potential of the Internet on users’ handsets,” said Eng. Ismail Fekri, COO, Zain Saudi Arabia. “However, we realized early that if we went headlong into it, we could run into problems of heavy data usage and insufficient network resources. That is why we decided to test the solution first in a live network environment and not a lab setup. We now have full faith in the efficacy of the Internet-HSPA solution presented by Nokia Siemens Networks and are looking forward to a quick commercial deployment.”

The trial introduced a simple, flat architecture demonstrating how traffic can bypass the radio network controller (RNC) and the serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to deliver improved data transmission speeds. Because of the rerouting, there is no need to build in additional capacity, in effect reducing the operational expenditures and capital expenditures. Moreover, with a flat architecture, the operator is well prepared for the eventual move to Long-Term Evolution (LTE). The I-HSPA solution also shortens the network latency rates to 45 ms, enabling quicker response times and enhancing the overall user experience availability of data services

“The trial is a definite milestone for us. Working in a live environment not only meant customization of existing network elements, but ensuring there was no outage during testing,” said Ahmad Othman, head of the Zain Group Customer Business Team at Nokia Siemens Networks. “We delivered on this and more, proving the simplicity and superiority of our solution. We are now looking forward to working with Zain to translate the benefits of this test to real commercial use, i.e., improving the mobile broadband end-user experience.”

According to Nokia, its I-HSPA innovations introduce a flat network architecture to the WCDMA world and enable cost-efficient scaling of the network with rapidly growing data traffic volumes. As part of HSPA+, the standardized I-HSPA works with all WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+ devices and improves end user experience by reducing latency. The I-HSPA flat network architecture also enables smooth migration to LTE, Nokia says.

Nokia Siemens Networks

Zain Saudi Arabia