Orange to launch 4G by end of June

AMMAN — Orange Jordan will commercially launch fourth generation services before the end of June after it signed an agreement Tuesday with China’s Huawei to build its 4G network.

The telecom company will first introduce the service in Amman and other areas, and the coverage will expand a few months later to include the entire Kingdom, Orange Jordan CEO Jean-Francois Thomas told The Jordan Times prior to signing the agreement with Huawei.

“We will start gradually with introduction of the service but the rollout will be fast and all Jordanians will have the chance to use the service soon,” Thomas said.

Under the agreement, Huawei will also upgrade the company’s second and third generation networks to further improve services, he added.

Orange Jordan had issued a tender for a solutions provider to develop its 4G network, following its acquisition of a licence for frequencies in the (10+10) MHz range of the 1800 MHz spectrum, Thomas noted.

He added that the company’s total investments to provide 4G services, including the volume of the tender, frequency fees and other technical issues, stand at JD250 million.

With the launch of its 4G network, Orange Jordan will provide wireless broadband speeds of up to 75 megabits per second delivered at minimal latency, Thomas said at the signing.

“The launch of 4G services will boost data traffic and app usage,” the CEO added, stressing the role 4G plays in developing the ICT industry.

In an address at the event, China’s Ambassador to Jordan Gao Yusheng stressed the importance of the agreement in boosting ties between the two countries.

“This is an important agreement as Huawei is one of the largest Chinese companies. This cooperation will further strengthen during the upcoming period,” the ambassador said.

“I am confident the Chinese company will provide high quality services in Jordan,” he added.

Xu Yong, vice president of marketing and solutions for North Africa at Huawei Technologies, reviewed the company’s efforts that focus on innovation and investment in the latest technologies.

He said Huawei’s investment in research and development over the past 10 years stood at more than $27 billion. In 2014 alone, it invested $6.5 billion in research and innovation.