SFR France to Build France's Fastest 4.5G Network

Announcement Follows Nation’s First
Pre-Commercial Field Verification of 4X4
MIMO with Huawei
[Paris, France, June 26, 2017] French telecom operator
SFR and Huawei have jointly announced the successful
completion of France's first pre-commercial field
verification of 4X4 MIMO, achieving a downlink
throughput of 628.31 Mbps using a commercially
available phone on SFR's 4.5G network. This
outstanding performance has led to SFR resolving to
intensify its investment in LTE technology to build the
fastest LTE network in France and provide customers
with the best possible LTE experience.
SFR began construction of its LTE network in 2012.
With the increasing popularity of mobile video and
real-time gaming services, its mobile data traffic has
seen an average annual growth rate of as much as
100% over the past two years. In response to the
skyrocketing traffic demand, SFR launched a new
unlimited data package in April 2017. SFR plans to
strengthen investment in the 4.5G network. SFR is
expected to extend its 4.5G network coverage to 90%
of its customers by the end of 2017, and further lift
this figure to 99% by 2018. 4.5G technologies such as
carrier aggregation, MIMO, and 256QAM effectively
increase network capacity. MIMO, in particular,
improves capacity, coverage, and ultimately user
experience without extra spectrums or base stations.
Tests using a commercial phone on the 4.5G live
network verified that the combination of 4x4 MIMO, 2
CC carrier aggregation, and 256QAM can achieve a top
throughput of 628.31 Mbps. At such rates it is possible
to play high-definition mobile video without
interruption, fully satisfying customer demand for a
smooth video watching experience and giving SFR a
leading edge in the area of commercial 4.5G networks.

Michel Paulin, Chairman and CEO of SFR Group, said:
"SFR's goal is to build the best and fastest 4.5G
network in France. This will both improve our
customers' lives with the best available
telecommunications service, and also pave the way for
the future, since a successful transition to 5G will
depend first on 4.5G successes. Today, SFR's 4.5G
network has achieved an average downlink throughput
of 300 Mbps in over 221 cities. A 10-GB video can be
downloaded within 4 minutes and 30 seconds. We will
further increase the average downlink throughput to
500 Mbps by 2018. Moreover, SFR will actively promote
the most sophisticated 4x4 MIMO smartphones to offer
users the best LTE experience."
Kai Song, General Manager of Huawei's France Rep
Office, said: "We are excited to jointly deploy an
unparalleled network with SFR Group to best serve our
users in France. The large-scale deployment of 4x4
MIMO is essential to the continuous evolution of the
4.5G network. Huawei will innovate persistently to
provide cutting-edge solutions for the
communications industry in France."
4.5G Evolution helps global operators enhance their
businesses by introducing 5G technologies into
existing 4G networks. Operators can trial 5G-like
services quickly and develop the new business models
that 5G will support. 4.5G Evolution will improve the
operators’ businesses today while keeping them on the
road to a successful transition to 5G tomorrow. 4.5G
Evolution, Road to 5G!
MWC Shanghai 2017 will be held between June 28 and
30 in Shanghai, China. Huawei will showcase its
products and solutions at booth W5.E50 in the
Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), and
booth W3.A10 Innovation City. For more information,
please visit http://carrier.huawei.com/en/events/
mwcs2017 .

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