Interview - res- · ZTE to Play Key Role in Japan's WCDMA Market KPN and ZTE Join Forces to Meet Growing Demand for Mobile Data Connectivity in the Netherlands Interview Corporate

Development Progress of Evolved EDGE Just like HSPA has a continued evolution (HSDPA–HSUPA–HSPA+), Evolved EDGE has a gradual development process

ZTE Wins InfoVision Award at Broadband World Forum Asia 2008

Asian Wall Street Journal’s Readers’ Survey Ranks ZTE Among China’s Top 10 Most-Admired Companies

ZTE to Play Key Role in Japan's WCDMA Market

KPN and ZTE Join Forces to Meet Growing Demand for Mobile Data Connectivity in the Netherlands

Interview

Corporate News

Vol. 10 No. 8 Issue 103 August/2008

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P8Keep Striving Forward —An Interview with Mr. He Zhaogang, General Manager of ZTE’s GSM Product Line

Industrial News

India’s Broadband User Base Hits 4.3m

ITU-T Acceptance of TM Forum Information Framework

Orange Ramps up 3G Services

Sony, Samsung, Others to Create Wireless Standard

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Tech Feature

Press Clipping

ZTE Touts GSM Growth

China’s ZTE Eyes Tie-ups with Indian Telcos

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Third Eye

ZTE Innovation Pushing Forward NG-GSM Networks ZTE’s NG-GSM solutions focus on four core issues: feasible evolution path, enhanced performance, green and lower TCO, and flat and simple network architectureP12

ZTE Helps ETC Support Peak Traffic During Millennium Celebration Addis Ababa was expecting a surge in visitors and a sharp increase of wireless network traffic during the festival, which would put an enormous strain on its wireless networkP16

Case Study

He Zhaogang now works as General Manager of ZTE’s GSM Product Line. He has been appointed as Director of R&D Department of Wireless Products and General Manager of PHS Products after joining ZTE in March 1999. With many years of experience in the field of wireless communications, he has gained an in-depth understanding of wireless technologies and market trends.

ZTE TECHNOLOGIESAugust 20082

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief: Gu Yongcheng

Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Huang Xinming

Editorial Director: Zhao Lili

Executive Editor: Yue Lihua, Liu Yang

Editor: Olga.Saprykina

Circulation Manager: Wang Pingping

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ZTE Profile

ZTE is a leading global provider of

telecommunications equipment and network

solutions. ZTE's product range is the most

complete in the world—covering virtually

every sector of the wireline, wireless, service

and terminals markets. The company delivers

innovative, custom-made products and

services to customers in more than 135

countries, helping them achieve continued

revenue growth, while shaping the future of

the world’s communications.

26Application Analysis of Light and Energy Saving GSM BTS The new-generation light and energy saving GSM BTS has some important features: modular composition, low power consumption, small size, light weight and IP-based transmission

Handsets

28ZTE Enhances 3G Mobile TV Experience at Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesZTE partners with China Mobile to launch the industry’s first TD-SCDMA TV handset that allows users to watch Olympics anytime, anywhere in China

Tech Feature

24A Study on Intelligent Electricity Saving Technology in GSM System With an aim to build green energy-conserving and environment-friendly networks, the intelligent electricity saving technology for wireless equipment has gained extensive attention in the industry

A Strategic Reflection on Fixed, Mobile and Internet Convergence In the 21st century, when the global telecom control loosens and competition patterns change, FMIC gains favors from both mobile and fixed network operators

Application of B3G Technologies in 2G Networks In the era when the content is the king, continually applying advanced B3G technologies in current networks to leverage existing radio architecture and spectrum bands will be a rather smooth transition

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ZTE TECHNOLOGIES August 2008 3

ZTE Wins InfoVision Award at Broadband World Forum Asia 2008 IEC recognizes ZTE’s advanced optical networking RPR-embedded MSTP solution

Corporate News

ZTE received recognition at the prestigious InfoVision Award for its metro network technologies

and services particularly for its optical networking RPR-embedded MSTP solution, held in conjunction with

Broadband World Forum Asia 2008 in Hong Kong. This award further reaffirms ZTE’s leading position in the industry as a company that develops outstanding and innovative products.

The InfoVision Award Program recognizes the value of service or technology in solving technology problems, meeting network requirements, optimizing service and performance, and enhancing customer service.

ZTE’s RPR-embedded MSTP solution represents the new generation SDH and takes full advantage of the existing network equipment resources and data services to meet the increasing demand, reduce network construction costs, and protect user investment.

ZTE is one of the world’s first optical network equipment manufacturers

extensively focusing on the research and technology development on optical networking, and hence has a profound understanding and leading position in the optical networking field.

ZTE’s two other Integrated Service Access equipment, the ZXMP 200 and ZIMS, were also among the top finalists for the award.

“We are very proud to receive the prestigious InfoVision Award for two consecutive years now. The recognition of our optical networking products is a great encouragement in acknowledging our continuous efforts to develop advanced and innovative products,” said Mr. Fan Xiaobing, General Manager of ZTE’s Bearer Network Product Line.

(ZTE Corporation)

Asian Wall Street Journal’s Readers’ Survey Ranks ZTE Among China’s Top 10 Most-Admired CompaniesZTE is only company that represents the telecom sector in the Top 10 list

ZT E c o n t i n u e s t o g a r n e r international recognition from various influential organizations

and media outlets for its excellent technology innovation and outstanding contribution to the telecommunications industry. The company recently received its latest and very significant accolade from The Asian Wall Street Journal, being named among “Asia’s 200 Most-Admired Companies” during an annual readers’ survey. ZTE is ranked

7th among the Top 10 Most-Admired Companies in China that include, among others, Beijing search engine company Baidu.com and PC maker Lenovo. The company is the only corporation representing the telecom equipment maker sector in the Top 10 list.

The prominent international business publication commissioned market research firm Colmar Brunton to poll about 2,477 executives and professionals in 12 Asia Pacific countries from 11

May to 3 July 2007 to determine their perception about the performance and contribution of companies in Asia in enhancing social economic and way of life in the region.

The readers were asked to rate companies using five key attributes: innovat iveness in responding to customer needs, corporate reputation, management’s long term vision, quality of products and services, and financial reputation. (ZTE Corporation)

Mr. Fan Xiaobing (R), General Manager of ZTE’s Bearer Network Product Line, receives the award from Mr. John Janowiak (L), IEC President


Corporate News

ZTE to Play Key Role in Japan's WCDMA MarketCompany showcases latest advanced 3G solutions at EXPO Comm Wireless Japan 2008

KPN and ZTE Join Forces to Meet Growing Demand for Mobile Data Connectivity in the Netherlands ZTE chosen by the largest mobile operator in the Netherlands to provide HSDPA data cards for mobile broadband users

ZT E i s s e t t i n g i t s e y e o n s t r a t e g i c a l l y p e n e t r a t i n g Japan’s WCDMA market as it

formalizes an agreement signed with a local Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in mid-June this year. The company recently entered into an alliance with Japan Communications to supply the highly competitive 3G market in Japan with WCDMA data cards starting this August.

In a press event held in conjunction w i t h t h e c o m p a n y ’s f i r s t e v e r participation at EXPO Comm Wireless Japan 2008, the company unveiled initial strategic steps on how the company plans to address the needs of

highly demanding local 3G subscribers. ZTE considers the cooperation another significant milestone in line with its corporate vision of playing a key role in the global high-end 3G industry.

“ J a p a n i s a m o n g t h e h i g h l y advanced markets in the world with sophisticated 3G infrastructure. In collaboration with our local partner, Japan Communica t ions , we a re laying down a solid foundation to provide local telecom customers with comprehensive range of advanced 3G network services,” said Qian Qiang, General Manager of East/Southeast Asia Region, ZTE Corporation. “The shipment of WCDMA data cards to

the country is our first step to address the local market requirements. It is also a valuable opportunity to enhance ZTE’s global posi t ioning in the telecom industry.”

At the EXPO Comm Wireless Japan 2008, ZTE showcased state-of-the art 3G solutions together with other global leading telecom service providers and Japan’s well-known telecom carriers, such as NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and WILLCOM. Specifically, ZTE demonstrated its advanced wireless and mobile services including a full range of LTE/SDR, WiMAX and 3G technologies.

(ZTE Corporation)

ZTE has signed a framework agreement with KPN to provide mobile data connectivity devices

for the HSDPA network of the Dutch operator. ZTE will provide the MF628 USB modem to KPN for its “Mobiel Internet” customers who have high speed laptop connectivity, enabling those users to access the Internet from almost any location in the Netherlands―at home, in the bus or even in the park.

ZTE’s MF628 USB modem includes a microSD slot for up to 4GB of storage to enable users to easily share and move

data on multiple devices. The modem will connect to KPN’s reliable and fast HSDPA network and is compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000, XP and Vista, and MacOS X operating systems.

ZTE’s MF628 data cards will be sold in conjunction with KPN “Mobiel Internet” services. In combination with KPN’s “Laptop Totaal Plus” subscription, mobile broadband users can enjoy fast and reliable internet via KPN’s HSDPA network.

Following the partnership with KPN in the Netherlands, ZTE expects

to announce the availability of its data cards in other European countries, including Germany and Belgium.

