Home Industry Deals NetComm to make CPE for NBN Co's TD-LTE network
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Ericsson has chosen NetComm (ASX: NTC) to manufacture the customer premises equipment for the TD-LTE it is rolling out for NBN-Co to provide broadband coverage to about four percent of the population beyond the economic reach of NBN Co's FTTH network.

 

In June Ericsson was awarded a turnkey contract, initially for one year, to design, build and operate the network and that could be worth $1.1b over ten years.

The first services are due to come into operation in 2012 and the network is expected to be completed by 2015.

iTWire publication ExchangeDaily was told at the time of its announcement that The customer premises equipment, dubbed by NBN Co a Network Terminating Device (NTD), would be custom developed by Ericsson to NBN Co specifications and would have four gigabit ethernet ports, but unlike the NTU for the fibre network would not have an analogue telephone port.

NetComm has given few details of the contract and, at press time neither NBN Co nor Ericsson had made no announcement. NetComm's managing director, David Stewart, said: "NetComm will provide fixed-wireless LTE devices to connect premises to the NBN Co's LTE broadband network with a three year window to complete, commencing from mid 2012. The deal is expected to have a significant impact on NetComm's revenue from 2013 to 2015 financial years."

The devices will be NetComm's first for TD-LTE, but not for FD-LTE, the version being offered by Telstra and, ultimately by Optus and VHA to provide mobile broadband services.

NetComm debuted one of the world's first wireless LTE routers at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February using an embedded LTE modem from Sierra Wireless. It has also demonstrated the unit at the CTIA show in the US.

At the time Stewart played down the importance of LTE products for the company, saying: "While we look forward to exhibiting our LTE router at the international CTIA wireless show, NetComm remains focused on delivering uniquely customised 42Mbps and 21Mbps with voice HSPA technologies to meet today's demands."

The GSA's list of LTE devices published earlier this month contained the NetComm Liberty LTE WiFi in its ranks of LTE routers. Its operating frequency was not specified. And now for the bad news It was not all good news from NetComm yesterday.

CONTINUED

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Stuart Corner

 

Tracking the telecoms industry since 1989, Stuart has been awarded Journalist Of The Year by the Australian Telecommunications Users Group (twice) and by the Service Providers Action Network. In 2010 he received the 'Kester' lifetime achievement award in the Consensus IT Writers Awards and was made a Lifetime Member of the Telecommunications Society of Australia. He was born in the UK, came to Australia in 1980 and has been here ever since.

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