Kvaerner Construction has been awarded £6 million contract by Dolphin Telecommunications for the first phase of a multi-million scheme for a new network of digital communications stations across mainland Britain.
Kvaerner will be responsible for constructing new compounds or adapting existing ones, laying reinforced-concrete foundations, ducting and power connections, erecting roof-top steel support frames where necessary and installing electronic equipment. Work is due for completion in November 1999.
This work is part of a new national mobile communications network being built by Dolphin Telecommunications in the UK, based on the TETRA standard. Initial services will be available in early 1999 providing integrated switched and packet data and voice services, previously not available from any other single network, such as high speed data (up to 28.8kb/s), almost instantaneous call set-up with optional press-to-talk operation for workgroups, PSTN access, internet access, as well as virtual private networking and group call facilities.
The network infrastructure will include 450 base station sites throughout Scotland, Wales and the rest of England - mostly located on existing structures such as office buildings and water towers, and at sites shared with other telecommunications operators.
For Kvaerner Construction, the contract is a further significant step forward in the fast-expanding telecommunications market, where it is already undertaking UK network installations for National Transcommunications (NTL) under Project Pulsar and has, over the past five years, carried out extensive maintenance work for BT.
Martin Brocklesby, managing quantity surveyor for UK Civils’ Northern Region, commented: "With the UK telecommunications market the most advanced in Europe, Kvaerner looks forward to offering its leading expertise to the growing demands of other countries."
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