Tecore Supplies Mobile Network Infrastructure for Largest Oil Field in North America
Written by Tecore Networks
Monday, 08 March 2010
Columbia, Md., USA - Tecore Networks, a global supplier of
multi-technology 2G, 3G and 4G mobile network infrastructure, today
announced that its core and radio access network (RAN) products have
been selected to expand the GSM network of Arctic Slope Telephone
Association Cooperative (ASTAC) to cover Prudhoe Bay, the largest oil
field in North America.
The network will utilize Tecore's innovative FarSite extended-range feature - quadrupling the standard range of a GSM base station, and slashing cost of installation in remote locations - to ensure robust service to both the established fields in the core area as well as exploration out on the edge.
Prudhoe Bay is located on the North Slope of Alaska. Although it has an official population of five according to the U.S. census, it accommodates several thousand transient workers at any given time. Mobile communications services, including roaming support for a wide range of visitors' home networks, are essential for this community. So too is network infrastructure that has been proven in installations under challenging circumstances. All Prudhoe Bay facilities are located on the tundra surface, which only hardens during the winter, and therefore any kind of new construction or equipment installation must occur under extreme weather conditions. Tecore's iCore and iBSS products have fulfilled such requirements in deployments around the globe.
The Prudhoe Bay network is based on Tecore's iBSS Mini GSM RAN, including: integrated BTS, BSC and vocoding; more TRXs than any other base station in its size; peer-to-peer IP switching for tandem-free operation; and IP backhaul. The RAN is connected to a local iCore MSC/VLR, which is in turn connected via IP over satellite to a complete core network in Anchorage, including the HLR, SMSC and other elements. ASTAC is activating Tecore's FarSite extended-range feature on the iBSS RAN. FarSite achieves a cell radius of up to 120 km., quadruple the standard range of a GSM base station. It overcomes a limitation on cell radius imposed by the GSM radio channel structure. The dramatically increased range is particularly beneficial to operators in remote or rural locations, who can install less equipment without sacrificing performance.
Due to the difficult conditions under which the equipment would be installed, the ASTAC team established a tight schedule to complete the effort. The Tecore team supported this requirement by staging the equipment in the lab - connected to the ASTAC core in Anchorage over IP - to minimize on-site configuration.
"We are proud to offer the hardworking people of Prudhoe Bay and the surrounding area state-of-the-art communications services, and to enable the large number of visiting workers to continue to receive the service levels they are accustomed to while they roam with us," said Steve Merriam, General Manager, ASTAC. "Given the terrain and the target subscriber base we are covering, we required a solution that supports major communications and roaming standards and has been proven in tough deployments. Tecore Networks has come through for us once again."
About Tecore Networks
Tecore Networks is a global supplier of multi-technology 2G, 3G and 4G mobile network infrastructure. Built with the same standards-based voice and data technologies available to global carriers on an IP-based architecture, we have dramatically enhanced functionality while minimizing space requirements, installation time and cost of ownership. We also offer integrated value-added features to enable our customers to increase ARPU and retention. Our solutions include core as well as radio access network infrastructure, supported by state-of-the-art professional services. Founded in 1991, Tecore is ISO 9001:2008 certified, and is a three-time winner of the Global Mobile (3GSM) Award. For more information, visit www.tecore.com.
About ASTAC
The Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative (ASTAC) is the major telecommunications cooperative serving the North Slope of Alaska. Since the day ASTAC completed its first local call - over 25 years ago - the core of the company's mission has been to deliver reliable, quality telecommunications to the villages and towns that it serves. Today, that mission has grown to include coop members spanning 93,000 square miles of Arctic tundra. Services have grown also, to include local, long distance, fixed and nomadic licensed broadband and GSM wireless communications. For more information, visit www.astac.net.
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