China Mobile and Clearwire, in conjunction with the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), announced an agreement on common test specifications and joint interoperability testing (IOT) for TD-LTE devices in the global band configurations, including 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz. Plans call for establishment of 4G mobile broadband labs featuring a joint test platform and IOT environment for TD-LTE devices. The labs will allow for the evaluation and qualification of commercial TD-LTE devices simultaneously in the U.S., China, and other promising markets, using common testing methodology, equipment, and infrastructure.
The collaboration is expected to accelerate development of the TD-LTE device ecosystem, especially in multi-mode, multi-band LTE devices. The carriers said the expected availability of the Quad-Band LTE 2.3-2.7 GHz spectrum range, in addition to certain other bands like 1.9GHz, as well as FDD and TD-LTE mobility interactions, makes it an ideal global configuration for mass 4G marketing worldwide.
“The unmatched spectrum portfolio underlying Clearwire’s planned LTE network has the potential to deliver faster speeds and with greater capacity than any current or proposed 4G network in the United States,�? said Dr. John Saw, chief technology officer of Clearwire. “Close collaboration with global wireless leader China Mobile accelerates the development of multi-mode multi-band TD-LTE and LTE FDD devices and provides the common test specifications OEMs, ODMs, chipset vendors and other critical component manufacturers need to rapidly develop and commercialize products to serve this massive global marketplace.�?
“Converged with LTE FDD, TD-LTE has become the major global 4G technology for unpaired spectrum,�? said Mr. Li Zhengmao, Vice President of China Mobile. “Our goal is to build efficient, low cost common infrastructure and terminal for different global markets with different spectrum to support mobile internet. By closely working with global operators such as Clearwire, we could leverage the experience, expertise, and scale to achieve this goal. This is also the reason why we create GTI and promote it jointly�?.
Clearwire plans to conduct its TD-LTE common IOT in Phoenix, AZ and Herndon, VA. China Mobile’s testing will be carried out in Beijing and other TD-LTE trial cities.
http://www.clearwire.com
- In September 2011, China Mobile and Clearwire announced a collaboration to accelerate the development of TD-LTE devices. Specifically, the carriers will work jointly to further accelerate the time-to-market availability of high volume TD-LTE chipsets and devices that should be commercially available starting in 2012. In addition, the two companies will collaborate to enable worldwide data roaming among TD-LTE, FDD-LTE and other 2G/3G networks. Both carriers support the global 2.5 GHz spectrum band for 4G deployments along with many other operators around the world. To date, both China Mobile and Clearwire have conducted successful TD-LTE trials and tests using commercially available/production-ready TD-LTE devices from numerous vendors.
- In August 2011, Clearwire confirmed its intention to deploy “LTE Advanced-ready” technology in its 4G network while restating its commitment to its existing 4G WiMAX network, which covers approximately 132 million people while serving 7.65 million retail and wholesale customers. The company expects to end 2011 with approximately 10 million 4G customers. Clearwire said the initial LTE deployment will target densely populated, urban areas of its existing 4G markets where current 4G usage demands are high. Clearwire said its LTE network will be “LTE Advanced-ready,” meaning that it will use spectrum configurations capable of 100+ Mbps downlink speeds.
