Singapore’s number two telco, StarHub, has selected NSN as its LTE infrastructure and services vendor.
The cellco will be refarming its existing 1800-MHz spectrum to LTE to cater for ever increasing data demand, pending more spectrum to be auctioned off by regulator IDA, which today issued a consultation paper.
The first phase of Starhub’s LTE network will go live by the end of 2012 covering key business areas and Changi airport.
The contract also includes modernization of its existing GSM network with an expected reduction in power consumption by 50%.
NSN already provided StarHub’s existing 2G and 3G networks hence it was a safe upgrade path. StarHub is the last of Singapore’s three cellcos to launch LTE.
StarHub currently has 25 MHz on the 1800-MHz band, of which 20 MHz is contiguous.