(ZTE Corporation)


Sony, Samsung, Others to Create Wireless StandardJuly 24, 2008

Industrial News

India’s Broadband User Base Hits 4.3mAugust 1, 2008

S o n y , S a m s u n g a n d other consumer-electronics heavyweights are uniting to support a technology that could send high-defini t ion video signals wirelessly from a single set-top box to screens around the home.

The announcement is an important development in the race to create a definitive way to replace tangles of video cables, but doesn’t end it―both Sony and Samsung also are supporting a competing technology.

In the new consortium, Sony and Samsung E lec t ron ics , along with Motorola, Sharp and Hitachi, will develop an industry standard around technology from Amimon of Israel called WHDI, for Wireless Home Digi ta l Interface.

“If you have a TV in the home, that TV will be able to access any source in the home, whether it’s a set-top box in the living room, or the PlayStation in the bedroom, or a DVD player in another bedroom. That’s the message of WHDI,” said Noam Geri, co-founder of Amimon.

(www.telecomasia.net)

India has 4.38 million broadband internet users as of June 2008, a recent report from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said.

According to the report, the total broadband subscribers, internet users with download speeds in excess of 256 kbps has reached 4.38 million from 4.15 million it had at the end of May 2008.

The Trai statement also said that during April 2007 to June 2008 the country has almost doubled broadband users.

ITU-T Acceptance of TM Forum Information Framework August 4, 2008

As service providers struggle with a growing diversity of information and data models, there is a pressing need for a single common framework to harmonize all information models across the industry. “The acceptance by the ITU-T of the TM Forum Information Framework as that single framework is a major step forward for the industry,” says TM Forum President Martin Creaner.

The ITU-T Recommenda t i on M.3190, led by Dave Sidor of Nortel

Orange Ramps up 3G ServicesAugust 6, 2008

Mobile operator Orange has announced plans to ramp up its 3G network across Scotland, Northern Ireland and North-East England.

As part of the upgrade to its network, Orange has promised that this will allow greater reliability to voice and data services to more rural areas that often struggle to obtain decent mobile coverage.

The mobile operator aims to have

and Knut Johannessen of Telenor, initially encompasses the “Product” and “Service” domains of the TM Forum Information Framework v7.5, as well as some explanatory addenda. These elements of Recommendation M.3190 will serve as an introduction to the Information Framework “Analysis Model,” which will cover all of the information required to implement use cases based on the TM Forum Business Process Framework.

(www.totaltele.com)

3G/HSDPA network speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps in the top 30 UK cities and 2 Mbps for 80% of entire UK population.

Furthermore, it has promised to roll out a faster variant of 3G/HSDPA data service to support mobile broadband very soon and hopes to have 14.4 Mbps network speeds in certain areas by the end of 2009.

(www.cn-c114.net)

The data pertaining to broadband only shows how India is still a pygmy in the internet users space.

T h e Tr a i s t a t e m e n t s a i d t h e country added 8.81 million telephone connections (both wire and wireless) during June 2008 as compared to 8.46 million it added during May 2008.

In the wireless segment, which includes GSM, CDMA and WLL, there was an addition of 8.94 million as against 8.62 million during May 2008.

(www.telecomasia.net)



Press Clipping

ZTE, a leading global provider o f t e l ecommunica t ions equipment and network solutions, announced a 100%

growth in volume shipments of its GSM products in the first quarter of 2008. This twofold increase, compared to the same period last year, demonstrates ZTE’s continuing momentum in the GSM market and a strong performance against the company’s annual sales target.

This impressive achievement is attributed to the ongoing robustness and expansion of the international GSM market, combined with ZTE’s ability to capitalize on the launch of several GSM product marketing initiatives in the Asia

Pacific region, a strategy that enabled ZTE to clinch a number of multi-million deals, especially for its service equipment products.

“Registering 100% shipment growth for our GSM products in Q1 of this year represents another significant achievement for ZTE and one which is in line with our aggressive campaign to get a solid foothold in the global GSM market,” said Mr. He Zhaogang, General Manager of ZTE GSM products. “With our commitment to developing and introducing new technology innovation equipped with outstanding capabilities and functionality compared to other products in the market, we have maintained an excellent track record and

secured our market position as one of the top players in the global GSM arena.”

ZTE’s GSM equipment is deployed by over 60 operators in more than 50 countries worldwide, resulting in the installation of mobile capacity exceeding 150 million lines. From 2003 to 2007, ZTE’s global GSM market share had increased more than 100%.

Last year, ZTE clinched several significant deals to deploy GSM n e t w o r k s i n k e y a n d e m e rg i n g international markets. In September 2007, ZTE signed a contract with CMPak, one of Pakistan’s main telecom operators, to enable expansion of its GSM network coverage. Under the contract, ZTE provided supporting infrastructure including, the construction of 1,400 base stations, the provision of value-added service products for radio networks, as well as 10 million lines of capacity for the operator’s core network. In July last year, ZTE also signed a contract with Nepal Telecom to add 3.5 million lines to its existing mobile GSM capacity and support future expansion that will allow the company to add a further 5 million lines by 2010.

C u r r e n t l y, t h e c o m p a n y h a s applied for over 3,000 GSM patents and i s a p ioneer ing member o f many international standards setting organizations, such as ETSI, 3GPP and GSA. ZTE ranks among the leading GSM equipment providers in the world, partnering with industry-leading operators including China Mobile, China Unicom, Reliance, Etisalat, Telenor, Hutchison, among others.

ZTE Touts GSM GrowthMay 8, 2008 Source: Unstrung

ZTE TECHNOLOGIES August 2008 �

China’s ZTE Eyes Tie-ups with Indian Telcos

Tian Ling , the ce lebr i ty B e i j i n g 2 0 0 8 O l y m p i c torchbearer, is not a 3G technology buff. But he

is upbeat about Chinese companies joining the league of global vendors, leveraging on opportunities to promote the use of 3G technology in the Olympic Games.

ZTE, ranked among the top six mobile vendors globally, claims to have grabbed over a third of the market-share of 3G handsets in China after China Mobile began commercial trails two months ago. The company, listed on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong bourses, is now watching market developments in India including the likely rollout of 3G services to explore equipment supply tie-ups with prospective operators. Bharti and Vodafone have already tied-up with Apple to offer iPhone 3G, though the government is yet to award licences for 3G services.

With competition intensifying in the telecom market, ZTE is on a brand-building mission to bolster sales in India that topped $ 750 million in 2008. As a first step, it plans to directly market low-cost handsets under its own brand.

“If the timing is right, we will sell low-cost ZTE handsets directly in the Indian market by this year end. We will bank on volumes to drive growth”, said ZTE executive vice-president He Shiyou. Its R&D facility in India for developing value-added services is equipped to make handsets if required.

The Shenzhen headquar t e red company provides CDMA handsets to t e l ecom opera to r s inc lud ing Communications, Tata Teleservices and BSNL. It is also in talks with GSM licensees for product offerings and network expansion, said ZTE director for international marketing Wu Richun. Vodafone already has an exclusive

global tie-up with ZTE to source GSM handsets.

While these distribution channels will continue, Mr. He Shiyou reckons that direct marketing of its low cost handsets makes business sense as India has emerged as the fastest growing mobile market. Over 7 million new connections are being added every mon th . Ana lys t s , however, s ay the going may be tough as Nokia commands a 60% market-share in mobile handsets in India.

Z T E ’s t a r g e t i s t o m a k e 5 0 million handsets in 2008. In 2007, it produced 30 million handsets. To date, ZTE has shipped more than 10 million handsets to India. Its brand-bui ld ing s t ra tegy a l so revo lves around more tie-ups with mainstream CDMA and GSM network operators, se l l ing broadband, WiMAX and IPTV solutions.

July 15, 2008, by Hema Ramakrishnan, Source: The Economic Times



Interview

“Difficulty itself is not fearful; what’s fearful is the lack of perseverance and determination to strive forward,” said Mr. He Zhaogang, General Manager of ZTE’s GSM Product Line.On the 20th anniversary of the GSM standard and the 10th anniversary of ZTE’s GSM products, we had an interview with Mr. He. The talented, young general manager reviewed the development of ZTE’s GSM products in the past decade and shed light on the roadmap of the products in the future.

—An Interview with Mr. He Zhaogang, General Manager of ZTE’s GSM Product Line

Keep Striving ForwardKeep Striving Forward

He Zhaogang now works as General Manager of ZTE’s GSM Product Line. He has been appointed as Director of R&D Department of Wireless Products and General Manager of PHS Products after joining ZTE in March 1999. With many years of experience in the field of wireless communications, he has gained an in-depth understanding of wireless technologies and market trends.


ZTE's GSM in the Past 10 YearsIn 1998, ZTE founded its R&D team

for GSM products, which developed the first-generation GSM system. In the second year, the system was launched to the market and became ZTE’s first wireless product for large scale commercial applications.

I n 2 0 0 0 , Z T E w o n i t s f i r s t international GSM contract in Nigeria. The $5 million US contract marked ZTE’s first step towards globalization in the GSM field. ZTE made rapid strides in the practice of the globalization strategy, and three years later, it concluded commercial contracts valuing nearly $100 million US in Pakistan and Ethiopia.

