U S WEST Wireless Deploys Lucent Technologies'
Flexent Network To Help Meet Fast-Growing Needs in
Portland Market
PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- U S WEST Wireless is the first Personal
Communications Services (PCS) carrier to begin commercial deployment of a new
Lucent Technologies wireless system for cost-effectively increasing coverage, adding
capacity and introducing new wireless services. The cost to deploy this technology in
construction, real estate and zoning is roughly half that of a regular base station.
Part of Lucent's newest generation of wireless base stations, the Flexent(R) Microcell
is being installed by U S WEST Wireless to meet the fast-growing need for capacity
and coverage in Portland, Ore. It is specially suited for urban areas and places where
radio frequency coverage needs to be cost-effectively added to improve coverage in
building and small coverage holes created by building shadows in the downtown area.
"We selected the Flexent Microcell in our markets as a lower cost solution to areas
that are difficult to build due to zoning restrictions, limited real estate options and in
building applications. The downtown Portland area was an excellent location to apply
this technology due to all three of these limitations," said Wayne Leuck, vice president
wireless engineering and technology, U S WEST Wireless. "This base station is one
third the size of Lucent's PCS Minicell, so we have greater flexibility in finding
appropriate locations to ensure coverage -- including mounting them on existing utility
poles and buildings, giving us a wider range of options when building a site."
Lucent's Flexent CDMA Microcell is part of a new generation of base stations that
depend more on software than electronic hardware, resulting in a smaller and less
costly product. Patterned after the computer industry's client-server model, the system
is built around a standard server that maintains computerized controls over a network
of smaller base stations. The central Applications Processor Cluster located at the
mobile switching center simplifies the task and reduces the interval of new service
introduction.
"The Flexent network is our next-generation architecture that will protect U S WEST's
investments into the next millennium," noted Ave Elliott, Lucent regional vice president.
"As U S WEST's needs change, the underlying code division multiple access (CDMA)
wireless network technology will support greater capacity and improved data rates. We
will be able to supply these enhancements with only minor software and electronic
circuit swaps."
U S WEST provides a full range of telecommunications services -- including wireline,
wireless PCS, data networking, directory and information services -- to more than 25
million customers nationally and in 14 Western and Midwestern states. More
information about U S WEST can be found on the Internet at uswest.com.
Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU) supplies mobile and fixed wireless communications
systems that offer global service providers standards-based solutions for serving the
information needs of consumers and enterprises. Headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J.,
Lucent designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks,
communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone
systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is the research and development
arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies, visit the
company's web site at lucent.com.
SOURCE Lucent Technologies |
