3gpp

LTE 'One Voice' initiative gains wide support

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:25:27 -0500

A powerful grouping of major operators and equipment vendors have put their combined weight behind an initiative to agree a common method for handling voice and SMS traffic over LTE. Labelled One Voice, the group is looking to promote its preferred specifications for providing interoperable voice over LTE with the intention of convincing the GSMA and 3GPP to formally recommend its adoption.

Notably absent from the One Voice group - which includes AT&T, Orange, Telefonica, TeliaSonera, Verizon, Vodafone, Alca-Lu, Ericsson, NSN, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, is T-Mobile. The operator has been a firm advocate for VoLGA (Voice over LTE via Generic Access) which was proposing an interim LTE voice concept that tunnelled circuit-switched voice traffic through the packet-based LTE network.

However, while VoLGA supporters still maintain that the concept will fulfil a useful role, the weight behind the One Voice initiative seems set to dictate the future direction to ensure voice over LTE interworking and roaming using 3GPP specifications for IMS. The specification includes E-UTRAN, evolved packet core, user equipment and IMS core features that the group considers essential to interoperable IMS voice.

However, One Voice assumes that operators and vendors have taken it as read that moving to LTE and SAE in the RAN and core network will also mean moving to IMS in the control plane. According to Sandro Tavares, converged core marketing manager at NSN, operators could migrate by using a method such as NSN's Fast Track, which introduces IMS functionality to non-IMS elements. Tavares said that Fast Track was completely compliant with the One Voice profile, while operators who wish to use LTE purely as a data network could still use CS Fallback to handle voice and SMS traffic to LTE devices.

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Mobile Europe

3GPP urges caution over IMT-Advanced promises

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:58:18 -0400

No fewer than six technologies have been submitted, seeking approval as official standards for IMT-Advanced, the next wave of wireless systems, which is designed finally to achieve 'true 4G' or gigabit stationary speeds (100Mbps mobile). Whereas a few years ago, few would have seen the need for such performance, now it seems operators can hardly wait to access the platforms that will let them support massive mobile broadband and multimedia usage, and while they may have years to wait for real 4G, they are increasing the momentum behind current technologies, LTE and WiMAX.

The ITU will select its IMT-Advanced technologies in October 2010. It released details of the six proposals, which are based around the third generation of LTE (3GPP Release 10) and IEEE 802.16m (WiMAX 2.0). The ITU's Radiocommunications Working Party 5D will assess all the submissions over the coming year, supported by "independent external evaluation groups that have been established around the world". Article

Japanese developers push for LTE terminal standard

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:50:41 -0400

As the launch date for commercial LTE services comes ever closer, little has been mentioned on the availability of handsets or terminals. In an effort to ensure that a variety of devices becomes available to support LTE networks, the Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo and several technology developers have announced the completion of a chipset targeted for use within mobile platforms.

The group, which includes NEC, Panasonic Mobile and Fujitsu, claims that the joint development of the LTE-PF chipset contains baseband processing software together with other ‘basic functions'. The group expects the design to be licensed to other handset manufacturers worldwide.

The developers say that the LTE protocol on which LTE-PF is based is currently being standardised by 3GPP, with the chipset being available in sample quantities today.

With DoCoMo being one of the leaders in LTE deployment plans, the inclusion of three handset technology providers follows the model previously adopted in Japan whereby the operator co-operated closely with the terminal developers.

Having seen the Japanese handset industry lose its early lead in 3G mobile phones to more worldly vendors, this new grouping might be an attempt to set the agenda for LTE handsets using Japanese R&D as the starting point. However, it would seem likely that the major handset chipset suppliers, such as Qualcomm, have other plans.

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Cellular News

LTE moves ahead following completion of TD-LTE 'proof of concept'

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:31:38 -0400

The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) group has announced the successful completion of proof of concepts tests that it claims demonstrates that TD-LTE and SAE (Service Architecture Evolution) are achievable.

For the TD-LTE trial, LSTI identified a core set of proof points aligned with the 3GPP and NGMN Alliance requirements for LTE/SAE. Test results from over 90 measurement campaigns from seven vendors were consolidated and analysed, with regard to ensuring that operators understand the practicalities in the field and that users get an enhanced experience.

The tests achieved the industry's peak spectral efficiency target of 5bps/Hz downlink and 2.5bps/Hz uplink in a live air test using prototype equipment, while 2x2 MIMO delivered 40Mbps rates and 7.3bps/Hz spectral efficiency.

The LSTI group said: "End user rates will vary widely depending on radio conditions and network loading. The minimum offered speed at cell edge during busy hours is expected to be around 0.06bps/Hz/User spectral efficiency (with 10 active users per cell). This aligns with the 3GPP design target of 2-3 times higher than HSDPA."

It added that TD-LTE/SAE could also support guaranteed bit rates, important for real time services such as IPTV, and could work at speeds up to 350km/h, or even 500km/h in good radio conditions. One way over-the-air packet transmit times of under 5ms were achieved.

With the proof of concept completed, the LSTI confirmed plans to move to new phases of its work, including interop testing and friendly customer trials for both FDD and TDD modes. Hou Fang of Huawei, chairman of the LSTI's TDD proof of concept group, said in a statement: "Having stable specifications and accelerating industry-wide interoperability testing within LSTI will simplify the worldwide adoption of LTE/SAE technology regardless of who designed, built or operates these networks and devices."

