Leading Russian WiMax provider Scartel operating under the Yota brand announced yesterday that its first LTE network was ready for commercial use in Novosibirsk, Siberia. A limited number of users will test the network until the official launch, which is planned for January 15.
63 base stations have been deployed in the city so far, but Scartel plans to make as many as 100 stations available by mid January and 150 next spring to achieve full city wide coverage. The base stations and the network management systems were provided by Huawei, reported news agency RIA Novosti.
Although Scartel decided to switch to the LTE technology at the beginning of last year, the operator faced a number of regulatory obstacles to move in this direction. In September, 2010, its first attempt to launch an LTE network in Kazan was stopped by Russian telecom regulator Roskomnadzor.
In September of this year, however, the authorities clarified the state position regarding frequency allocation for the deployment of LTE networks. Among six other operators, Scartel received a 30 MHz band in the 2.5 to 2.7 GHz frequency range.
To develop its LTE networks more efficiently, Scartel has found allies in Rostelecom, the national telecom operator, and Megafon, a leading mobile operator. Under agreements announced a few weeks ago, Rostelecom will use Scartel’s LTE networks as an MVNO, whereas Megafon will be able to use Scartel’s equipment to offer its own LTE services. In exchange, Scartel will have access to the mobile operator’s network infrastructure.
