Danish telecoms operator TDC has announced its plans to provide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) to 99.8% of the population, including 207 of the most scarcely populated regions in Denmark by the end of 2015. According to the press release, the company is on the lookout for suppliers of technical equipment for its LTE network expansion, with Chinese-based Huawei courted as a potential candidate. TDC CEO of operations Martin Lippert said that the company is being advised by the relevant Danish authorities, including the Centre for Cyber Security, on the matter, and its final choice will be based on an overall assessment of safety, quality, price and reliability of each company.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, TDC was awarded two blocks of 20MHz spectrum in the 2.5GHz band, suitable for the provision of LTE services, in May 2010. The following November TDC selected Ericsson to supply and manage its LTE radio access and core network. Subsequently, TDC announced the commercial launch of its LTE network in the country’s ten largest cities in October 2011. In June 2012 TDC acquired four 5MHz blocks of paired spectrum in the 800MHz band which it plans to use to expand its 4G footprint nationwide from its current coverage of roughly 40% of the population.