Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) said it completed what the vendor calls the first data call using an LTE network operating on the 700 MHz spectrum reserved for public-safety mobile broadband use in the U.S.
Alcatel-Lucent said the LTE data calls were made in a lab using 10 megahertz of spectrum bands licensed directly to public safety and another 10 megahertz of D-block spectrum.
"All of the data rates, according to the engineers, were in line with all the normal expectations for these bandwidths," said Morgan Wright, vice president of Alcatel-Lucent's global public-safety division. "It validates that commercially available equipment using commercial standards will be ready for public safety."
The data call represents the first LTE call that has been done using public-safety spectrum. According to current law, the D-block spectrum is supposed to be auctioned to commercial operators that would then give public-safety users use of that spectrum in emergencies. Public-safety officials, however, are calling for federal legislation to reallocate the spectrum for public safety use.
Alcatel-Lucent's strategy is to target vertical markets with LTE offerings, such as public safety and oil and gas companies. Recently Texas Energy Network (TEN), a new company formed to provide LTE solutions to the oil and gas industry, announced it has enlisted the help of Alcatel-Lucent and plans to demonstrate LTE later this month using an Alca-Lu "LTE on wheels" truck to show how LTE can be used to connect an oil site sensor or link a monitoring camera on a pipeline and deliver live video images.
For more:
- see this Urgent Communications article
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