Telenor Hungary has announced a contract with ZTE to build a GSM/UMTS/LTE network in Hungary. As a result of the deal worth some 200 million EUR, ZTE will provide Telenor with radio and core infrastructure over the next five years.

The contract is valid until 2015. The first phase of the project, the actual swap of network elements will happen within two years. As the new network will be LTE-ready, the introduction of this technology will depend on external circumstances, such as the change in the economic climate in Hungary and the regulatory environment.

Under the agreement, ZTE will switch, expand and operate the GSM/UMTS/LTE network and deploy over 6,000 base stations, including LTE eNodeBs throughout the country. With its SDR-based (software-defined radio) solution Telenor's will have a unified 2G/3G/LTE core network, supporting multi-mode and multi-band wireless services.

ZTE has previously built unified GSM/UMTS/LTE networks for Telenor in India and Montenegro, according to the company statement.