KPN asks Ericsson for backhaul upgrade

Netherlands-based KPN International selected Swedish vendor Ericsson to upgrade its mobile backhaul for its Belgian and German subsidiaries during the next three years, TeleGeography CommsUpdate reported.

Under terms of the deal, Ericsson will install more than 15,000 MINI-LINK transmission node links in the two countries before the end of 2013. The upgrade is being carried out to ensure that KPN Group Belgium and Germany’s E-Plus Mobilfunk are able to cope with increasing demand from mobile users for data services, while boosting the efficiency of their respective networks.

Ericsson says the mobile backhaul upgrade will lead to lower costs per bit, as well as allowing for a smooth migration from Time Division Multiplex (TDM) to packet transport and provide the opportunity to scale microwave up to gigabit capacities step-by-step.

Work related to the contract has begun. Ericsson will migrate the two mobile operators’ TDM-based transmission infrastructure to packet-based mobile backhaul networks to pave the way for the introduction of HSPA+ and LTE technology.