In 2006, ZTE’s sales of GSM products reached RMB 3.5 billion, up 100% compared to the previous year. The V3 series of products were launched in late 2006. In the following year, the sales of the GSM products leaped to RMB 7.5 billion, and the shipment volume was increased by three times, making ZTE one of the top four GSM suppliers in the world. At present, ZTE’s GSM product line is in a fast track of development, with 5,000 R&D staff working for GSM products. In March 2008, GSM products with a capacity of 40,000 TRXs were shipped, which equals the sum of shipments of ZTE from 1999 to June 2004.

Advanced Technology: the Secret to Fast Growth

When talking about the reason for the fast development of ZTE’s GSM

product line, Mr. He thought ZTE’s market-driven R&D strength sharpened its competitive edge in the market. To illustrate this point, he cited three breakthrough projects ZTE got with its V3 series of GSM products in late 2006. Designed with industry-leading technology, the V3 products won favors from India’s Reliance, Norway’s Telenor, and Turkey’s Turkcell.

The technical strength has boosted ZTE in differentiated competitions in the GSM field. As the corporation clinches more and more international projects, it has been raising its capabilities in business, logistics and engineering implementation. According to Mr. He, the international marketing experience has improved the GSM product line in many aspects including:■ Strategy: In the highly competitive

GSM market, the primary capability should be the awareness and control of the complicated competition situation. With a clear market posi t ioning and development strategy, ZTE is able to grow quickly in the GSM field amid severe competitions.

■ Cost leadership and business control: The end-to-end cost control and profit optimization are the keys to profitability in a fierce price competition. Cost leadership and business control capabilities become the core strength for ZTE’s GSM products.

■ Market-driven R&D: Focusing on customers’ requirements, ZTE has made continuous investments and

innovations in GSM, and constantly improved its R&D efficiency and product quality. In 2006, the GSM product line developed six new products in one year, making ZTE the supplier with the most complete range of GSM products.

■ Engineer ing implementat ion: T h e G S M p r o d u c t l i n e h a s accumulated rich experience in service outsourcing, fast network cons t ruc t ion in compl i ca t ed conditions, high-quality network swap and scale network adjustment.

■ Logistics: The production and logis t ics capabi l i ty has been improved to accommodate the fast-growing shipment volume. As the market share increases steadily, the GSM product line has been doubling or even tripling its shipment over recent years.

■ Service: The GSM product line has significantly improved its capability in providing customers with the service of high added value, including operation and maintenance service, technical service and consulting service. Such service has effectively added the value of products while increasing the customer satisfaction.

■ Teamwork: The GSM product line has created a team culture of people connecting, innovation and aggressiveness.

Low TCO and Energy Saving: A Key to Differentiated Competition

In a telecom market with increasingly


Interview

intensified competit ion, telecom operators have been attaching more and more importance to low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and energy saving. To cater to such needs, ZTE has invested heavily in the GSM field and has made constant technical innovations.

Mr. He has an in-depth understanding of the TCO: “TCO refers to the overall expenditures and investments in the business operation, including the network construction, manpower, electricity and room rental costs. In the long term, the TCO also includes the costs on technical evolution.”

According to Mr. He, the present competition pressures, which operators face, have been transformed into new requirements on equipment suppliers. “We must constantly adjust the direction of our R&D to meet the operators’ changing needs,” he said. “However, the lowest TCO should not be reached by degrading the equipment performance.”

“We have been investing heavily in the R&D. To develop technologies that improve performance while decreasing the TCO, we have invested a lot in our research institutes in the United States, Sweden, and many mainland cities, for example Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu and Chongqing,” added Mr. He.

Dur ing t he coope ra t ion w i th operators, ZTE has been concerned about the requirements on energy saving and cost reduction. Mr. He believes that energy saving does not simply mean the decrease of the product power consumption. Instead, it should be a long-term mission throughout the lifecycle of a product. During the whole life of a product, efforts should be made

to decrease the resource consumption, including manpower, electricity and room rental costs.

To date, ZTE has developed some typical products and solutions to help operators reduce costs and resource consumption. The soft BTS solution based on a Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform enables the operators to upgrade BTSs through software upgrade or partial hardware upgrade, without a great alteration to the BTS hardware configurations; the GSM BTS can be smoothly upgraded to the Evolved EDGE BTS, 3G BTS or even LTE BTS, hence protecting existing investments of the operators. The industry-leading IP Pico BTS indoor coverage solution can significantly decrease the TCO, as a Pico BTS weighs less than 0.9kg and consumes as low as 20mW transmit power, about 1/50 of the transmit power of a mobile phone. The modular BTS solution divides an outdoor 6-TRX BTS into four modules. The modular BTS is an industry-leading BTS adopted in fast commercial applications. Each of its modules weighs merely 20kg on average. Thus the modular BTS can be carried and installed by one person, and the manpower and installation costs can be curtailed.

Addressing the 3G and 4G Challenges Regarding the future of ZTE’s GSM

products, Mr. He expressed his strong confidence. Faced with the 3G and 4G challenges, he believes that the GSM products can be gradually evolved and will coexist with other wireless communications technologies in the long term.

According to Mr. He, as GSM subscribers for a long time account for over 82% of the global wireless subscriber base, the market share of the GSM family of technologies can hardly be changed in the short term. There are three facts contributing to this situation. Firstly, the GSM industry chain is the most complete, cost-effective and open one, and the GSM terminals are the most diversified and the cheapest. Secondly, potential mobile subscribers prefer the GSM mode, which is the cheapest, most mature, most convenient in roaming, and most affordable. Thirdly, the service requirements of most subscribers are making telephone calls and sending or receiving short messages, which can be fully satisfied by the GSM and EDGE technologies.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has worked out an independent technical evolution path. The GSM will evolve to the EDGE, Evolved EDGE and LTE. In the protocol specifications, the air interface data rate for GSM has reached 1 to 2Mbps, much higher than that of other existing radio communications technologies. “GSM can be gradually upgraded to meet subscribers’ requirements for data services, as it develops along its evolution path,” said Mr. He.

He stated that ZTE has a clear development objective for its GSM products, which is to surpass other leading enterprises of the industry in product technology, costs, engineering implementation and logistics, making ZTE one of the top three GSM suppliers in the world.

“We should keep pace with the


development in the industry and partner with industry-leading operators. Also, we’ll continue investing in the R&D to meet the operators’ plans and requirements,” said Mr. He. He also added that the objective will be achieved at the end of this year or early next year.

Mr. He proposed two strategies for ZTE’s GSM product line. The first is to cut the costs, which is currently an effective method for China’s enterprises in improving competitiveness. The

second is to build a unified platform. It is generally agreed that the competition in product technology relies on a competitive platform. The typical platforms at present include the V3 unified platform and the SDR unified platform. Such platforms facilitate the sharing of technologies, experience and personnel, and speed the time-to-market for products. According to Mr. He, the unified platform strategy also covers the issues of costs, competitiveness,

evolution and service requirements, and will become the focus for future development of the GSM product line.

“ZTE’s GSM product line will stick to developing products to meet the needs of billions of potential mobile subscribers worldwide. We’ll transform the competitive technologies into our competitive edges and strive forward to make ZTE one of the top three GSM suppliers in the world,” said Mr. He confidently.


Third Eye

History of GSM

The agreement that was signed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1987 led to what became the GSM standard that is used across the world

today. The cellular communication industry celebrated its 20th birthday in 2007 and looks toward the next twenty years. In 1991, Finland launched the first GSM network. China is the world’s largest GSM market with over 500 million users between China Mobile and China Unicom. The GSM world connected the 2 billionth mobile subscriber in June 2006.

With GSM/EDGE networks deployed across


(Source: Company Data)

Figure 1 ZTE NG-GSM technology roadmap

(Source: EJL Wireless Research LLC)

Figure 2 GERAN evolution roadmap

(Source: ZTE)

Figure 3 Multi-carrier power amplifier technology

The need for MC-GSM has arisen due to a few main issues including capacity, EDGE II, dual band GSM base stations, and co-location of UMTS900 and UMTS1800 base stations.

(1) Capacity

majority having already upgraded to EDGE data rates and services. The next phase of the GERAN evolution will be the introduction of EDGE II technology and data rates.

EDGE II will allow for the global GSM baseline of networks to once again benefit from advancing technology and solutions without the encumbrance of acquiring new spectrum and licenses.

station sites becomes more and more difficult across the world, operators are being forced to do more with less. A typical GSM site now is dual band 900/1800MHz and may be co-located with a 3G WCDMA base station and 4G LTE base station in the future.

Over the next few years, these next generation GSM technologies are set to be adopted by the market: ■ EDGE II/Evolved EDGE ■ Multi-Carrier GSM (MC-GSM) ■ Software reconfigurable unified radio

platform ■ IP-BTS for GERAN

Chinese OEM ZTE has put a stake into the ground for GSM by recently unveiling its technology roadmap for Next Generation GSM networks (NG-GSM) that will allow for seamless migration to HSPA technology. We anticipate that other OEM vendors will follow suit. Even though the company is currently not a Tier 1 OEM for GSM base stations and BTS transceiver shipments, the company’s GSM roadmap has been crafted as though it is one with logical insight and forward thinking.

EDGE II GSM data rates continue to evolve.

