Belarusian mobile network operator (MNO) VELCOM, which has begun phasing in the ‘A1’ brand of its parent A1 Telekom Austria Group, has received an additional block of mobile frequency in the 2100MHz band, allowing it to boost capacity on its 3G network by over 30%.
The MNO intends to employ the fourth channel of 3G spectrum at more than 650 base stations in Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Novogrudok, Osipovichi and the capital, Minsk.
Further, VELCOM (A1) says that additional radio frequencies will be deployed in the regional cities of Brest (Pinsk, Luninets), Gomel region (Rechitsy, Zhlobin, Rogachev, Svetlogorsk) and Minsk Region (Zhodino, Borisov, Slutsk, Soligorsk, Molodechno), while widescale modernisation will be completed with the inclusion of the fourth carrier at another 600 base stations in Minsk and the Minsk region. In total, the cellco’s 3G network comprises more than 3,850 base stations and provides reliable communication in more than 97% of the country’s territory.