Setting the Scene

At the start of 2007 Telstra embarked on one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by any Telco to upgrade its network from a soon to be phased out CDMA infrastructure to one of the most advanced HSDPA deployments in the world.

Given Telstra's brand leader status, it was imperative the project was completed within the stated timeframe and that the service met all public expectations. No small ask.

 

The Challenge

Australia provides one of the greatest challenges in the deployment of wireless infrastructure as the geographical distances are enormous and the environment where equipment is installed is harsh, both on the technology and the engineers.

 

Add to this the fact that the mobile network is the only method of communication for many people and repairs don't take hours, they can take days or weeks and the need to be exacting is even more important.

 

Ericsson had won the contract to rollout Telstra's improved network, however a key problem at the time was the shortage of skilled engineers to complete the task. The resources simply weren't available in the open marketplace, and globally very few people had the skills required to undertake such a complex installation. What to do?

 

Infratel's Role

Infratel is one of the few organisations who can draw on engineering skills from around the world when it comes to the deployment of cellular infrastructure in extreme circumstances. Using highly trained staff with experience in Central Europe, Russian and the UK, as well as local resources, Infratel was able to supply Ericsson within a period of only two weeks with 'crack teams' to assist in the deployment of the network.

 

Benefits for Ericsson

Infratel was able to rapidly supply Ericsson with specialist resources within the required timetable. They worked with the established Ericsson teams and helped them meet the customer's expectations, to time, to budget.