Belarus’ common infrastructure provider Belarusian Cloud Technologies (beCloud) has announced that, as a result of ongoing efforts to strengthen its 4G LTE network in the country, it now has 3,047 base transceiver stations (BTS) operating across the country – a 23% increase since the start of the year.
In a press update dated 18 June, the infrastructure operator – which provides 4G access for the country’s incumbent cellcos MTS, A1 and BeST (life:)) – noted that it broke through the 3,000 BTS barrier at the beginning of this month, deploying an 800MHz unit in the city of St Gruzdovo, Molodechno district, Minsk region. beCloud uses three operating bands to support LTE coverage, 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz and claims its network currently serves 95% of the population and 57% of the territory of Belarus. For the remainder of 2021, the company says its priority is to develop its LTE footprint in rural areas, to provide fourth-generation mobile access for people living in small settlements. Here beCloud is focusing on 800MHz due to its larger range and wider geographical coverage. It notes it currently has 942 4G LTE BTS operating in the 800MHz band range.
In addition, to further improve the end-user experience, beCloud is deploying technologies such as ‘MIMO, 4T4R, 256-QAM modulation, frequency aggregation in uplink, positioning of LCS subscribers, etc’, and notes that ‘the use of 4T4R technology and aggregation of three frequency bands has already made it possible to obtain in the LTE network speeds of more than 640Mbps, and the average data transfer rate at such base stations is more than 180Mbps’.