ASIA : ZTE Corp is to provide Armenia with its first CDMA450 network. Under the terms of the agreement, ZTE will provide ArmenTel, the country's largest telecoms operator, with a new network based on ZTE's end-to-end CDMA450 WLL (Wireless Local Loop) solution. The agreement will lead to the improvement and expansion of the country's nationwide fixed telecoms network infrastructure and makes ZTE the first Chinese telecoms equipment vendor to have experience of working in the Republic of Armenia.

"It is a priority for us to enhance fixed-line services across the country. ZTE's equipment will allow us to do just that by providing reliable communications to areas which have traditionally not been well served by the existing infrastructure. Our use of CDMA450 marks a new chapter for our company that can invest in a cost-efficient way and for our customers who will benefit directly from this technology of high quality service" said Mr. Smarnakis, CTO of ArmenTel.

The 450 MHz spectrum is becoming an increasingly attractive networking option for European carriers as it represents an economic way to deploy a large-scale wireless network telecoms infrastructure. Crucially, the low spectrum results in larger cell sizes, therefore requiring relatively few base stations. This means that operators benefit from reduced infrastructure investment than would normally be needed for deployments of a similar size.

"Taking Armenia's geographical conditions into account as well and the distribution of the population, our CDMA450 wireless access and microwave transmission solution is ideally suited to the job in hand. It offers the flexibility and scope to construct a cost-effective network using mature technology that will provide users with improved access to a reliable fixed-line service via a last-mile wireless connection," said Mr. Zhang Liang, Chief Representative of ZTE Armenia.
As the largest operator in Armenia, ArmenTel owns 100% of the country's fixed phone customer base and over 60% of its mobile subscribers. In 1998, 90% of ArmenTel's shares were acquired by OTE, the largest fixed-line operator in Greece. ZTE recently worked with OTE when it was chosen to supply vital broadband Internet access systems during the Olympic Games in Athens.
ZTE has deployed 40 million lines of CDMA equipment with more than 100 operators in over 60 countries including Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Egypt, Indonesia, Algeria, India and Vietnam. ZTE's CDMA450 equipment has also been used around the world in countries including Russia, Norway and Brazil.

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