Speeding to market, and into record books

Over eight days last December, Ericsson upgraded Telstra’s entire network software to deliver peak speeds of 21Mbps across the Australian continent, ensuring the operator would be first to market with the world’s highest mobile-broadband speed.

Presenting a special award for this achievement, Telstra Wireless Executive Director Mike Wright said the High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) Evolution was rolled out in the operator’s Next G network without disrupting service to subscribers. “Ericsson’s Product Development Unit Radio Access Network (RAN) did an amazing job in deploying our HSPA Evolution functionality. Their professionalism and perseverance were a vital part of this success,” Wright said.

Telstra’s Next G network made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in February as the fastest national mobile-broadband network in the world.

Things moved quickly right from when the operator announced in early 2008 that it planned to deliver 21Mbps, to the successful deployment the following Christmas Eve. The commercial launch followed in early 2009.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Ericsson’s Product Area Radio, says the deployment of the HSPA Evolved software was remarkably efficient, requiring barely a handful of site visits.

“Speed is crucial, not just for data rates, but in terms of time to market,” Ewaldsson says. “The race is on and every day counts.”

Ericsson upgraded an average of 1000 radio base stations per day during the deployment, Ewaldsson says. “To succeed with an eight-day software upgrade, your tools must be in order, your product must be in order and your methods must be working smoothly. Otherwise it’s not possible.

“But you also need a special customer to deploy at speeds like that. They have to have a focused business idea.”

Ewaldsson says Telstra also deserves credit for the smooth rollout. “When you want to demonstrate technology leadership, you cannot succeed without a customer who is willing to team up with you,” he says. “Telstra worked closely with Ericsson to give feedback on the product in the early stages, which intensified the focus on Ericsson’s side. That made it easier to overcome the technical challenges in the initial phase.

“It’s much easier when the customer has strong technological capability and is driven by aggressive business goals.”

The choice of Ericsson to supply the upgrade resonates throughout the industry as a vote of confidence in Ericsson’s technology leadership, Ewaldsson says. He says the commendation from Telstra was extraordinary and a great boost for Ericsson’s RAN development unit.

“It’s very rare that the customer does this, so it was truly appreciated,” Ewaldsson says. “It shows that Telstra doesn’t just talk about teamwork with its partners, but really believes in it.”

Wright says it was important to give recognition to the project. “We wanted to express our confidence in Ericsson’s technology leadership, as well as its ability to deliver the project according to our demanding expectations,” he says. “Our target was very ambitious and we took care to select the right vendor.”