DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Network equipment vendor Nokia Siemens Networks (NOK, SI) said late Tuesday that its Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil has started operations. MAIN FACTS: -NII Holdings, Inc. (NIHD) which operates under the NEXTEL brand in Latin America, is the first operator to use the GNOC to centralize its network operations. -Nokia Siemens currently manages operations for NII's multi-vendor networks across five countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. -The GNOC will allow Nokia Siemens to consolidate network operation activities across the five countries, providing economies of scale and improving network efficiency. -Other operators in the region are expected to be able to benefit from the GNOC and its remote service delivery model. -The center has the potential to serve as a "near shore" location for operators in the Americas time zone. The 16,000 square feet facility will initially have 150 technicians with the capacity to host up to 300. -In addition to supporting NII's iDEN and 3G technologies, the facility will support, transport, IP network and data/Value Added Services (VAS), all from multiple vendors. The migration and centralization of network operations across all five countries will be completed in 3Q 2011. -By Dominic Chopping; Dow Jones Newswires; +46-8-5451-3093; dominic.chopping@dowjones.com
