Chinese vendor Huawei has reportedly been awarded a contract by MVM Net, a subsidiary of Hungarian state-owned utility MVM Group, for the deployment of a nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the 450MHz frequency band, which will primarily target the government’s telecommunication needs via machine-to-machine (M2M) connections. According to local newspaper Nepszabadsag, the 4G network – which will be deployed in cooperation with Budapest-based Antenna Hungaria – will have a budget of HUF12.8 billion (USD45.6 million).
TeleGeography notes that state-backed MVM Net is aiming to become Hungary’s fourth mobile network provider, competing with the local units of T-Mobile, Telenor and Vodafone, which each operate 2G, 3G and 4G networks. The Hungarian would-be operator was awarded its frequencies in the 450MHz band by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) on 12 March 2014. MVM Net’s network has already reached more than 30% territorial coverage and passed a number of successful pilot tests. The operator expects to reach 95% coverage nationwide – as stipulated under its licence obligations set by the NMHH – by March 2016.