China Mobile is teaming with US operator Clearwire to develop interoperability tests for TD-LTE 4G devices.
The pair is working with the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) to establish 4G labs in the US and China that will conduct simultaneous device tests, as they bid to agree common test specifications for devices operating in global TD-LTE bands. The firms claim the work is essential to boost the number of devices available for China’s home-grown 4G technology, particularly multi-mode, multi-band terminals.
“Converged with LTE FDD, TD-LTE has become the major global 4G technology for unpaired spectrum. Our goal is to build efficient, low cost common infrastructure and terminals for different global markets with different spectrum to support mobile internet,” China Mobile’s vice president Li Zhengmao explains.
Clearwire currently operates a Wimax network in the US, sharing its use with Sprint, its largest investor. But the company plans to deploy a $600 million (€467 million) LTE network, and in September last year adopted the TD-LTE standard for the network after signing a partner deal with China Mobile.
John Saw, Clearwire’s chief technology officer, says close collaboration with firms like 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.”