Cingular to Upgrade HLR Units

Nortel Networks has been selected as the primary provider of Home Location Register (HLR) infrastructure to support Cingular Wireless' migration to a GSM network. HLR technology tracks and manages individual subscriber information that is needed by the network to confirm that callers are valid customers, to route calls, and to provision services. Nortel Networks Univity HLR equipment will help ensure seamless, ubiquitous services to subscribers across Cingular's national wireless network as they roam between networks and cell sites. It will also help in Cingular's migration to GSM - and ultimately EDGE - services.

By supporting multiple interfaces (GSM, GPRS, EDGE) simultaneously from a common platform, Nortel Networks Univity HLR equipment minimizes the need for additional capital outlays when an operator is ready to migrate to 3G technology. Nortel Networks HLR solution uses a "mated pair" architecture that provides geographic redundancy - the ability to safeguard customer information by storing it simultaneously on two separate, functioning platforms.

"The HLR is the heart of the network. It enables the delivery of all subscriber services," said Vivian Hudson, president and general manager, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Nortel Networks. "This investment will support Cingular's migration from 2G to 3G, help drive reduced capital and operating costs, and position Cingular to more easily launch new, revenue-generating services."

Nortel Networks HLR technology simplifies the provisioning process by using a centralized data server platform to provide a single point of aggregation. The centralized data server can provision multiple downstream systems, keeping the entire network synchronized as new subscribers are added or services change for individual subscribers. These features can help Cingular reduce the costs of implementing new services.

Each Nortel Networks Univity HLR solution is capable of supporting more than five million subscribers. Nortel Networks core networking platforms, including the HLR products being deployed for Cingular, use common hardware and software across GSM, GPRS and EDGE technologies to provide seamless, cost-effective migration to 3G.

Cingular's selection of Nortel Networks for its HLR infrastructure builds on an ongoing relationship between the two companies. Nortel Networks provides wireless infrastructure for Cingular in North Carolina, South Carolina, coastal Georgia and eastern Tennessee, and is currently upgrading radio and core networking equipment across these regions to support advanced GSM voice and GPRS data services. Nortel Networks is also deploying a nationwide ATM backbone network for Cingular, as well as a TDMA-to-GSM upgrade for the Cingular network in Puerto Rico."

Posted to the site on 26th June 2003