Alcatel-Lucent in the LTE Spotlight

Next Generation Communications Blog

Alcatel-Lucent in the LTE Spotlight

Alcatel-Lucent has been at the center of much of the big LTE news emanating from Barcelona this week. LTE, or long-term evolution, is a fourth-generation (4G) wireless networking technology designed to succeed today's 3G wireless networks. 4G networks based on LTE will reportedly enable download speeds of up to 100Mbps, and will most likely be considered as alternatives to DSL, cable, satellite, and other current broadband offerings.
 
Dick Lynch, Verizon executive vice president and chief technology officer, delivered a keynote address at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona today, and in his speech, Lynch offered details regarding the operator's 4G LTE plans.
 
Lynch announced that Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone, has chosen Alcatel-Lucent among a select group of primary network vendors for its initial LTE network deployments in the United States.
 
Utilizing their existing spectrum, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have been field testing 4G LTE networks in Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Northern New Jersey in the United States, as well as in Budapest, Dusseldorf, and Madrid in Europe. These field trials have demonstrated download rates of 50 to 60 Mbps peak speeds. Utilizing its recently acquired 700 MHz spectrum, Verizon Wireless hopes to expand its 4G trials this summer, with the goal of commercially launching its LTE network in 2010.
 
Ben Verwaayen, chief executive officer of Alcatel-Lucent, commented, "With LTE's bandwidth and its ability to co-exist with the current 3G platform, we look forward to partnering with Verizon Wireless to build the next-generation foundation that will economically enable new forms of communications using both fixed and wireless, as well as mobile broadband."
 
In other news related to Alcatel-Lucent's LTE plans, the company announced it has completed a series of data calls - involving terminals from third-party suppliers using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum (TD-LTE), a mobile broadband standard that will be used by operators in China and across the globe.
 
Alcatel-Lucent also introduced a software module designed to enable service providers to expand the capabilities of their wireless networks through the rapid introduction of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. The software module is a key element of Alcatel-Lucent's enhanced NodeB (eNodeB) solution and represents a major step forward in the company's strategy to support the delivery of next-generation wireless services worldwide.
 
According to the announcement, the LTE software module can be loaded onto the Alcatel-Lucent 9326 Digital 2U eNode B - a "zero footprint" baseband module already widely deployed and field-proven with Alcatel-Lucent's 3G customers. This baseband module integrates easily into existing base station cabinets, enabling a seamless evolution to LTE via software-only upgrade. It provides high capacity and high throughput with improved response time for new service offerings and enables operators to quickly and flexibly add LTE capability to their existing networks. 

Click on the following link for more detailed information on Alcatel-Lucent's Ulitimate Wireless Broadband End-to-End LTE Solution.


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