Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 8
By Huseyn Valiyev – Trend:
Sazz company will build the first Pre 5G network operating on the TD-LTE standard, Jeyhun Mollazade, head of Sazz company, told Trend Dec. 8.
Mollazade said that Israel’s Telrad Networks company is the equipment supplier, the contract with which was signed this autumn.
"Telrad Networks has proved itself as a supplier of high-quality and reliable equipment,” he said. “We have already installed about six access points in Baku. These are powerful six-sector stations. Each of them is capable of ensuring data transmission at a speed of 600 Mbps."
“We intend to apply Dual Carrier technology in 2018, which will double the speed of each sector,” he said. “According to Telrad Networks roadmap for 2018, one sector through Carrier Aggregation will be able to ensure 1 Gbit/s speed, which can already be attributed to 5G technology."
In her turn, Orit Ginzburg, Vice President Sales CEE, CIS ,ME at Telrad Networks, appreciated cooperation with Sazz company, stressing its important role in the technological development of the Azerbaijani telecommunications market.
"The Azerbaijani telecommunications market is rapidly developing,” she said. “New technologies are appearing and the quality is improving. I am very pleased that Telrad Networks is also contributing to this development by acting as a technology vendor. Our partner in Azerbaijan is Sazz, with which we are going to launch the first network of Pre 5G in Baku.”
The road map of Sazz is called "One Step to 5G". Sazz is the only operator in Azerbaijan that builds a TD-LTE network and positions itself as a company rendering a fixed wireless access (FWA) service.
According to the forecasts, there will be several billions of FWA subscribers in the world over the next five years.
Mollazade added that the company successfully launched WiMAX technology in 2011.
"For many vendors WiMAX has smoothly switched to TD-LTE,” he said. “It will be launched by Sazz in Baku from January 2018 at a starting speed of 100 Mbit/s and then we will develop it to 1 Gbp/s. In the first quarter of 2018, the territory of the Absheron Peninsula will be covered by the TD-LTE network."
Sazz already offers its subscribers to use modems with dual chips - WiMAX and TD-LTE to move from one technology to another smoothly. In this case, subscribers willing to use TD-LTE will have to get a Sim card.
The company will also offer users three types of modems, namely, TD-LTE Wi-Fi, external modems (outdoor) and TD-LTE MiFi pocket devices.
"As for the user WiMAX modems, which are currently in use by the subscribers, we will receive them and offer new modems to the users at a big discount," he said. “When the users know about the qualitative service at a minimum speed of 10 Mbit/s, they will be interested in switching to TD-LTE.”
WiMAX equipment and user devices will be transferred to the rural areas and the district centers. Currently, the Sazz network is deployed in Ganja, Mingachevir, Guba, Gusar, Khachmaz, Shaki, Zagatala, Balakan and Lankaran.
The company has a sufficient number of necessary equipment to provide WiMAX coverage at least in 50 district centers.