Russian telecommunications equipment manufacturer BULAT, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, today announced the successful completion of the initial stage of field tests for the prototype of the first domestic base station (BS) compliant with GSM/LTE-1800 standards. Rostelecom said the field tests involved the installation of 20 base stations on the test segment of the commercial telecom operator's network.
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BULAT's Domestic Base Station Testing
According to Rostelecom, the practical results obtained using the target hardware platform and software will be used in further development and optimising the software and hardware.
The tests validated the signal transmission levels, demonstrating compliance with calculated values. Furthermore, the results also demonstrated the required quality of mobile voice connection and the availability of telecommunications network data transmission services, comparable to solutions offered by global industry leaders, Rostelecom said.
BULAT developed the hardware for the base station, while the software was created by New Telecom Solutions. Notably, BULAT secured a forward contract with Rostelecom in December 2022 for the supply of up to 17,000 base stations by 2026.
Commenting on the positive test results, BULAT said, "In December 2023, we launched a pilot test cluster of 20 base stations on a real mobile network. The results of the tests allow us to say with confidence that the target solution of the BS GSM/LTE-1800 will be ready in the first half of 2024, in the same year mass production will begin."
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Rostelecom Contact Center Implements AI Solutions
In other news, Rostelecom Contact Center, a subsidiary of Rostelecom, has partnered with 3iTech, a Russian vendor of artificial intelligence solutions, to implement a large language model (LLM) developed by 3iTech.
Reportedly, this LLM will revolutionise speech analytics within the contact center, allowing for automatic evaluation of customer calls and providing real-time guidance to operators. By understanding natural language and offering suggestions in simple terms, the AI model will significantly improve the quality of service and ensure a seamless experience for customers, Rostelecom said.
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Additionally, the integration of the LLM will enable Rostelecom Contact Center to free operators from formal conversations with customers, allowing for more personalised interactions and efficient problem resolution. This will also enable the correct assignment of questions to the company's specialised experts if the automated responses can't help the customer.
Furthermore, the AI model will serve as the foundation for Rostelecom's intent-less chatbots, making customer interactions with the bot more human-like and intuitive.
