BARCELONA, Spain, February 17 /PRNewswire/ --

- CSLNWM's network in Hong Kong to be replaced with an all-IP network

ZTE, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions and Hong Kong's #1 mobile operator CSL New World Mobility (CSLNWM), a subsidiary of Australia's Telstra Corporation, today announced that they would work together to build in Hong-Kong, the world's first SDR (Software Defined Radio) based HSPA+ network making it the first large-scale all-IP network with such technology.

Selected after a thorough competitive tender process ZTE will upgrade CSLNWM's existing infrastructure with a fully integrated 2G/3G all-IP SDR-based network. Furthermore, ZTE and CSLNWM have successfully completed testing of the HSPA+ network capability in Hong Kong on 15 February 2009, delivering HSPA+ (64QAM) services which can provide up to 21Mbps download speed.

ZTE's SDR technology provides CSLNWM's network with increased flexibility by reducing equipment space and power requirements, and at same time enabling high speed, advanced traffic management and future-proof systems. SDR solutions enable operators to upgrade to next generation networks, including HSPA+, MIMO and LTE.

CSLNWM CEO Tarek Robbiati said Hong Kong was undoubtedly one of the most difficult places to deploy a network. Many skyscrapers and the dense population create a complicated wireless environment. So the reconstruction of a converged all-IP 2G/3G network is a challenging task.

We congratulate ZTE on the system's outstanding performance in QAM64 testing and we believe our work with them will help CSLNWM to stay way ahead of the competition and deliver its 2.5 million subscribers superior service, Mr. Robbiati said.

ZTE CEO Mr. Yin Yimin said the CSL network reconstruction project was an arduous and complicated undertaking.

ZTE set up a special project team comprised of more than 300 engineers and technical experts to work with CSL. We are very proud that together we are enabling the world's first SDR-based HSPA+ network, Mr. Yin said.

The dual-mode 2G/3G SDR CSLNWM network will be the first large-scale all-IP network in the world, delivering superior services and user experience, while providing a smooth transition from the existing network to HSPA+. CSLNWM's new network will include a single core network, RAN and network management system and operation systems and software (NMS/OSS).

CSLNWM is the largest mobile operator in Hong Kong and a subsidiary of Telstra. Its GSM/UMTS network counts over 2.5 million subscribers.

Telstra was the world's first operator to roll-out a nationwide 3G HSDPA network. The network was commercially launched in Australia in 2006, covering an area larger than Western Europe, and the entire project was completed in the record time of 10 months. Telstra Australia's Next G network operates in the 850MHz range and is expected to reach speeds of 100 Mbps over the next few years.

About ZTE

ZTE is a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions. The ZTE product range is the most complete in the world - covering virtually every sector of the wireline, wireless, service and terminals markets. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries, helping them to achieve continued revenue growth and to shape the future of the world's communications. ZTE commits around 10% of annual turnover to research and development and takes a leading role in a wide range of international bodies developing emerging telecoms standards. It is the fastest growing telecoms equipment company in the world, and is China's only listed telecoms manufacturer, with shares publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. In the Asian Wall Street Journal's Readers' Survey 2007, ZTE was among the 'Top 10 Most Admired Companies in China', the only company that was included in the Top 10 list representing the telecom industry. ZTE was awarded the Most Promising Vendor of the Year by Frost Sullivan in its 2007 Asia Pacific ICT Awards, and was reported as the fastest growing telecom equipment and solutions provider among the major telecom vendors worldwide by IDC in 2007. ZTE was included in BusinessWeek's 2006 ranking of China's Top 20 Brands. For more information, please visit http://www.zte.com.cn.

About CSLNWM

CSLNWM is Hong Kong's first and leading mobile network operator. It is also the first mobile company in Hong Kong to employ a distinctive market segmentation strategy and it uses leading-edge technologies to provide customer-focused services through segmented brands: 1O1O, one2free and New World Mobility. It operates a world-class GSM / WCDMA network through which it offers comprehensive post and pre-paid mobile services to both local and international customers. CSLNWM is also the leading roaming operator in Hong Kong to provide unmatched international multi-media connectivity with more than 400 mobile operators around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.hkcsl.com. CSLNWM is a subsidiary of Telstra Corporation Limited, Australia's leading telecommunications and information services company (http://www.telstra.com.au).

About Telstra

Telstra Corporation Ltd is Australia's leading telecommunications and information services company, with one of the best-known brands in the country. Telstra is the only true media communications company in Australia that can provide customers with a fully integrated telecommunications experience across fixed line, mobiles, broadband (BigPond(R)), information, transaction and search (Sensis(R)) and pay TV (FOXTEL). By using an integrated suite of network and media assets, Telstra is creating a world of 1-click, 1-touch, 1-command, any screen solutions that are integrated, operate in real-time, and are simple, easy and valued by customers. Telstra's international businesses include CSL New World Mobility Group, one of Hong Kong's leading mobile operators; TelstraClear Limited, the second largest full service carrier in New Zealand; Reach Ltd, a provider of global connectivity and international voice and satellite services and SouFun Holdings Limited, a leading real estate and furnishings website in China.

For more information, please contact: Margrete Ma ZTE Corporation Tel: +86-755267-75207 Email: ma.gaili@zte.com.cn David Aitken CSL Limited Tel: +852-2883-3626 Email: david.aitken@hkcsl.com Paula Muezerie AxiCom PR Tel: +44-20-8392-4050 Email: paula.muezerie@axicom.com

Margrete Ma, ZTE, +86-755267-75207, ma.gaili@zte.com.cn; David Aitken, CSL Limited, +852-2883-3626, david.aitken@hkcsl.com; Paula Muezerie, AxiCom PR, +44-20-8392-4050, paula.muezerie@axicom.com