All of the global GSM networks are at a baseline of GPRS data rates with the

218 countries, GSM/EDGE technology is anticipated to support 3 billion users by 2010. The cost efficient structure of GSM/EDGE makes it the first choice amongst emerging markets and allows for global roaming capability for mobile operators and a seamless migration and upgrade path to Enhanced EDGE. GSM/EDGE technology has also been chosen by many legacy CDMA networks such as VIVO and Reliance to provide an overlay and allow for a migration path to UMTS.

Convergence of GSM/EDGE networks with WCDMA/HSPA networks, coupled with reducing both CAPEX and OPEX is what OEM vendors will need to address over the next few years.

GSM Technology Evolution Trends―Migration to IP-GERAN

GSM has evolved with data rate transitions from GPRS to current EDGE technology. What is next in the evolution of the GERAN technology? NG-GSM involves a major upgrade of baseline transceiver/power amplifier technology as well as the migration of the core and RAN to an all IP-based solution. Enhanced EDGE or EDGE II is on the horizon and will boost data rates to what was originally thought of as 3G/3.5G speeds of 1.3Mbs peak data rates.

Today’s mobi le ne tworks a re

EDGE II technology is anticipated to be commercially available by the end of 2009.

MC-GSMThe ability to support multiple radio

interfaces within the same limited amount of space at the base station site is driving OEMs to create a flexible solution to meet different needs using a common platform. One key innovation that will solve this problem is MC-GSM technology. Up until this point, all GSM power amplifiers used have been single carrier (SCPA) technology due to the low cost structure of these units.

evolving from TDM based traffic in the core and RAN to one that will eventually be all IP-based. Mobile operators continue to seek technology innovations from the industry as base stat ion cell s i tes become more complicated to manage across multiple networks and generations of technology.

C o v e r a g e i s m o v i n g from outdoor to indoor with ubiquitous coverage being the goal for wireless networks. As the ability to secure new base

14 ZTE TECHNOLOGIESAugust 2008

Third Eye

Voice and data traffic capacity continues to grow across mobile networks. The advent of unlimited voice calling subscriber plans within the United States market is one example of the need to rapidly expand capacity within a base station or cell site without significantly increasing CAPEX or OPEX costs for the mobile operator.

Traditional single TRx solutions have advanced to dual TRx solutions that are currently being deployed today. These continue to use SCPA technology. The next phase of this ongoing evolution is MC-GSM which can initially support 4 carriers (4×SCPA) and up to 8 carriers (8×SCPA) in the future.

MC-GSM technology will initially allow for a 4× improvement of voice capacity for the mobile operator within the same physical space being utilized by single carrier GSM technology with the potential to increase to an 8×improvement.

(2) EDGE II A s h i g h e r o r d e r m o d u l a t i o n

technologies such as EDGE II (16QAM/32QAM) enter into the market, the ability to effectively deploy this technology using single carrier GSM becomes difficult. EDGE II requires dual carrier receivers (16 timeslots and 400kHz BW) to achieve peak data rates. MC-GSM is an enabling technology for OEMs to offer EDGE II capable base stations and allow mobile operators the ability to continue to leverage existing GSM/GPRS/EDGE assets.

(3) Dual band GSM base stations Across many networks globally,

operators are struggling with operating and managing dual band GSM900/1800 a n d G S M 8 5 0 / 1 9 0 0 n e t w o r k s . Traditional GSM base stations have been single frequency solutions, thus a site where GSM900 and GSM1800 is supported would require two separate completely independent base station cabinets using either single band

(Source: ZTE)

Figure 4 ZTE’s software reconfigurable unified radio platform solution

antennas or dual band antennas. While MC-GSM technology remains

frequency dependent (i.e. MC-GSM900 or MC-GSM1800), it can allow for next generation multi-band GSM base stations that can support 12TRx per frequency band within the same physical cabinet, thereby allowing mobile operators to deploy a platform that can support dual band operation.

(4) Co-location of UMTS900 and UMTS1800 base stations

2007 marked the beginning of UMTS900 technology deployments. Deployment of UMTS2100 networks is relatively simple compared with the requirements for either UMTS900 or UMTS1800 as most networks using these frequency bands already have congested GSM traffic within the spectrum. Re-farming spectrum within these frequency bands requires a more spectrum efficient solution for traditional single carrier GSM technology.

Physical space is a limiting factor for many dense urban GSM base station sites that may already have 36TRx being utilized in a three cabinet configuration. The ability to physically add UMTS900 base station cabinets may be impossible let alone the power requirements needed to support the additional infrastructure.

Multi-carrier power amplifier and

transceiver technology has lagged deployment in GSM when compared to other air interface standards such as CDMA2000 and WCDMA due to a variety of different factors, including costs, but the market is now ready for this technology.

Software reconfigurable unified radio platform technology

The ultimate base station technology f o r G E R A N / LT E n e t w o r k i n g convergence is software reconfigurable radios. Software reconfigurable radio technology will offer the ability to deliver multi-band multi mode base stations to mobile operators on a single unified platform architecture. ZTE is scheduled to deliver the world’s first commercially available software reconfigurable radio platform base station solution in Q3 2008, the ZXGW B8036. The ability to provide a unified base station architecture that supports GSM/EDGE, EDGE II, WCDMA, HSPA and LTE is critical in allowing mobile operators to leverage capital assets and simplify O&M across five generations of wireless technologies. ZTE’s software reconfigurable radio technology will also allow for the seamless migration to WCDMA and HSPA services for existing GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks.

15ZTE TECHNOLOGIES August 2008

IP GERAN Today’s mobile networks remain

tethered to legacy TDM traffic and ne twork conf igura t ions and are slowly migrating to a hybrid situation supporting both TDM and IP traffic. The future calls for an all IP-based core network and RAN. IP base stations (IP-BTS) are a critical element of this future network.

With its all-IP GSM 8000 BTS product portfolio, ZTE can offer tomorrow’s technology today for mobile operators. Currently, IP BSC, IP BTS and Pico IP Abis are all available to meet current and future IP requirements for the GERAN. The IP BSC can be upgraded to support converged RNC/BSC functionalities for 2G/3G networks. While we anticipate a 5-10 year hybrid TDM/IP network before full IP is achieved, the ability to future proof with all-IP BTS today may be a potential leverage for ZTE.

ZTE’s GSM Products and Solutions for NG-GSM

NG-GSM solutions from ZTE focus on four core issues demanded by today’s GSM mobile operators: ■ Feasible evolution path ■ Enhanced performance ■ Green and lower TCO ■ Flat and simple network architecture

Feasible evolution path The ability to deliver multi-mode

software reconfigurable base station technology, coupled with IP-ready intelligent base stations will allow GSM/EDGE mobile operators to leverage a single base station platform that will meet their current needs and provide for a seamless upgrade to both WCDMA/HSPA services as well as an all IP-based network. The ZXGW B8036 product can support a converged EDGE/EDGE II/HSPA/LTE network for existing GSM mobile operators.

Enhanced Performance Traditional macrocell BTS sites are

evolving towards remote radio unit (RRU) technology that allows for more dynamic deployment of RF coverage solutions for the mobile operator without being physically tethered to the base station site. The ZXG10 product is leading the way in offering high capacity RRU solutions as each RRU can support 6 TRx and each BBU can support 6 RRUs for a total of 36TRx.

The introduction of next generation digital pre-distortion (DPD) Doherty MC-GSM power amplif iers wil l decrease the size of base stations while increasing capacity and lowering overall power consumption. ZTE is targeting 50% power amplifier efficiency for its MC-GSM products in the future.

The ZXG10 M8206 offers mobile operators next generation technology with a zero footprint 2TRx base station that can be expanded to a compact S222 configuration with each unit weighing only 20Kg. This unit is similar to the Flexi BTS solution first introduced by Nokia for WCDMA applications.

Green and lower TCO Today’s global wireless industry is

going green and ZTE is keeping pace by offering innovative solutions that both protect the environment by reducing overa l l power consumpt ion and protecting mobile operator investments by reducing overall OPEX costs for mobile operators.

The 8000 series GSM base stations employ chimney effect convection cooling, thereby eliminating the requirement for electronic cooling fans to provide forced airflow within the cabinet. By leveraging higher efficiency MC-GSM power amplifiers, coupled with fanless cooling technology and solar technology, ZTE is able to offer GSM base station solutions that potentially consume 70% less

power than comparable 2007 industry solutions and offer up to 50% power reduction with current 2008 products. The ability to conserve power is a critical requirement in most base station solutions as OPEX costs continue to increase for mobile operators.

ZTE has shown in f ield t r ials with China Mobile that its patented Intelligent TS shutdown technology can reduce over 20% of a cell site’s power consumption (operating in a S222 mode) on a 24-hour operating basis. The company was ranked first in all categories in testing its MC-GSM technology with China Mobile.

Flat and simple network architecture The traditional MSC, BSC and

BTS network architecture of legacy GSM/EDGE networks evolved to Mobile Softswitch, RNC and NodeB for WCDMA/HSPA networks. The complexities of operating dual network topologies are forcing mobile operators to seek a simplified converged flat network architecture that can eliminate redundancy and costs. Multi-mode all IP-based GSM/EDGE/HSPA/LTE base stations can provide this solution.

Conclusion Given the emerging markets (Asia,

Africa and Latin America) focus for ZTE, GSM technology is a major strategic component of the company’s overall wireless strategy. We expect that ZTE will increase its aggressive stance within the GSM market to gain share using its MC-GSM enabled BBU-RRU solutions for GSM. The GSM technology roadmap remains forward thinking regarding software reconfigurable radios and the eventual convergence of GSM/EDGE with WCDMA/HSPA and TDM with IP. Both Motorola and Alcatel-Lucent are firmly in its sights as the next OEMs to knock off the GSM ladder.


