Deutsche Telekom keeping 4G options open

Deutsche Telekom hasn't yet decided on a technology for its next generation mobile network, although it is looking at LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology for speeding up 3G cellular networks, an InfoWorld Daily report said. Other 4G options on the table include Mobile Wimax and UMB. Philipp Humm, chairman of the carrier's mobile subsidiary T-Mobile Germany, was quoted saying, 'We will start trials in the middle of the year, and make a decision towards the end of the year,'.

At CeBIT, though, it's all about LTE.

T-Mobile is demonstrating mobile broadband speeds at 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload with Ericsson, the report said. Applications demonstrated will include high-definition television.

'LTE would be a natural step for us, but we don't want to choose before we know it can perform, both in terms of cost and performance,' Joachim Horn, Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile International, concurred saying, 'When it comes to choosing between the options on the table, the radio won't be the deciding factor, because they are all based on OFDM,' referring to orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, one of several techniques for sharing limited radio spectrum between multiple simultaneous communications. 'Other factors like intellectual property, cost and the included ecosystem will make or break a technology,' he added.