Croatian Telecom (HT) and Nokia Siemens Network (NSN) will begin testing LTE or fourth-generation mobile technology in the Split area at the beginning of next year, announced representatives of the two companies at today’s press conference at HT.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is currently the most advanced technology in the world of mobile communications, which experts emphasize will dominate as the fourth generation of mobile networks in the next ten years. For operators, but primarily for users of mobile (wireless) broadband, this technology offers more than ten times higher speeds and quality of data transmission compared to current technologies, as well as opportunities for numerous multimedia and everyday life services, highlighted Nives Sandri, a member of the NSN Management Board in Croatia.
Sandri pointed out that the application of this technology is increasingly being discussed worldwide and that NSN already has 17 commercial contracts and more than 25 contracted tests for LTE with numerous operators around the world, but that it is only commercially applied in Norway and Scandinavian countries. Adding that the advantage of LTE is that it does not depend as much on frequency spectrum as previous mobile technologies, Sandri also stated that there is already a free spectrum in Croatia, or a digital dividend created by the transition from analog to digital television, which could be utilized for LTE. Before this announcement of cooperation with NSN in the Split area, HT last week announced a similar collaboration for LTE testing with the Chinese equipment supplier Huawei in the Rijeka area, placing Croatia among the 20-30 countries in the world that are starting with LTE.
