China Telecom has contracted Alcatel-Lucent as one of its main suppliers for FDD LTE equipment for its nationwide hybrid FDD/TDD LTE rollout.
Alcatel-Lucent said it has been selected as one of China Telecom's top three suppliers for the next phase of the rollout.
Under the deal, the vendor will roll out its FDD LTE technology in 40 cities across 12 provinces, including Shanghai and Suzhou.
Alcatel-Lucent will provide RAN equipment and services during the first half of 2015. The company will provide its 9926 eNodeB RAN technology, which comprises a digital baseband unit and radio frequency platform for improved spectrum management.
China Telecom selected Alcatel-Lucent as one of the top three vendors for its initial FDD LTE trial rollouts in December 2013. The initial contract also covered 12 provinces.
“This [latest] agreement with China Telecom highlights our leadership in LTE mobile ultra-broadband access technology,” Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell Luis Martinez Amago said.
“Demand for LTE is exploding in China, and with this rollout, we will help China Telecom launch services quickly and enable it to maintain its competitive position, offering its customers the ultra-fast broadband speeds and performance they are demanding.”