Vodafone 2010 Annual Report Download - page 21

Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report 2010 19
Our access networks provide the means by which our customers
can connect to Vodafone. We provide mobile access through a
network of base stations and fixed access through consumer digital
subscriber lines (‘DSL’) and optical fibre, or corporate private wire.
These access networks connect back to our core network via a
transmission network.
As a total communications
company our customers
can use a broad range of
devices to access our
products and services.
The core network is responsible
for setting up and controlling
the connection of our customers
to our voice and data services.
Our networks connect to
a wide range of other
networks to enable our
customers to reach
customers of other
operators and access
services beyond Vodafone.
Base stations manage the
wireless radio transmissions to
and from Vodafone’s customers’
mobile devices.
The circuit switched domain
provides voice/video calls
and some basic data services.
The packet switched domain
provides our customers access to
data services.
The IP multimedia subsystem
provides advanced control for all
internet protocol (‘IP’) services.
We deliver private branch exchange
services to our enterprise customers
via dedicated private wire
connections.
We provide fixed line telephony
connections enabling our
customers to connect to the
internet via DSL and optical fibre
(‘GPON’) technologies.
The transmission infrastructure
connects together our access
and core networks.
Access network evolution
We are actively driving additional 3G data technology enhancements
to further improve the customer’s experience and capacity of our
networks including evolutions of HSPA technology to increase both
the downlink and uplink speeds. We have successfully trialled
evolutions of mobile broadband technology delivering peak rates of
43.2 Mbps. During the 2011 financial year we expect to extend the
availability of 28.8 Mbps downlink and 5.8 Mbps uplink speeds within
our network.
We have continued to expand our fixed line footprint in accordance
with our total communications strategy by building our own
network and/or using wholesale arrangements in 13 countries at
31 March 2010.
Transmission network evolution
We continue to upgrade our access transmission infrastructure from
the base stations to the core switching network to deal with the
increasing bandwidth demands of the access network. We have
continued to pursue a strategy of implementing scalable and cost
effective self-build solutions and are also leveraging our DSL interests
by increasingly backhauling data traffic onto more cost effective DSL
transport connections. During the 2010 financial year we also
introduced new high capacity ethernet microwave solutions into our
access transmission network and continued to deploy high bandwidth
optical fibre more widely across our access transmission network. In
the core transmission network we have continued to expand our high
capacity optical fibre infrastructure, including technology
enhancements, which enable the use of cost effective IP technology
to achieve high quality transport of both voice and data traffic.
Core network evolution
At 31 March 2010 we had consolidated 15 national IP networks into a
single IP backbone, including all markets in our Europe region,
centralising IP operations to avoid duplication and achieve simplicity
and flexibility in the deployment of new services to serve multiple
markets. We have also introduced advanced yield management
capabilities across substantially all of our established 3G markets. This
provides us with the ability to actively manage the capacity allocated
in our networks in order to optimise the overall customer experience
we deliver.
We have continued to expand the deployments of IP multimedia
subsystem (‘IMS’) infrastructure across these markets in order to
serve the increasing demand for advanced internet based services
and applications.
Licences
The licences held across our operating companies enable us to deliver
fixed and mobile communication services. Further detail on the issue
and reg ulation of licences and a table summarising the most significant
mobile licences held by operating subsidiaries and the joint venture
in Italy at 31 March 2010 can be found in “Regulation” on page 133. In
addition, we also have licences to provide fixed line services in many
of the countries in which we operate.
We regularly assess the value of our spectrum holdings and participate
in auctions to supplement our holdings on a case-by-case basis.
Innovation
We are a pioneer in products and services to enhance customer
choice and user experience.
Quality of service for data applications
We have been driving the development of quality of service
differentiation in 3G which enables us to carefully manage the
assignment of capacity in our networks during the busiest times. With
increasing data demands, driven by faster HSDPA and fixed broadband,
this capability enables us to manage our costs through intelligent
allocation of network resources. We have already launched quality of
service differentiation to customers in Spain and Romania and plan
further launches across the majority of our 3G footprint.
Other networksCustomer devices Core networkAccess and transmission network
Circuit switched
Private wire
corporate access
Transmission
infrastructure
Smartphones
Fixed broadband
Base station
Fixed line devices
Desktop computers
Netbook and laptop
computers
Standard handsets Fixed line operators
Mobile operators
Internet service
providers
Corporate networks
Packet switched
IP multimedia subsystem
Business
Population coverage
in Europe
99%
with 2G and over 80%
with 3G