Case Study

An Urgent Need to Upgrade Network

Ethiopia, located in east Africa, is a great nation with 3000-year history. The country was going to enter

its millennium on 1 Meskerem 2000 or 12th September 2007. Thousands of visitors from all over the world would come to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, for this annual celebration. The capital city was expecting a surge in visitors and a sharp increase of wireless network traffic during the festival, which would put an enormous strain on its wireless network. Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), the sole telecom service provider in Ethiopia, planned to expand its existing GSM network as soon as possible.

In fact, the network structure was

GSM/WCDMA network within 6 months in Region 1, where Addis Ababa belongs to.

One-Off Swapping Addis Ababa has a complicated

topography. The region is mainly hilly and many roads wind through the

Figure 1 Vendor distribution by the six regions

Solution Highlights■ Timely delivery, rapid response and

good after-sales service ■ Fast network deployment■ ZTE’s large-capacity equipment and

patented traffic control algorithms ensure the network’s capability to process large traffic load

very complicated. It was divided into six regions and each region was installed with equipment from different vendors. The whole network had equipment of two frequency bands: GSM 1800M and GSM 900M. To better manage the network and improve network performance, ETC decided to reduce the number of vendors in each region to no more than two.

In April 2007, ETC chose ZTE as the exclusive provider of network expansion and equipment replacement in five regions. The whole project is a three-year turnkey project. Upon accomplishment, the network will have vendor distribution as shown in Figure 1.

For the upcoming millennium, ETC especially required that ZTE relocates sites and builds a new large-capacity

ZTE Helps ETC Support Peak Traffic During Millennium CelebrationZhu Jie

1�ZTE TECHNOLOGIES August 2008

ETC based on ZTE’s powerful planning and optimization system, ZXPOS. The service included network quality evaluation, frequency optimization, coverage ana lys i s , in te r fe rence analysis, customization of KPI, statistic granularity, filter conditions and report forms.

ZTE fulfilled the task of network swapping and constructing approximately 300 sites in 6 months. The improvement of network quality not only helped ETC support large traffic volume during millennium celebration but also facilitated ETC to increase the number of its subscribers. After this unprecedented successful cooperation, in May 2008, ETC chose ZTE as the exclusive supplier for its further network expansion.

This solution has the following benefits:■ All equipment had been fully tested

before replacement so as to ensure successful network migration and network reliability.

■ The interruption to the existing network was short (approximately half an hour) since the new network had already been fully tested.

■ T h e o r i g i n a l a d j a c e n t c e l l configuration and frequency plan was reused during the migration so that impact on the subscribers was minimized.

Network Optimization Service During the network construction,

ZTE provided network planning and customized optimization service for

“At this exciting moment, I personally want to thank ZTE for its effective and fast reaction. Today, it proves our decision is right and Ethiopian people have seen the bright future. ZTE Corporation keeps her promise and presents our people with a great gift…” said Amare Amsalu, CEO of ETC, in ZTE’s equipment room when voice traffic reached its peak on the Ethiopian Millennium day.

Benefits■ The high performance network helped ETC

sustain the heavy traffic in new year ■ ETC reduced 35% of TCO with ZTE’s cost-

effective solution and all-round service■ As an end-to-end equipment and total service

supplier, ZTE provided customized network development scheme for ETC

Milestones■ In April 2007, ETC signed contract with ZTE to swap the existing equipment

and expand the existing network capacity by three times■ On 11th Sep. 2007, ETC smoothly passed the peak traffic test during

millennium celebration■ ETC’s network subscribers doubled in the last quarter of 2007■ In January 2008, ZTE was selected as the exclusive network equipment

provider by ETC for the next 15 years

mountains. Multi-path effects of radio propagation here was obvious, which resulted in serious signal attenuation. The city’s complicated road network posed a big challenge for network planning and optimization.

According to the situations in Addis Ababa, ZTE proposed one-off swapping solution. During the engineering preparation stage, ZTE had done a whole range of work including installing all GSM equipment, radio planning, creating the databases of BSCs and MSCs, and commissioning MSCs, BSCs and BTSs, when the existing network was in service. Thus, the new network had been fully tested and accepted by the operator after the cutover of the existing network and switching to the new network.


Tech Feature

Development Progress of Evolved EDGE

With the widespread use of data services, mobile broadband wireless access has become the

inevitable trend of mobile networks. For both relatively mature standards, such as GSM, CDMA, and WCDMA and TD-SCDMA, and newly ITU-approved WiMAX, a higher access rate is a network’s evolutionary goal. Among them, the dominant standard GSM has defined the next phase of Evolved EDGE, making it the core feature of the Next Generation GSM (NG-GSM). Operators have always been focusing on the continuing development of Evolved EDGE and its industry chain.

The Evolution of EDGEGSM, initially standardized in 1980s

in Europe, include Phase I, Phase II, Phase II+, and R99 evolutionary steps. The specifications were completed by the European Telecommunications

Standards Institute (ETSI). In 2000, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) took over the development of GSM standard from ETSI. In other words, R99 is the last GSM version released by ETSI. Responsibility for GSM radio access technology specifications was transferred to 3GPP and the subsequent releases use new version numbers like R4 and R5.

EDGE was first proposed to ETSI in 1997 as a technology to enhance data transmission rates of GSM/GPRS networks, and EDGE standardization was completed in spring 2000. The Phase 1 EDGE (defined in 3GPP R99) was taken over by 3GPP along with the maintenance of GSM standards. The Phase 2 EDGE (defined in 3GPP R4 and R5) further improves voice and data services.

From R4, 3GPP uniformly defines specifications for GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) and UMTS

Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), with the goal of providing a seamless integrated GERAN and UTRAN. GERAN has the capabilities of a 3G technology in terms of data transmission rates, link quality control, QoS and full-service bearing capability. As a result, the industry takes the EDGE/GERAN as a 3G technology (TDMA-based). 3GPP has modified the evolutionary path of GSM/EDGE so that it will be parallel to the evolution of WCDMA.

In R5, the features of GERAN mainly include: common interfaces between UTRAN and GERAN; separation between service and control planes; and service packetization.

3GPP introduces the distributed GERAN concept in R7. Distributed RAN will be the network architecture of the future GERAN since the distributed RAN has a more flexible and effective network architecture, which can more

Lv Qianhao, Jiang Wen, Zhu Jie


Development Progress of Evolved EDGE

effectively implement dynamic resource allocation and load balancing between RANs, greatly increasing capacity utilization while enabling network redundancy. MSC in pool and GGSN in pool in the R5 and R6 systems are the rudiments of the distributed GERAN.

Evolved EDGE, also called EDGE Evolution, improves on existing EDGE technology. It was specified in 3GPP R7. Compared to existing versions of EDGE, Evolved EDGE will boost data speeds up to 600 percent and will improve latency, coverage, spectrum efficiency, and service continuity with HSPA networks. Moreover, it can coexist with existing frequency plans, providing rapid deployment solutions.

From R7, 3GPP begins to discuss further enhancing the service carrying capability of GSM by referencing the way WCDMA incorporating HSPA. 3GPP R7 was frozen at the end of 2007. Since 2008, 3GPP has begun the work to define

GERAN Long Term Evolution (GERAN LTE) in R8.

Key Rules in Developing Evolved EDGE

3GPP TSG GERAN made a series of requirements when collecting GERAN evolution proposals for R7, so that the R7 system can enhance network capacity and performance while ensuring maximum compatibility with the existing GERAN. Just like HSPA has a continued evolution (HSDPA-HSUPA-HSPA+), Evolved EDGE has a gradual development process.

3GPP R7 only defines key technologies and indexes at the initial stage of Evolved EDGE, which are not its ultimate performance. The evolution from Evolved EDGE to LTE must comply

with the following rules:

Seamless evolutionThe original EDGE technology

system (like spectrum, frame structure, and frequency plan) is kept unchanged. There is no need to change the network architecture and softswitch core network. Only a simple upgrade on the wireless side is necessary. Software upgrade is preferable.

Enhanced network performance and QoS

Evolved EDGE will reach a peak data transmission rate of 1-6Mbits/s (a peak data transmission rate of 2Mbits/s in 3GPP R7 and 6Mbit/s or even higher speed in future evolution). It has enhanced data bearing capability and increased spectrum resources utilization. It supports bandwidth intensive services with enhanced QoS guaranteeing uninterrupted provision of services.

Improved investment protection Evolved EDGE minimizes impact

on the existing network, thus providing maximum income to operators. Its evolution path is clear—a smooth migration towards an all-IP network. The flat architecture ensures sustainable network development.

Evolved EDGE Industry Chain Getting Mature

Following the recent standard activities in 3GPP, many GSM vendors have stated their commitment to launch EDGE Evolution as a software upgrade of existing infrastructure by 2009.

Leading equipment suppliers, such as Ericsson, ZTE, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Alcatel-Lucent have announced that they will support Evolved EDGE in the end 2008-2009. As for terminals, many chip vendors plan to launch single- and dual-mode Evolved EDGE chips in the end 2008 or early 2009, and mobile phone vendors, such as Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Motorola, will launch Evolved EDGE/Wi-Fi/HSPA multi-mode mobile phones in 2009. Regarding the test tool, Agilent and Tektronix have launched test devices that support high-order modulation for Evolved EDGE.

