Vienna, 23 September 2016

• Austrian subsidiary A1 trials LTE Small-Cells
• More than 350,000 visitors will be able to enjoy top quality voice and data services
• LTE Small-Cells supplement the existing wireless network to meet demand for extra bandwidth
• Seamless integration of LTE Small-Cells into the existing network architecture

When this year's Wiener Wiesn Festival begins, A1, the Austrian subsidiary of the Telekom Austria Group, will launch a new technology trial: with the installation of so-called Small-Cells A1 guarantees sufficient bandwidth for visitors to make telephone calls and send and receive data packets with no loss of quality at the Wiener Wiesn hotspot, an event that attracted 300,000 visitors last year.

Demand for broadband is set to rise steadily in the next few years. To meet this demand and overcome the congestion it creates, mobile operators are continuously developing improvements and solutions that have to be cost-effective and efficient. One means of handling traffic quickly, especially in urban conurbations and at hotspots with high volumes of voice and data traffic, is to use so-called Small-Cells. These small radio cells provide the necessary additional capacity and support powerful mobile communication networks.

In contrast to macro-cells that are extremely expensive to install and operate, small cells are a cheaper and more efficient alternative and increase the density of the network exactly where the capacities are required.

A1, the Austrian subsidiary of the Telekom Austria Group, is taking the opportunity offered by this year's Wiener Wiesn Festival to run a field trial that will absorb the high level of traffic generated by the many visitors to the Wiesn.

"We are very proud that we can already show where the future of mobile communications lies with our field trial. By integrating five LTE Small-Cells in our powerful A1 LTE network we are able to offer visitors to the Wiener Wiesen virtually unimpaired mobile reception both outdoors and inside the marquees. The Wiener Wiesn is thus an ideal hotspot and a perfect location for conducting our trial and trimming our network to the demands of the future," said Marcus Grausam, CTO A1.

A1 is the first mobile operator in Austria to use the LTE Small-Cells solution from Altiostar, the integrator of the trial is Kapsch Carrier Com.

"The Small-Cells were installed in the big marquees and in two outdoor locations to boost the network coverage of A1's existing excellent network infrastructure, enhancing the high quality of the services we offer our guests," said the managing director of the Wiener Wiesn Festival, Claudia Wiesner.

The trial on the Wiener Wiesn is an important means of testing how effective, flexible but also easily feasible the solution is in practice. In the past providing mobile communication to large-scale events was very difficult and extremely expensive due to the nature of the buildings or the large number of users.

The Small-Cells are used in tandem with so-called virtual RAN concept as the precursor of new network architectures in mobile communication. The path toward 5G, the wireless technology of the future, is clearly visible, both in terms of the radio access but also the backhauling.

The Altiostar solution, which is already being used successfully by América Móvil, can be seamlessly integrated into the existing A1 mobile communications network, voice calls and data connections are automatically passed between the radio cells depending on the location of the subscriber.