AREA Science Park of Trieste (Italy), one of the leading science and technology parks in Europe, has successfully trialed PRIMO (Private Mobile) HSPA technology for broadband private mobile networks supplied by Athonet and Nokia Siemens Networks. Using PRIMO, enterprises are able to access existing and new services on their enterprise network in a more efficient, easy, environment friendly way, concretely saving implementation and operational costs.

"AREA Science Park's communication needs have been the ideal testing ground for this technology implemented by Athonet and Nokia Siemens Networks. And this test has been passed brilliantly - says Giancarlo Michellone, president of AREA Science Park - . As a science park we work to enable the development of innovative technologies and are even prepared to test them, particularly when they are the produce of companies based in our park, such as Athonet. We are convinced that PRIMO represents a considerable step forward in the field of private networks, where there is a greater need for a reliable, flexible and cost-effective communications system".

PRIMO is a complete compact mobile network that can be installed directly on an enterprise local area network, allowing prioritized local access to new and existing services such as e-mail, video, voice etc. and enable new services using standard off-the-shelf mobile phones. PRIMO does not impact the normal operator network while providing additional capacity and coverage in specific areas. Thus it solves congestion problems caused by the massive adoption of bandwidth-hungry smartphones and data cards.

Furthermore, it can provide prioritized and dedicated access to enterprise users where they need it most. PRIMO is the ideal solution for corporates, airports, healthcare facilities, campus environments, industrial automation, oil/gas fields, ships as well as rural, hotspot and "digital divide" areas. It is also fast to install, transportable and has a very low energy footprint which makes it well-suited for public safety operations and disaster-hit areas where a UMTS/HSPA network can be deployed in only a few minutes.

The solution comprises two elements: Athonet's innovative PRIMO Mobility Gateway product and Nokia Siemens Networks' compact future-proof Flexi Base Station using Internet HSPA (I-HSPA), providing dedicated low latency "mobile internet/intranet" services in a very compact form factor.

PRIMO's Mobility Gateway creates a virtual cloud mobile network where "the software becomes the network" and is no longer dependent upon any specific hardware, thus enabling rapid cost-effective deployment. The solution is future-proof as it is software-upgradable to next-generation LTE and is also compatible with femtocell technology.