ConclusionEDGE and Evolved EDGE, as

bridging technologies between GSM and LTE, provide high data rates, save network investment, and meet bandwidth requirements of future wireless multimedia applications. EDGE is a near-3G data communications technology. Evolved EDGE can provide mobile broadband services as 3.5G technologies CDMA2000 EV-DO and HSDPA. Since Evolved EDGE has been standardized, and the industry chain is getting mature, Evolved EDGE network will find wide application across the world.


Tech Feature

Wang Dongfei

B3G Development

Be y o n d 3 G ( B 3 G ) w a s f o r m a l l y n a m e d I M T-Advanced by the International Telecommunications Union

(ITU) at the 17th ITU-R WP8F meeting held in October 2005. Both IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced have the same “IMT” prefix, which stands for International Mobile Telecommunications. The current WCDMA and HSDPA technologies are called IMT-2000, while the future mobile communications systems adopting new radio interface technologies are called IMT-Advanced.

According to the definition of ITU, IMT-Advanced supports a data rate of 1000Mb/s when a user is static or moving at a low speed, and a data rate of 100Mb/s when a user is moving at a high speed. IMT-Advanced offers much higher performance than Enhanced 3G (E3G) and is expected to be commercially launched after 2010.

B3G TechnologiesThe prevailing paradigm for the

implementation of B3G technologies is as follows: ■ New spectrum: The new spectrum

ranging from hundreds of MHz to more than 1GHz can be found in two directions. It may come from traditional radio and television spectrum (below 862MHz) in the low frequency bands, and the 3.4 to 5GHz spectrum in the high frequency bands. They are the main

spectrum bands on which the BSG system can offer high capacity.

■ Physical layer: OFDMA and CDMA technologies will be favorably combined to achieve balance between spectrum efficiency and power efficiency. Such technologies as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), LDPC/Turbo coding, inter-cell interference cancellation, relay and distributed antenna, and Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) will also be used in the physical layer.

■ Radio Access Network (RAN): RAN will be flat, self-planning, self-configurable, and self-optimizable. On this basis, the concept of “Home Base Station” is put forward.

■ Core network: The core network will be IP-based. It has open service architecture and supports IPv6.

The B3G terminals can select communication interfaces and protocols to best meet the bandwidth need and economic feasibility via a single or few wireless interfaces, Software Defined Radio (SDR), and smart antenna technology. The selected interfaces include WLAN, 2G, 2.5G and 3G interfaces, as well as the newly planned high-speed wireless interfaces. The development of B3G technologies include not only the technologies in the field of mobile communications, i.e., the evolution route for access technology standards defined by 3GPP and 3GPP2, but also the new technologies in the field

Application of B3G Technologies in 2G Networks


of broadband wireless access, radio and television.


Nowadays, many ideas have been raised for the evolution of GSM networks. In order to support high-speed data services, the online network needs to be upgraded on a large scale. As GSM networks have been widely deployed throughout the world, a smoother evolution strategy is of great importance in protecting investment of operators, especially the ones who have only GSM license.

The B3G technologies that can be applied in GSM networks include:

SDRSDR is an emerging technology that

enables reconfigurable, reprogrammable, multi-service, multi-standard and multi-band radio systems. It uses software to modulate/demodulate radio signals at a place as close to the antenna as possible. Today SDR has been applied for GSM and WCDMA networks. By using the software method, it allows GSM or WCDMA BTSs to operate on multiple bands without changing hardware.

SDR makes it possible to use more advanced multiple access methods and modulation/demodulation technologies while keeping the GSM air frame format and bandwidth unchanged. Therefore, it is unnecessary to replace the BTS hardware, which can protect the operators’ investment.

Distributed BTSRecently, there have been two

revolutionary multi-antenna systems: adaptive smart antenna system and MIMO system. The smart antenna technology has been widely used in GSM networks. It uses multiple antennas to focus signal beams, which consequently expands cellular coverage

area, reduces interference and improves frequency reuse.

In the distributed BTS, the Remote Radio Unit (RRU) transmits RF signals to antenna, and one or more RRUs are connected to the equipment room through reliable intact links. The RRU and multi-antenna technology can complement each other. For example, the smart antenna system is remarkably sensitive to the position where antenna is installed, while the BTS may not be best located. Using the RRU architecture, operators can optimize the installation location of antenna for easy network deployment.

Flat networkThe conventional BSS hierarchical

architecture will become access network architecture composed of IP-based BTS and access gateway. In addition to the BTS functions, the IP-based BTS also provides most of the BSC functions.

The flat BSS architecture has distinct advantages such as low network delay, low CAPEX and OPEX, improved network scalability and enhanced new service provisioning capability. It is said that there will be no boundary between mobile and fixed networks after the B3G technologies are enabled. Actually, in GSM time mobile and fixed networks can be seamless converged.

Self-planning, self-configuration and self-optimization

Wi t h t h e t e n d e n c y t o w a r d s flatness, operators also require that the network be self-planning, self-configurable, and self-optimizable. In other words, the BTS should have the ability to automatically measure and sense the ambient radio and network environments, automatically configure system parameters, and automatically organize networks. This technology has been used in GSM BTSs like femtocell BTS and picocell BTS, which can greatly reduce the costs in

network optimization, operation and maintenance.

Smoother EvolutionThe IMT-Advanced system will be

commercially launched in the market in about 10 years. Therefore, within the 10 years, 2G operators who have not yet deployed 3G systems can choose to deploy either 3G system (including HSPA and HSPA+) or LTE system. However, if they perform large-scale network upgrade twice within the short 10 years, i.e., choose to deploy 3G and LTE systems in succession, the costs will be so high that the initial investment can hardly be taken back. The evolution routes for different operators include:■ 3G→LTE→IMT-Advanced (for

UMTS Operators who were the first to deploy 3G systems)

■ 3G→HSPA+→IMT-Advanced (for UMTS operators who have just deployed 3G systems)

■ 3G (including HSPA+) →IMT-Advanced (for 2G operators who are planning to deploy 3G systems)

■ 2G→LTE→IMT-Advanced (for 2G operators who are not going to deploy 3G systems)

It can be seen from the above evolution routes that the continual adoption of advanced B3G technologies in 2G networks will be a smoother evolution strategy.

ConclusionWith the rapid development of

mobile communications technologies, the evolution from 2G to EDGE, to 3G, to LTE and to B3G will inevitably bring about large-scale upgrade of networks, and this will create huge investment risks. In the era when the content is the king, continually applying advanced B3G technologies in current networks to leverage existing radio architecture and spectrum bands will be a rather smooth transition.



Tech Feature

A Strategic Reflection on Fixed, Mobile and Internet ConvergenceWu Richun

FMIC

The Personal Communications System (PCS), with the goal of allowing anytime anywhere communications,

h a s b e e n t h e d r e a m o f t h e telecommunications and information industry. Since the 20th century till now, unified communication networks, represented by GSM, PSTN, and the Internet, have been established in the world for the first time. While embracing its golden times, telecommunications and information industry also sees an increasingly fierce competition. Meeting personal communication requirements of customers is the key to achieving operational success.

In the middle of the 1990s, the concept of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) was brought forward in the industry for the first time; constrained by technologies, business models, policy control and lack of standards,

FMC has not been really industrialized, and related services have not been developed. In addition, the concept of FMC only incorporates mobile and fixed networks—Internet is excluded—which fails to meet the ultimate demands of personal communications. Therefore, we propose the concept of Fixed, Mobile and Internet Convergence (FMIC), that is, full-service convergence.

In the 21st century, when the global telecom control loosens and competition patterns change, FMIC gains favors from both mobile and fixed network operators. Equipment suppliers and high-end operators like BT, VDF, FT, Telefonica and NTT have made in-depth exploration of it. Future evolutionary technologies represented by LTE, UMB, GERAN LTE and mobile WiMAX have drawn extensive attention from the industry. Meanwhile, seven leading operators, including China Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, NTT, DoCoMo,

T-Mobile, KPN and Sprint, have formed the Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) initiative, to put forward their vision beyond 3G.

The operation of the telecommunications and information industry focus on increasing Return on Investment (ROI), protecting the existing investment and maximizing resources efficiency to build new competitive advantages. The advantages and significance of all-service operation have been uniformly recognized in the industry. As the direct demand of customers and strategic direction of the operator group, all-service operation is inevitable.

User Experience and Business Model Innovation: Drivers of FMIC

Customers are eager to have an easy access to converged telecom services through a converged terminal with the services transparent to both the networks and bearer layers. The urgent demand


of customers is the biggest drive to promote all-service development and it also serves as the basis for creating business models for FMIC.

At present, most of the converged services provided by al l-service operators are actually tie-in sales. They are in fact an innovative multi-services sale model, not service convergence in a strict sense. Only user-led business model innovation can promote the development of convergence. Providing an individualized business model is one of the most important issues in FMIC. FMIC should allow users to customize not only services, but also user interfaces, and even their converged terminals.

