Report: MegaFon puts LTE-Advanced in commercial use in Sochi

MOSCOW, Mar 3 (PRIME) -- Russian mobile operator MegaFon has put an LTE-Advanced network into commercial use in the 2014 Olympic city of Sochi, two years after testing, as it sees high potential of this technology in the region, ComNews reported Thursday, citing Anatoly Gorbunov, director of the local branch of MegaFon.

“Sochi is not only a popular resort, but also a site for cultural and sports events taking place all the year round. Our network will allow clients to quickly share emotions from vacation with friends and relatives,” Gorbunov said.

The former Olympic host has become the 12th city where MegaFon’s LTE-Advanced networks are commercially exploited.

Vitaly Solonin, head of wireless department at J’son & Partners Ñonsulting, said that it will be possible to speak about popularity of LTE-Advanced when cheap devices supporting this standard appear on the market.

“Primarily this technology will be used in hot-spots at places with maximum concentration of traffic in tandem with Wi-Fi access, which will be later installed in an operator network to reduce load on traffic,” Solonin said.

At present, LTE-Advanced in Russia is exotica, even for big city citizens, whose majority is happy with the existing speed in 4G and Wi-Fi.

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