Telecom revises mobile network

Telecom and wireless leader Lucent Technologies have announced a US$10 million ($16.44m) deal to roll out a revised version of its CDMA mobile technology.

The changes will enable Telecom to offer services as enhanced push-to-talk, multi-player gaming, video conferencing and VoIP (Voice over internet Protocol).

Telecom said the new "Revision A" version would support faster, lower latency connections; the maximum download speed would be 3.1mb per second and uploads would be up to 1.8mbps.

Faster speeds would enable it to support more advanced, real-time services, Telecom said.

The new version would be available in some areas by Christmas and the rest next year.

"New Zealand is a terrific testbed for new technologies and we believe Rev A will open the door to a whole range of exciting new benefits for Telecom customers," Lucent NZ's general manager Jonathan van Smit said.

Lucent built and manages Telecom's CDMA2000 and upgraded it in 2004.

- NZPA