China Mobile, a keen advocate of TD-LTE, said that it planned to begin large-scale outdoor TD-LTE trials in 2010, adding that it would install 15 TD-LTE base stations at next year's Shanghai 2010 World Expo.

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3G and Telegeography

LTE: 39 commitments to deploy networks, 50% increase in 6 months

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:12:50 -0400

Mobile operators are gaining enough confidence in LTE to confirm their commitment to deploy the technology, a 50 per cent increase since March 2009, claims the GSA, who undertook the research.

The trade body said that 39 operators in 19 countries have indicated their intent to adopt LTE, with 14 of these planning to be operational by the end of next year with another 31 anticipated to be in service by the end of 2012.

This upsurge in operator commitment has, according to the GSA, been helped by CDMA operators becoming reassured by collaboration between 3GPP, 3GPP2 and IEEE that there is a workable roadmap for CDMA operators to evolve to LTE. This has been helped more recently by the demonstration by Nortel and LG Electronics of the handover of a data transmission between a LTE network and a CDMA network. The two firms claimed this would reassure CDMA operators that services such as video downloads and VoIP calls would be maintained when moving from one technology to another.

While the GSA is keen to promote the likely success of LTE, as it has done for all past evolutionary steps of GSM technology, this latest development does increasingly look to have adequate momentum to make it a worldwide cellular standard. Such a move could radically alter the existing landscape for infrastructure and handset suppliers--which might be a source of fresh speculation for Huawei's interest in merging with Alcatel-Lucent.

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Mobile Europe

T-Mobile invests in (another) femtocell developer

Paul Rasmussen — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:32:13 -0400

Indications that European operators want to accelerate the deployment of 3G femtocells comes with the news that T-Mobile has joined with others to invest in an Israeli-based baseband developer. T-Mobile has joined with venture capital funds to invest US$12 million in Percello, a fabless start-up that claims its chip is the first dedicated to the 3G femtocell market.

Percello's CEO, Shlomo Gadot, was upbeat about its new PRC6000 chip. "It offers the highest level of integration, the most advanced features and the most efficient power consumption at the best price." He added that the SoC PRC6000 device supported all femtocell backhaul functions such as timing and security, was compliant with the 3GPP R7 baseline, and was capable of delivering downlink speeds of 21.6Mbps and 5.76Mbps in the uplink.

However, other developers might question some of these assertions--such as whether the design was complete, where it might be produced and when?

However T-Mobile seemed pleased with its investment: "The baseband chip that Percello is developing is the most critical component relating to quality and mass-market price points. Its team has a strong track record and we welcome their involvement in strengthening the growing femtocell ecosystem," said Klaus-Jurgen Krath, VP of radio network engineering and quality for T-Mobile International.

The new investors said that the funds would be used primarily to complete product development of the PRC6000 chip and to initiate sales and marketing activities. Earlier this week, Percello announced that it planned to use CEVA-Teaklite-III DSP core technology to help develop femtocell baseband chipsets.

For more on this story:
- go to EE Times and Globes Online

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T-Mobile invests in femtocell maker. T-Mobile femtocell story
T-Mobile pilots femtocells in Germany. Trials story
Qualcomm buys into femtocell developer. Qualcomm story

Femtocell success reliant on handset innovations, claims new study

Paul Rasmussen — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:23:07 -0400

The hype surrounding the mass deployment of femtocells has been doused with cold water by a new study into the need for handset vendors to quickly transform their devices to support the technology. According to the report, published by Research & Markets (R&M), the femtocell industry is basing its optimism on the notion that subscribers will use their cell phones differently when in range of femtocells. There will be different applications and behavioural patterns when people are at home--perhaps content backups, podcasts or even advertiser-sponsored TV programming. The mobile phone may need to be linked to the TV, PC, HiFi or other items of domestic technology, claims R&M.

However, the report states that, while handsets will work with femtocells, they are not optimised to support this new 'in home' activity. The phone needs to be aware of the femtocell, ideally both in the radio and the application platform. But changing how the handset industry approaches this challenge could take 2-3 years--given that it takes this amount of time to implement new handset architecture, and around the same time before new cell phone technology reaches a broad range of devices.

R&M identified other issues that the femtocell industry should be aware of:

In dense deployments of femtocells, handsets can spend too much time and power attempting to connect at locations that are not their own "home zone."
The new 3GPP Release 8 specifications contain various modifications to enable handsets to work better with femtocells, but the first R8-compliant phones will likely be shipped at the end of 2010.
The usage of handsets on femtocells may identify unexpected side-effects, relating to faster/cheaper data connections. This may impact elements of design such as memory allocation and power management.
Various suggestions have been made for ‘femto-zone' services--but there is no standardised way for handset applications to know they are attached to a femtocell.

However, the study also pointed to some new opportunities that femtocells could have for operators, namely the generation of new revenue streams from advertisers and other third parties by enabling the provision of 'at home' services via femtocells.

R&M claimed that there could be a demand for at least 48 million femto-aware handsets to be sold to femtocell owners in 2013. However, with more optimistic forecasts, and especially if shared femtocell models become popular, there could potentially be a demand for up to 300 million femto-aware handsets per year in 2013.

For more on this story:
- go to Marketwatch

Related stories:
Femto Forum, NGMN Alliance unite for femtocells. Femtocell story
Femtocells--big market, bigger questions. Femtocell editorial