Indonesia’s Smartfren launches LTE-Advanced network, plans virtualised core

• Nokia Networks gets turnkey project for Indonesia's first TDD-FDD LTE network
• Already rolled out in 11 cities across Western Indonesia, including Jakarta

PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk has deployed Nokia Networks’ LTE (Long-Term Evolution) technology to launch what is being described as Indonesia’s first TDD-FDD (Time-Frequency Division Duplex) LTE network.
 
Smartfren will also benefit from a virtualised Evolved Packet Core (EPC) in the future. EPC is an architecture that provides for converged voice and data networking on LTE.
 
In a statement, Nokia Networks said it was awarded a turnkey project for network planning and optimisation, design and implementation services. Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
This marks an important step in building a future-ready communications infrastructure in Indonesia, and places Smartfren’s network strategy on par with the most advanced operators in the world, Nokia Networks said.
 
“Smartfren is proud to officially launch the widest and most reliable 4G LTE service in Indonesia,” declared its chief executive officer Paul Hodges.
 
“4G LTE-Advanced will enable our customers to enjoy improved multimedia streaming, online games, cloud storage and video-conferencing,” he added.

Nokia Networks’ technology was deployed in 11 cities across Western Indonesia, including Jakarta, the state capital, utilising both TDD and FDD spectrum frequencies right from the start of the project.
 
Nokia Networks said its Flexi Zone small cell solution was deployed for optimised indoor coverage. In the next phase, Nokia Networks will deploy its virtualised EPC for increased flexibility and agility in the network.
 
Nokia Networks also provided commercial Single RAN Advanced hardware, including the Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station for LTE and Flexi Zone 4G indoor pico base stations; and software to aggregate TDD and FDD LTE spectrums for better network performance and increased throughput.
 
It also deployed NetAct, a virtualised network management system; and iSON Manager, a centralised self-organising network solution.
 
“Smartfren is deploying the most advanced LTE technology together with the support of Nokia, using hybrid TDD/FDD to achieve the highest speeds with TDD at 2300MHz, and the widest coverage and better in-building penetration with FDD at 850MHz,” said Smartfren chief technology officer Christian Daigneault.
 
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