Telefonica, the largest Spanish operator, announced its plans to roll out a nationwide LTE network in Spain and selected Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) as a technology partner for this network.
Within the agreement, Ericsson will build the network in Madrid and Barcelona, rolling out about 1000 nodes in 2013, in order to support Telefonica’s goal to take 4G to as many customers as possible already this year.
Luis Miguel Gil Pérez, President of Telefonica in Spain, highlighted that LTE is is one of the two pillars of their ultra broadband network concept – together with fiber – and that it is key to make the most out of it.
Telefonica expects to roll out around 2200 nodes in 2013 and will reach 3000 by Q1 2014. They are aiming to cover about 60 major cities across Spain.
The new network will be rolled out in the 1800MHZ band and include the roll out of Ericsson’s multi-standard technology RBS6000.
To date, Ericsson has more than 160 LTE/EPC deals around the world. This agreement confirms its leadership position in Mobile Broadband and LTE globally and in Spain.
Telefonica is one of the world’s leading integrated operators, providing communication solutions, information and entertainment in Europe and Latin America. It has operations in 24 countries and an installed customer base of more than 317.3 million subscribers to june 2013.
