Saudi-based Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) said it has successfully concluded testing the Long Term Evolution (LTE -  4G) with its giant telecommunications infrastructure and mobile networking partner Huawei.

Mobily said that its 4G testing included lab and field tests, which aimed to set up extensive installment and operation plans for evolved packet cores and routing network elements, as well as operation and maintenance systems.

The Saudi operator is conducting similar testing with Ericsson, a leading mobile telecommunications contractor and 4G testing with Nokia Siemens Networks, said Abdulaziz Altamami, Mobily’s chief operating officer.

'Carrying out such major projects as LTE (4G) with such leading global companies attests that Mobily settles for no less than the best of any company’s technologies and applications,' he remarked.

According to Altamami, the comprehensive tests Mobily had done with Huawei included LTE base stations, evolved packet cores, and all aspects of operation and management.

The 4G services, which Mobily will begin to provide as soon as the needed frequencies become available in the Kingdom, will help users move huge amounts of data at lower cost and energy consumption, using Mobily’s advanced infrastructure, the company official added.

Mobily had signed contracts with several international vendors in which they would manage operational services of Mobily’s 3.5G network, and to expand its network. Other contracts concern mobile broadband.

Mobily’s moves are aimed at keeping the company and its subscribers abreast with the latest mobile technologies and services by keeping its network ever-ready to absorb these technologies, and thus provide the best possible services to its clients.

Altamami reiterated that Mobily was commited to 'its promises to bring the latest and best technologies and to be a pioneer in the development of the Kingdom’s telecommunications sector.'-TradeArabia News Service