Telefónica has held an over the air demonstration of LTE-U technology in partnership with Ericsson.
The operator used Ericsson’s indoor small cell, the RBS 6402, in the demonstration, which combined unlicensed 5GHz with Telefónica’s own spectrum holdings.
The technology has been seen as a means of improving download speeds while indoors, as well as wider mobile data experience.
Angel Blazquez, Director of Radio and Core in Telefonica Spain, said: “This demonstration proves that multiple technologies will co-exist for best use of all spectrum and to support all deployment scenarios, widening the LTE ecosystem using the aggregation with licensed spectrum to provide the best performance experience.”
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Meanwhile, Ericsson has rolled in a range of enhancements into its LTE-U software. These include improved performance and efficiency and reduced transmission in line with 3GPP Release 13 specifications for license assisted access. LAA has provisions that ensure fair spectrum usage with Wi-Fi companies that also use the 5GHz band.
Eric Parsons, Head of Mobile Broadband, 4G/5G Radio Access, Ericsson, said: “Ericsson’s pioneering demonstration with Telefónica, combined with the enhancements to our industry-leading indoor radio portfolio, represent a milestone in the development of LTE-U.
“With global data traffic growing exponentially, spectrum has become one of the world’s most valuable resources. By enabling the use of unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum to boost peak data rates and capacity, LTE-U helps operators extract maximum value from their spectrum investments while bringing high-quality experiences to mobile broadband users everywhere.”