Vodafone has begun a war of words with with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) over who delivered LTE to Germany first, suggesting that NSN is being economical with the truth about its claim.
Last Firday NSN released a press release that Deutsch Telekom was “first to deploy LTE in digital dividend spectrum” and that Deutsch Telekom selected NSN as a partner in supplying the hardware, software and services required to set up and maintain the LTE network.
This has angered Vodafone, which said it has been operating an LTE network in Germany for a while now and has released pricing for its service on its website, which Deutsch Telekom has yet to do.
Vodafone is offering 7.2Mb/s, 21.6Mb/s, and 50Mb/s packages for €39.99, €49.99, and €69,99 respectively.
“Vodafone has already deployed several LTE locations, one of them being Heiligendamm at the Baltic Sea.” a Vodafone Germany spokesperson told Mobile Europe. “We have also started locations in Lower Saxony, three in total, the fourth is about to go 'live' in a few weeks.”
So technically Vodafone might be correct and may deserve the illustrious crown of “first to deliver LTE in Germany,” but instead of arguing technicalities with rivals it might be better off paying the £6 billion in tax it owes in the UK, a matter which led to the closure of Vodafone's Oxford Street store after massive protests when the telecommunications company was let off scot-free.
Deutsch Telekom is also set to partner with NSN in other regions that it operates, becoming a global supplier, but while it has gained a major partner for its LTE rollout, it has also gained a major enemy.
Further to your article claiming Vodafone is at war with us, this is the first we’ve heard. However, we think it may be a little exaggerated!
We’ve pointed out to Mobile Europe that Deutsche Telekom itself announced on Aug 30 that it took the first LTE 800 base station into service in Kyritz (Brandenburg) (see press release which is available in German only http://www.telekom.com/dtag/cms/content/dt/de/595698?archivArticleID=915326). Last week, we were also able to acknowledge that this was powered by our technology.
Our release last week was to confirm the fact that we had been selected by Deutsche Telekom as a preferred LTE supplier internationally and for the LTE roll out in Germany. Of course we also took the opportunity to reiterate Deutsche Telekom’s first deployment announcement from August 30. The “race to be first” is typical when new technologies are introduced; it makes an eye-catching headline.
We’re actually a strategic vendor to Vodafone, as well as Deutsche Telekom and we have good and close relationships with both operators.
Best regards,
Christina