At the end of 2006, Hutch 3 rolled out the X-Series, which could be a great reference for FMIC. Hutch 3 introduced its mobile broadband service packages with its HSDPA network. The X-Series enables users to communicate, find information and be entertained using a mobile phone. A new charging structure is adopted. This charging model overthrows the traditional model of charging per minute, per message, per click, per event, and per megabyte. Through a ser ies of appl icat ion programs, customers will be able to make unlimited calls, watch their home TV, and access their home PC remotely. They can also access the best Internet and information services from Yahoo!, Windows Live Messenger, and Google.

The X-Series is the most successful convergence between mobile and Internet services. Its charging mode overturns the tradi t ional mobile business model, and mobile broadband has become a business reality for the first time. From the perspective of the Internet, it has become mobile, which creates great room for developing mobile value-added services.

I n t h e r e c e n t t w o y e a r s , t h e convergence between the Internet and

mobile network has been accelerated, which gives birth to a crop of new business models. The related cases include: Google is quickly extending dominance to mobile search market; Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone maker, is also turning into a mobile Internet company; iPhone maker Apple receives a share of the revenue generated by iPhone.

Integration of Terminal with Access Layer: Critical in FMIC

IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), as one of the FMC core technologies, has been tested by over 30 mobile operators in the world. The latest technology development makes it possible to realize FMIC. Another key issue in FMIC is network infrastructure convergence. The qualities of the FMIC network are in line with those of the NGMN, that is, strong performance, simple and flat architecture, scalability, green (energy saving and consumption reduction) and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

One of the innovative technologies currently in active deployment is seamless roaming between WLAN and cellular networks based on such technologies as dual-mode mobile terminal and mobile Bluetooth. Its key difficulties lie in the quality of WLAN and battery life of dual-mode phones. Since 2006, GSM/UMTS-based femtocell has become new focus of FMIC. Femtocell has the following technical features: connection to the BSS through IP transmission; optional integration of GSM/UMTS with xDSL and Wi-Fi, which allows users to access multiple services including GSM/UMTS voice, data and broadband Internet access; xDSL-based backhaul, reducing operator’s TCO while protecting the existing investment in copper cables.

From the perspective of operators, femtocell not only allows mobile operators to compete against fixed-

line operators, but also helps operators lock in users and even the entire family. High-end operators in Western Europe like FT, Telefonica and BT all take femtocell as a viable solution for delivering service to homes.

Several problems have to be solved for the integration between access networks and terminals. Multiple services need to be mapped to a single number so that the end-user can access any service from a single channel; the system can achieve safe, seamless and terminal-independent service access while the QoS is guaranteed. Both terminal and access layer have to meet the requirements of seamless service and handover, for example, there will be no interruption or degradation of QoS during the handover between Wi-Fi and 2G networks. Meanwhile, multiple applications can be transmitted in a transparent manner among different network platforms. The access layer should not only meet customer ’s requirements for converged services, but also protect the existing investment in terminals and network infrastructures, maximizing their life cycle.

All-service can go into commercial operation only after the optimal integration of access networks and terminals is realized, and the customer value is transformed into operating value.

ConclusionTo sum up, FMIC will be a gradual

and long-term process. We will see that FMIC will change the patterns of the global telecommunications and information industry in a profound manner in the next 10 to 15 years. During the long process of moving towards this objective, how each link in the industry cooperates and interacts with one another to create its new competitive advantages will become a top-priority strategic topic in the industry.


Tech Feature

A Study on Intelligent Electricity Saving Technology in GSM SystemChen Hong

Energy and envi ronment c r i s e s a r e t h e c r i t i c a l challenges confronting the global community in the

21st century. How to reduce energy consumption has become the primary concern in all industries including telecommunications. As a mainstream supplier of GSM network equipment, ZTE always takes energy conservation and consumption reduction as a key aspect in product design, and keeps improving the products’ energy-saving capabilities.

Status Quo of Base StationsAccording to the statistics from

China’s telecom operators, the utilization of radio resources (the ratio of actual

traffic to design capacity) in a network is about 20 to 30%. ZTE also made a thorough analysis of the Base Station (BS) equipment running over the current network. Figure 1 shows the results of the traffic analysis in 7 days for 4 sites (S444, S434, S424 and S443 respectively) operated in the network of a certain operator: during the period with low traffic (0:00 to 8:00), the average utilization of radio resources is about 6%; during the period with medium traffic (08:00 to 16:00), the average utilization of radio resources is about 30%; and during the period with high traffic (16:00 to 24:00), the average utilization of the radio resources is about 42%.

Therefore, the average utilization of radio resources is about 26%. Based

on the GSM system features, we can conclude that all timeslots of the Broadcast Channel (BCCH) carriers are transmitted at full power, whereas about 25% of other Traffic Channel (TCH) carriers are transmitted at full power.

Intelligent Electricity Saving Technology

A s i l l u s t r a t e d a b o v e , p o w e r consumption of BS equipment can be reduced in two ways:■ Improve power efficiency when the

equipment is operating;■ Make full use of the electricity

saving technology to reduce power consumption as much as possible when the equipment is idle or not in a full-load operation.

This article will focus on using the intelligent electricity saving technology to reduce power consumption. As a key component in the BS equipment, the carrier Power Amplifier (PA) module consumes most of the power in the equipment. Therefore, the intelligent control technology of power consumption in a PA is widely adopted in the industry, which effectively reduces PA power consumption while improving its efficiency. With advanced design, the PA can greatly reduce static power consumption. Moreover, when Figure 1 Utilization of radio resources


A Study on Intelligent Electricity Saving Technology in GSM System

bearing traffic, the PA can dynamically adjust power consumption based on the number of transmitting timeslots and the transmit power, thus avoiding unnecessary loss and adequately reducing power consumption of the whole equipment.

Implementation SchemesThe intelligent electricity saving

technology is being implemented in the industry in the following ways:

Timeslot-based PA bias turn-offAs traditional GSM system has no

power management requirement on the PA operation, the PA static grid voltage is always on. As a result, there exists electric current even if no signal is input in the PA. The timeslot-based PA bias turn-off technology can be adopted to eliminate the power consumption caused by the static current, and to further reduce traffic and power consumption of non-BCCH carriers.

The timeslot-based PA bias turn-off (see Figure 2) serves to turn off the PA bias voltage when there are no RF signals in the timeslot, so that no static current can flow in the PA. But when there are signals in the timeslot, the bias voltage is switched on and the PA operates in a normal manner. Therefore, the power consumption of the PA will be reduced to zero when there are no signals (or traffic) in the timeslot, through which the goal of energy saving in the PA can be better achieved.

Intelligent carrier turn-offThe basic principle of intelligent

carrier turn-off is as follows: the BS turns off some unloaded carrier modules to save electricity through automatic software control when traffic on the BS drops. By temporarily turning off unloaded carrier modules, i n t e l l i gen t ca r r i e r t u rn -o ff can effectively reduce energy consumption when traffic is low while ensuring network QoS. For example, in the consecutive 8 hours at night when the user access rate is low, intelligent carrier turn-off may be activated to turn off the electricity supply of some carriers in order to reduce unnecessary power consumption and increase energy efficiency.

In te l l igent car r ie r turn-off i s implemented by the control board and the controlled board together. The control board (generally digital circuit board with low power consumption) outputs TTL signals. The controlled board (an analog board with high power consumption) will be switched off when the signals are at high level and switched on when the signals are at low level. The controlled board receives the on/off signal output by the control board, isolates the signal via a photoelectric coupler and controls the grid of MOS transistors to turn on/off the electricity supply of the board.

Other technologiesBesides the above two intelligent

electricity saving technologies, the following technologies are also adopted in the industry to reduce the overall power consumption of equipment:

(1) The new generation green RoHS

Figure 2 Timeslot-based PA bias turn-off

chip solution featuring high performance and low power consumption: It boasts dynamic frequency adjustment, which can dynamically adjust the operating frequency of the chip as per the traffic load and achieve a balance between high-performance operation and low power consumption.

(2) One-board design to enhance heat radiation capacity: Natural heat radiation is generally adopted in outdoor BS equipment, in which the PA power output will drop and the heat consumption will grow when temperature rises. The one-board design allows the board to be as near to the radiating mechanical part as possible. In this way, the loss of power in the BS equipment can be well prevented and energy consumption will be reduced.

(3) Change of the low-temperature heating for outdoor BS: When the equipment is cold started, a high-power heater is generally adopted to heat the overall equipment. However, local heating via low-power heaters can be used to greatly reduce power consumption caused by the heating process. Meanwhile, local heating can also decrease power distribution capacity to save power distribution cost.

ConclusionWith an aim to build green energy-

conserving and environment-friendly networks, the intelligent electricity sav ing t echno logy fo r wi re les s equipment has gained extensive attention in the industry. With industry-l ead ing t echno log ies in ene rgy conservation and consumption reduction such as intelligent control in PA power consumption, traffic priority assignment and intelligent carrier electricity turn-off, ZTE significantly reduces the power consumption of its GSM equipment, making positive contributions to environment protection.


Tech Feature

Application Analysis of Light and Energy Saving GSM BTS Lv Qianhao, Zhu Jie

Recent years have seen a continuous growth in the n u m b e r o f G S M b a s e transceiver stations (BTSs)

deployed worldwide. However, the widespread deployment of GSM BTSs does not bring about an obvious increase of profits, but sometimes even profit decrease, because the electricity, maintenance, engineering, depreciation and equ ipmen t cos t s have a l so increased. Therefore, building light and energy saving GSM BTSs is not only benefit requirements but also the social responsibility of telecom operators and equipment vendors.

