
Get it right!
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Ge it right - It was originally supplied to T-Mobile by Ericsson and Nortel and to Orange by Nokia Siemens Networks.
Chinese kit supplier Huawei has scored a win with EE, signing a deal to upgrade the operator's 2G infrastructure and hoping to be in prime position when it comes to 4G too. Over the next four years, Huawei will replace the entire 2G network that Everything Everywhere inherited from the merger of T-Mobile and Orange. The shiny …
"Huawei's solution is very IP-based, converting traffic to Internet Protocol before back haul, which makes it cheaper to handle."
For "handle" substitute "intercept and direct to China". Here's hoping none of the UK's security services use mobiles on the EE network. I really don't understand this obsession with outsourcing everything of any importance to foreign companies in the apparently naive belief that they won't abuse the access it grants them to our sensitive information for their own national interest. The UK must be the laughing stock of governments like China's (whose Peoples Liberation Army has close links with Huwei)
Are we really incapable of doing things for ourselves anymore?
"For "handle" substitute "intercept and direct to China"." Err, no it doesn't work that way. Transport networks are different from basestations and are controlled by a separate management system. The IP connection travels over secure leased lines or microwave links, not the internet. The operator monitors the traffic and won't allow connections e.g. to unknown chinese sites.
"I really don't understand this obsession with outsourcing everything of any importance to foreign companies" - This isn't an outsourcing deal, it's an equipment sale. EE or their managed service provider (Ericsson?) will be in control of the network.
"Are we really incapable of doing things for ourselves anymore?" Short answer is no, and that's been the case for many years. Only Vodafone has a corporate HQ based in the UK and I can't remember a time when operators used equipment designed and built by a UK company. EE's previous suppliers have all been foreign, and most UK network management has been outsourced to a Swedish company.
Are you a Daily Mail reader by any chance?
My village is in a valley and the only network with reliable coverage is a 2G EDGE orange cell. There is a 3G cell relatively near that covers the odd patch of land but otherwise nothing.
Sounds like that site will be switched off but I'd be pretty sceptical that new filters on the 3G cell will give coverage.
In a broadband area that only has 512kbps so rules out femtocells and no chance of 21C network.
All in all, bad news for people on the edge of coverage areas relying on 2G
That's not the idea. 2G will not be switched off, but will be upgraded. Technology has moved on Orange rolled-out their network (which I was involved in in a small way) and newer basestations (regardless of supplier) improve the network performance.
This deal doesn't touch 3G cells, due to the complex agreements between EE and Three. If they do upgrade 3G, they'll increase the signal power and switch to UMTS900 to improve coverage by a sizeable margin.
EE are to provide stepladders to every new mobile user on their network so when their subscribers need to make a call they can simply open the ladders and climb up to the top to receive the Huawei signal from a 'local' base station 30 miles away.
Customers will also have no problem in the future ordering chinese takeaway as all English spoken language is automatically converted into Chinese by the network equipment to speed up the transmission and provide ease to the Chinese Governments intercept stations.
On a more serious note, this deal isn't actually worth any money. All honourable (tried and trusted) vendors walked away from the table a long time ago from EE's insane iron fisted demands of "a new network for nothing" The only people left standing were Huawei so dont act like they won it out of merit.
Everybody (except EE) knows this is going to end a PR disaster.