CSL Limited (CSL) announced the launch of the world's first DC HSPA + / LTEcommercial network, the maximum transfer rate is 100Mbps. This means LTE formally entered into Hong Kong after Telstra, CSL and ZTE jointly announced the LTE commercial network testing in Hong Kong in September 2009.

Xie Daxiong, Executive Vice President of ZTE attended the press conference, and accepted C114's exclusive interview.  As one of the leaders of ZTE, Xie Daxiong has hosted and participated in major product development and industrialization of CDMA, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, WiMAX, GoTa, large-scale digital program-controlled switches.

The following is the record between C114 and Xie Daxiong:

C114:  As one of the most prosperous economic region in the world, Hong Kong has many skyscrapers and commercial areas, the wireless environment is extremely complex, which brings a huge challenge to the mobile network construction, and also gives out a problem to ZTE. How will ZTE do in the least time to overcome these problems? Does ZTE has any good suggestions about the operation of Multi-system coexist network?

Xie Daxiong:  First of all, we should thank for the strong support of CSL. CSL organized an experienced engineering team and cooperated with the parent company Telstra to promote the project implemented smoothly. As a partner of CSL, ZTE is responsible for the Turnkey project of the entire project. In order to finish the project fast and efficient, ZTE dispatched 1,500 experienced technical staffs from 15 countries, and hired more than 10 senior project management experts, to build the high-quality broadband mobile network for the CSL.

2G/3G was used in all stations of CSL's current network, the equipment is still running for some time in the replacement process, so the engine room space is extremely narrow. CSL uses ZTE’s world's leading SDR (software defined radio) solution, through the distributed base station network of BBU + RRU, to achieve a zero engine room space, greatly improving the utilization of the existing engine room, and reducing the difficulty of site acquisition and property negotiations.

Therefore, strategic partner is very important, for example, in the Hong Kong project, the partners of site acquisition, design and other aspects, all of them is very important to ZTE.

C114:  the explosive growth of data services brought tremendous pressure to network operators, but did not bring linear growth in revenue, which made the operators a headache. In this case, operators should consider how to distribute the network more economical and how to reduce TCO? ZTE proposed the concept of SDR and has deployed it in CSL’s network, now, how is the performance?

Xie Daxiong:  ZTE is the first one to introduce SDR technology into wireless communications field, and proposed a concept and platform of " software radio base station ", which represents the technology trend of deep integrated network. In the advanced unified hardware platform, SDR technology fully integrated GSM, UMTS, LTE, CDMA, WiMAX and other technologies, you can change the standard by software settings, so that multi-standard can be available. Which in the present, only ZTE can do it.

SDR technology and Uni-RAN solution achieved the multi-system integration network, which can simplify the network structure and to achieve the smooth evolution to the next generation of high-speed wireless technology LTE.

C114:  We can see the cooperation of ZTE and CSL achieved a number of industry’s first, what is CSL's role in promoting? Do you think the prospects of the dual-carrier HSPA + / LTE networks in worldwide?

Xie Daxiong: CSL is an outstanding operator, always maintains a leading position in the industry, and introduces the most advanced mobile communications technology to Hong Kong. At this point, ZTE and CSL's objective is highly consistent, ZTE helps CSL to build a great network with fastest speed, highest capacity and best quality, and constantly exceed the customer's expectations.

Speaking of the prospects of HSPA + / LTE, in fact, most operators believe that 3G and LTE will coexist for a long time. Trends in wireless communication industry is still the multi-system integration of data broadband, our task is to make the operators do not worry about the evolution of network integration, so this is the main trend of our technology development.

C114: We all know that the deployment of mobile communication network is a systematic project, If we want LTE has characteristics of high-bandwidth, high throughput and low latency, the network must be changed from the core, the convergence, to access, which is a great challenge for any equipment manufacturers, how dose ZTE to overcome it?

Xie Daxiong: We benefit from the ZTE's platformization strategy and Uni-RAN solution which based on SDR platforms, and we also provide the solution of Uni-CORE and Uni-BACKHAUL to make the network more adapt to the requirements of LTE and 4G.

C114:  LTE is now the highlight of global mobile communications industry, can you reveal ZTE’S latest developments of LTE in the global market, and the market expectations? The investment? In your opinion, CSL's successful deployment of LTE networks means what for ZTE's domestic and other oversea business?

Xie Daxiong: Since 2005, ZTE set up the LTE R & D team, until now it has over 4,000 R & D staffs in Xi'an, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Europe and the United States. And the R & D investment of LTE has accounted for 40% of the entire wireless sector.

DC HSPA + / LTE's successful deployment in Hong Kong, 50% coverage of the population, and its experience in network planning and optimization, business models, consumer behavior analysis, all of them can be thought as the valuable experience in the global deployment of LTE.

C114:  Which direction do you think that the follow-up evolution of LTE will move to? Now we discuss the 4G standards frequently, what’s your opinion of 4G standards? There are two branches of LTE, TDD and FDD, how dose ZTE think about the integration development of these two branches?

Xie Daxiong:  International Telecommunication Union Radio communication Sector (ITU-R) has basically confirmed that LTE-Advanced and 802.16m as the 4G standard. LTE is also move to LTE-advanced/4G, which can provide greater throughput, more low latency, better user experience and lower CAPEX and OPEX.

Now ZTE's LTE FDD / TDD fusion devices have made some achievements such as introduced the Uni-RAN solutions. In the next phase, ZTE will focus on the application scenarios and solutions of LTE FDD / TDD network integration, and to avoid the interference problems when facing the co-existence and co-station between FDD and TDD. ( By Nye Sha )