China Mobile has given the green light to Ericsson’s new M7450 five-mode modem chipset, which can cover TD-LTE, LTE-FDD, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA and GSM.
The chipset is the smallest LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation modem that can be used in global markets. The Sweden-based vendor said the product will support the widest range of frequency bands and also includes Single RF Chip Carrier Aggregation, VoLTE and IMS functionalities.
The first devices that will carry the chipset will be on the market during the second half of this year. Ericsson said additional certification tests are underway with operators in North America, Europe and Asia.
Last week, Ericsson appointed a new head for its modems business, with Robert Puskaric stepping up from his former role as the vendor’s Head of Northern Eurpe and Central Asia.
He said: “Passing this important validation process with China Mobile confirms that our modems more than meet the requirements of the market. Partners and customers are assured that the Ericsson M7450 modem will deliver high-speed and consistent connection in all five modes.
“China is an important market for us and we have a close collaboration with China Mobile. We look forward to having 4G 5-mode smartphones and other connected devices powered by the Ericsson M7450 modem running on the China Mobile 4G network.”
The modem will target the fast moving LTE-Advanced market, as more and more operators look to deploy new look networks. ABI Research predicted there will be half a billion connections on LTE networks by 2018, accounting for just over a third of the LTE market.
North America will be the largest LTE-A market, with a 44 percent share. Western Europe is expected to hit 44 million connections by 2018.