Zain Bahrain has achieved an LTE download speed of 70 Mbps in a field trial conducted with Nokia Siemens Networks. The trial involved Nokia Siemens Networks’ Flexi base stations, installed in separate buildings, as well as its NetAct network management solution.
Zain’s network has achieved a minimum latency of 15 milliseconds — the smallest ever in any public LTE call, according to the companies. The LTE call highlights applications such as multi-video streaming, high-resolution video conferencing, voice over LTE, and LTE terminal mobility within an office environment.
Zain Bahrain anticipates completing its LTE network later this year, proving a showcase for all of Zain Group’s operations across the Middle East and Africa. 
“Setting standards and raising the bar on excellence have always been a Zain Bahrain prerogative,” said Mohammed Zainalabedin, general manager, Zain Bahrain. “This first ever live call is a taste of the excellence our customers can expect when our entire network upgrade is unveiled by the end of this year. It is part of the continuous effort at Zain Bahrain to keep our promise to our customers that we will always deliver a world-class mobile user experience.”http://www.nsn.com
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- In October 2009, Zain Bahrain selected Nokia Siemens Networks to modernize its radio and core network as well as the prepaid charging system. This begins the transition to a flat, all-IP network supporting Internet High Speed Packet Access (I-HSPA) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will replace the existing legacy core network with the latest Mobile Softswitching (MSS) solution. In addition, charging system will be upgraded to the Nokia Siemens Networks prepaid solution, based on charge@once select. NSN’s Flexi Multiradio Base Stations are capable of supporting WCDMA, HSPA/HSPA+ and LTE via a software upgrade. Zain Bahrain will be in a position to launch I-HSPA functionality within the year. In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks will deploy a full end-to-end offering for LTE, providing LTE radio, Evolved Packet Core for LTE, subscriber data management, network management and services.