By the end of 2008, Nokia Siemens Networks said it will be delivering the new LTE-ready hardware to more than 10 major mobile operators in Europe, Asia and North America.
Nokia’s LTE-compatible Flexi Base Station, to support LTE, would require a software upgrade that will be available in the second half of 2009.
Nokia says its fully 3GPP Rel 7 standards-compliant I-HSPA flat architecture provides a smooth migration path for operators to LTE. Internet HSPA (I-HSPA) is Nokia’s version of Evolved HSPA, a wireless broadband standard defined in 3GPP release 7. It provides HSPA data rates up to 42 Mbit/s on the downlink and 22 Mbit/s on the uplink.
LTE networks will feature peak data rates up to 173/58Mbps (downlink/uplink, 20MHz, MIMO). Currently, most cellular operators utilize 5 MHz channels, of course.
In parallel with the ongoing first shipments of LTE-compatible hardware, Nokia Siemens Networks said it is working with leading operators worldwide to conduct LTE trials in operators’ live network environments. The company will use the results of these trials to ensure its products, solutions and planning processes are fully optimised for commercial network rollouts, expected to start in 2010.
Nokia Siemens Networks is already working on the next step of radio evolution called LTE-Advanced, which is further enhancing LTE capabilities towards the data rate of 1Gbps.
Related DailyWireless articles include: WiBro Evolution: Would You Believe 149Mbps?, 4G: End of the Beginning?, Mobile WiMAX: Fast, Cheap and Out of Control?, 4G: War to End Wars , AT&T: It’s LTE, Verizon: It’s LTE, Sprint: It’s WiMAX, Xohm “Partners”?, T-Mobile: $10B in 3 Years, and Nokia Siemens: LTE Works.