The next-generation GSM BTS features light and energy saving. At present, in designing BTS, all vendors manage to take into account such factors as balancing investment cost, energy saving, reliability, and reducing maintenance cost. They have rolled out their own light and energy saving products one after another. Among them, ZTE and Nokia included light and energy saving BTSs in their fifth-generation BTS series launched in 2007.

T h e 6 - T R X G S M B T S s a r e extensively applied in vast and sparsely-populated areas, covering villages, roads and tunnels. They can better satisfy

the requirements of continual traffic increase in these areas. Today the major concern of operators and equipment vendors is how to change the GSM network construction and operation model in these areas to achieve technical innovation and cost reduction.

The new-generation light and energy saving GSM BTS has some important features: modular composition, low power consumption, small size, light weight and IP-based transmission. Refer to Table 1 for the main features of the new-generation light and energy saving BTS.

The new-generation light and energy

Table 1 Comparison of the new-generation light and energy saving BTS and traditional BTS

Feature Traditional BTS New-Generation Light and Energy Saving Modular BTS

Capacity 6 TRXs 6 TRXs

Architecture Regular integrated BTS Modular BTS

Dimensions (H×W×D) mm > 700×600×450 < 620×550×330

Weight > 120Kg < 80Kg

Outdoor transmission power 40W > 40W

Peak power consumption 1100W 900W

Average power consumption > 700W < 530W

Abis interface Regular interface IP interface

Power supply mode 380V DC power or 220V AC power for civil use

220V AC power for civil use

Cooling An air-conditioner or a fan is needed Natural cooling without the aid of heat radiators

Labor consumption Several persons are required to carry and install the BTS

A single person can carry and install the BTS


saving BTSs have been commercially deployed all over the world, with capacity of more than tens of thousands of TRXs. For example, ZTE’s modular BTSs have been applied in Indonesia, India, Nepal, and several provinces and cities in China including Fujian and Dalian. Figure 1 shows the on-site application of a ZTE’s modular BTS.

Short installation period ■ It provides modular design for

easy ins ta l la t ion . Except for transportation, the installation of main equipment, auxiliary equipment and antenna can be finished within one day by one person.

■ It is small in size and easy to implement safety protection, which

Figure 2 Statistics of monthly electricity consumption per TRX

This model of modular BTS is one of the fifth-generation BTS product family launched by ZTE in 2007. With advanced design, the modular BTS is now running smoothly over GSM networks. Based on the actual measured data of a certain GSM network in eastern China’s Fujian Province, the application features of ZTE’s modular BTS are summarized as follows:

Low deployment cost ■ It reduces the deployment cost by

about 60%.■ It has small footprint and can be

installed by a single person. There is no need for air-conditioners or the 380 V transformed power supply.

■ It supports pole mounting, and the cost of auxiliary equipment is low.

consumption of 224 BTSs in a certain GSM network shows that the average electricity consumption per TRX reduces remarkably (including the electricity consumption of various auxiliary facilities such as macro BTSs) by about 20% after a total of 28 light and energy saving modular BTSs were installed from January to April 2008, as

Figure 1 On-site application scenario of a ZTE’s modular BTS

150160170180190200210220230

Oct. 2007

Nov. 200

7

Dec.200

7

Jan. 200

8

Feb.2008

March 2

008

April20

08

Electricity Consumption per TRX (kilowatt-hour)

saves the room rental cost and shortens the period for building maintenance facilities.

■ It is energized by the 220V AC civil power supply, making installation faster and easier.

Low maintenance cost ■ It requires no air-conditioner and

operates under low overall power consumption. The electricity cost per TRX is reduced by over 60%.

■ It is designed for outdoor use, providing IP55 protection and professional lightning protection and enduring a temperature range of –40℃ to +55℃.

■ A single module weighs 17 kg and can be installed, disassembled and maintained by a single person.

The statistics of monthly electricity

shown in Figure 2. I n t e r m s o f i n v e s t m e n t a n d

maintenance costs, the light and energy saving modular BTSs can reduce about 60% of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) compared with traditional integrated BTSs, significantly saving investments and improving resource efficiency.

The design concept of modular BTS has been widely applied to almost all mobile products, including the BBU+RRU baseband pool and remote RF distributed BTSs first put forward by ZTE, and the GSM/UMTS and TD-SCDMA network equipment. As modular BTSs show potential advantages in energy saving and environment protection, the modular and energy saving design has become an important trend for developing BTSs in the future.


ZTE, a leading global provider o f t e lecommunica t ions equipment and network solutions, is enhancing 3G

mobile TV viewing experience during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as it officially rolls out U728, the industry’s f i rs t TD-SCDMA TV handset , a wireless device that is capable of receiving crisp and quality TV signals. This is ZTE’s way of supporting Olympics’ theme of “Technology Olympics” and a l lowing people to watch Olympic games anytime, anywhere in China. The new TD-

Handsets

ZTE Enhances 3G Mobile TV Experience at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

ZTE partners with China Mobile to launch the industry’s first TD-SCDMA TV handset that allows users to watch Olympics anytime, anywhere in China


SCDMA TV handset supports China Mobile Multimedia Broadcasting’s (CMMB) mobile TV technology, and will be available in the domestic market in time for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The launching of the new U728 TD-SCDMA TV handset is the result of ZTE’s continuous R&D efforts to help rapidly push the development and promotion of TD-SCDMA technology in China. TD-SCDMA is still in its initial stage of introduction in the mainland due to the absence of equipment that supports the standard. According to SINO-Market Research, a leading China market research firm, 71% of China consumers surveyed was interested in watching the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on a TV phone, with 41% considering buying one to gain mobile access to the summer sports coverage. The availability of the new ZTE TD-SCDMA handset in the market is expected to further propel the adoption of the standard in China and play a significant role when 3G licenses are issued in the mainland by end of the year.

ZTE’s U728 is a state-of-the-art dual-mode wireless technology that supports TD-SCDMA and GSM+CMMB, and will play a key role in ensuring a s m o o t h a n d e f f i c i e n t m o b i l e communication during the global event. Designed as a commercial Smartphone, it can simultaneously receive CMMB broadcasting signals, allowing users to watch Olympic programs anytime, anywhere on its 2.8-inch TFT LCD monitor.

Rich 3G Features for Enhanced Multimedia Experience

T h e Z T E U 7 2 8 T D - S C D M A handset is equipped with various 3G services capability such as WAP, VP, MMS, JAVA and video streaming to provide subscribers superb high-speed multi-media services over next-generation 3G network. In terms of

channel reception, U728 is capable of smoothly receiving broadcast signals, and allows users to quickly switch TV channels in a fraction of a second. Initial industry users gave the handset a thumbs-up and positive reviews for its excellent and high quality broadcasting images, reliable voice and visual synchronization features.

Other Outstanding Features of U728 TD-SCDMA Handset ■ A high-definition video phone

that provides high-speed internet browsing

■ S u p p o r t s l i v e T V p r o g r a m broadcasting at a maximum speed of 512kbps

■ Equipped with a built-in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) telescopic antenna that rotates 360° to maintain high accuracy for channel reception and low frame error ratio

■ With “hot keys” to easily play TV programs, pre-set and switch TV channels, hence saving users time on downloading and buffer loading

■ Enhanced user interaction with TV programs by allowing them to send program enquiry, receive and forward program details via SMS

“We are pleased to make our first TD-SCDMA TV handset available in the market in time for the holding of one of the most important sporting even t s in China’s h i s to ry. As a visionary, we’ve been striving hard to realize the core value of Mobile TV, setting our eye on delivering full range of advanced mobile solutions to meet growing consumer demands for reliable multimedia applications,” said Lin Qiang, General Manager of ZTE Smartphone Production Line, ZTE Corporation. “Over the years, ZTE has been putting our R&D investment in customizing services and solutions for TD-SCDMA TV handset, and the launching of U728 is a culmination of

that initiative.”

Sustaining the Tradition of Supporting Global Events

ZTE has been playing key roles in international events, having been one of the technology providers in the previous Athens 2004 Olympic Games. This time, the company has been selected by China Mobile to help construct TD-SCDMA network in several major Chinese cities for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to ensure the reliable and smooth operations of the its 3G network infrastructure. This further attests the company’s leading position in the industry.

In addition, ZTE is helping China Telecom’s Shanghai IPTV in upgrading its network, the world’s largest H.264 version, to 12M-bandwidth in order to satisfy the high demand for TV broadcast during the Games.

ZTE is also the largest supplier of TD-SCDMA handsets for the Olympic by supplying about 30% of the purchase order recently placed by China Mobile, thus making the company the biggest 3G provider of both network infrastructure and handsets for this global sporting event. The handset division was one of ZTE’s fastest growing units last year, with year-on-year sales revenues growing by 69.16%, shipping over 30 million handsets in 2007.

Over the years, ZTE has been partnering with global leading telecom carriers including H3G, BT, Telecom Italia and Telefónica to develop digital broadcasting mobile TV standards. With accelerating market growth and ZTE’s strong terminal capabilities, the company has successfully gained the trust and recognition of various leading multinational telecom operators, solidifying its leading role in the global mobile handset industry.

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