Nokia Siemens Networks and Micran, a Tomsk based Russian producer of microwave telecommunication and measurement equipment, finalized their joint venture agreements on Monday to locally produce LTE base stations. The share split in the JV will be 75%-25% in favor of Nokia Siemens Network.
The companies signed their first agreement in March in partnership with state owned corporation Rusnano under the auspices of the local administration.
Micran specialists are going to use Nokia Siemens equipment, technologies and know-how in order to produce the base stations for LTE networks. The plant, located in the Siberian city of Tomsk, is slated to start production in late 2011. Production capacity could reach up to 100,000 base stations per year for both the domestic and international markets, said Kristina Tikhonova, the General Manager of Nokia Siemens Networks Russia.
Russia is an important market for Nokia Siemens Networks. The company has already established R&D centers in the country and has set up an operation center in Voronezh, a city in South Western Russia, to provide operators with network assistance and exploitation services.
In March, Nokia Siemens Networks became a resident of a major technopark in Sarov, a city 375 km east of Moscow. The company also plans to set up a Smart Lab in Skolkovo, the innovation hub close to completion near Moscow.
Sources: Micran, RIA Novosti
