3G/mobile broadband industry news from the UMTS Forum
26 March 2010
Verizon Wireless has announced that the cell sites and switching facilities of its planned LTE network will be supported by ultra-reliable, variable capacity fibre-optic links provided by Verizon Global Wholesale. The fibre-optic links will connect more than 3,500 Verizon Wireless cell sites and the operator’s mobile telephone switching offices in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Verizon Wireless has been conducting LTE trials in Boston and Seattle since August 2009, with the planned commercial LTE rollout in 25 to 30 markets, covering roughly 100 million people by the end of 2010.
Digi International, the wireless M2M (machine-to-machine) solutions provider, has selected Ericsson to provide HSPA-enabled embedded modules in its M2M applications. Digi cellular gateways provide primary and backup connectivity via high-speed 3G connections to remote sites and devices, making them ideal for remote device connectivity within energy, transportation, financial/ATM, retail and other M2M applications.
Motorola has unveiled an improved version of its LTE SON (LTE self-organising network) solution, designed to avoid and reduce network operating expenses (OPEX) by simplifying the management of the LTE network. The 3GPP Release 8 standards-compliant solution will enable greater network optimization, with resource savings of up to 75% in planning and optimization activities. Motorola's LTE SON delivers OPEX savings by automating previously manual steps involved in planning, deploying, optimizing and operating the network.
China’s Huawei has demonstrated at CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas what it claims to be the world’s fastest LTE-Advanced downlink speeds of up to 1.2 Gbps. The record speeds are more than 40 times faster than existing commercial 3G networks. Huawei has carried out the test using its SingleRAN prototype LTE-Advanced solution with 80 MHz multi-carrier wideband radio. LTE-Advanced is a candidate 4G technology, expected to be standardised in 2011.
AT&T plans to start its nationwide 3G MicroCell rollout in mid-April. The femtocell service from AT&T, which supports 3G voice and data, will offer attractive price point and plan options. AT&T 3G MicroCell will be available for a one-time cost of US$149.99. For US$19.99 per month, individual or Family Talk customers can make unlimited calls through a 3G MicroCell, without using minutes in their monthly wireless voice plan. The equipment has been provided by Cisco.
T-Mobile USA has expanded its mobile broadband HSPA+ network with the addition of four new areas: New York City, New Jersey, Long Island and suburban Washington, D.C., with Los Angeles to follow soon. The operator expects to deploy HSPA+ across its entire 3G footprint by the end of 2010, covering more than 100 metropolitan areas and 185 million people. T-Mobile has also launched its first netbook, the HSPA+ enabled Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with T-Mobile webConnect. HSPA+ technology delivers peak downlink speeds of up to 21 Mbps.
Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Samsung have demonstrated standards-compliant Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calls in an end-to-end LTE network setup. For operators using the vendor’s mobile softswitches, VoLTE functionality can be implemented with a simple software upgrade prior to deploying the full IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solution. Alternatively, operators can use NSN’ IMS-based VoLTE solution
Swisscom has launched an integrated TV service for PC and mobile, combining IPTV delivered using a DSL line with mobile TV streamed over its EDGE or WCDMA/HSPA networks. The service costs CHF9 (EUR6.30) per month and includes 34 live TV HD channels that can be watched via PCs, laptops or mobile phones. Exclusive live Teleclub broadcasts of football and ice hockey games are available at CHF5 per game, while films and sports programmes can be purchased individually without a subscription.
Ireland’s Meteor has unveiled its mobile broadband offering, branded ‘Broadband to Go’. The post-paid package costs EUR16.99 per month for 5GB with the Huawei E180 HSPA USB modem free of charge on an 18-month contract. The E180 modem is available to pre-paid customers for EUR29 per month, with an option of either a Day Pass at EUR2.99 for 500MB or a 30-day pass at EUR19.99 for 7.5GB. Meteor's 3G network is now available in five major urban areas: Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, as well as 67 towns.
Huawei has completed trials of HSPA+ Dual Carrier technology for Portugal’s Optimus. The upgrade will enable Optimus to provide peak downlink rates of up to 41.4 Mbps, with average download speed of up to 39.7 Mbps. Huawei's HSPA+ solution will enhance spectral efficiency and provide capacity gains for Optimus.
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