Far EasTone, a telecommunications operator in Taiwan, has announced that it has chosen Ericsson as its major LTE supplier. Ericsson will provide hardware, software and support services, rolling out a multi-access RAN and core network for both 3G and 4G services, as well as assisting with network optimization.
The agreement will see the LTE network rolled out nationwide, giving Far EasTone customers around the country speeds of up to 150 Mbps/50 Mbps (downlink/uplink) with 20 MHz LTE frequency bandwidth for smartphone and mobile broadband use. To speed up the network rollout, the 700 and 1800 MHz bands will both be supported.
The deal will also see the implementation of Ericsson's 4G CBS (Cell Broadcast System) which will enable the Taiwanese government and consumers to avail of disaster warning services.
Yvonne Li, President of Far EasTone, says: "We are looking forward to this 4G implementation and offering our users an improved experience in terms of smartphone and mobile broadband usage in a very competitive market."
Jan Signell, Head of Ericsson Region North East Asia says: "We are pleased to extend our successful long-term partnership with Far EasTone by providing them with our LTE radio and core network. Far EasTone will now be able to offer its customers improved speeds and reliability, with the opportunity to expand as future needs grow. We are proud that we have partnered with Far EasTone to make their 3G network one of the best-performing networks in the world, and we are fully committed to providing a superior performing 4G/LTE network to Far EasTone and their customers."
Following its founding in 1997, Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) quickly became a leading company in Taiwan, providing telecommunications and digital application services to customers.
Ericsson is the market leader in LTE. Today, 50 percent of the world's LTE smartphone traffic is served by Ericsson networks, which is more than double the traffic of our closest competitor. More than 190 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered worldwide, of which more than 130 have gone live commercially. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada, and has been selected by the top 10 LTE operators, as ranked by LTE subscriptions worldwide.