Celcom begins LTE trials

Malaysian mobile network operator Celcom has commenced technical trials of Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in partnership with vendors Huawei and Ericsson, the Star Online reports. Commenting on the development Celcom CEO Datuk Seri Shazali Ramly noted: ‘We have clear reasons for doing (these) trials and (find out) what the technology can do (for us) …We have a technology roadmap and will invest in LTE. It is real 4G with supersonic (speed and capacity).’ Prior to any launch of commercial LTE services Celcom would need spectrum in the 900MHz band, but as of yet the Malaysian government has not decided when or how it will make available such frequencies. Celcom, a subsidiary of Malaysia-based telecoms group Axiata, is the country’s second largest cellco by subscribers, with TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database reporting that it had 10.6 million customers at end-June 2010, representing a market share of around 32.4%.