TeliaSonera orders Samsung LTE-only modems for 2010 launch

TeliaSonera has ordered wireless modems from Samsung that support only Long Term Evolution (LTE) ‘4G’ technology, in preparation for its planned commercial LTE network launches in Sweden and Norway in the first half of next year. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database the Swedish-based group signed a Stockholm-only contract with Ericsson in January 2009 for LTE network deployment, followed swiftly by a similar deal with China’s Huawei for an LTE rollout in Oslo for its Norwegian unit NetCom. The company said that the LTE-only modems would require the use of a second device to access the internet when outside the 4G coverage area, but are a temporary measure ahead of the release of new multi-technology integrated modems from vendors including Samsung, expected sometime next year.