WiMAX operator Clearwire is part of a group of operators and vendors have requested the 3GPP standards body, which is in charge of LTE specs, to begin working on specifications that would enable TD-LTE to be deployed in the 2.6 GHz band of spectrum,which Clearwire uses for WiMAX, according to Light Reading Mobile.
That move is not surprising given Clearwire CEO Bill Morrow's statements during the CTIA Wireless trade show last week. He again reiterated that Clearwire is open deploying LTE when the technology catches up to WiMAX and called for one standard down the road.
The proposal has been accepted by the 3GPP just as TD-LTE has begun heating up around the world, with China Mobile the most anxious to deploy the version in the 2.3 GHz band. WiMAX technology is designed to operate in the TDD band. Motorola has said that several operators around the world are also interested in the version because of the lack of paired spectrum in some areas. Qualcomm is looking to deploy TD-LTE in India if it wins a license at auction there.
In addition, broad industry support for TD-LTE in the 2.6 GHz band came from Sprint Nextel, NII Holdings, China Mobile, UK Broadband, Motorola, Huawei Technologies, TD Tech, WiChorus, ZTE, Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Technology, Nokia Siemens Networks, Cisco Systems, Sequans Communications, Alcatel-Lucent, Alcatel Shanghai Bell Co. and Rohde & Schwartz.
For more:
- see this Light Reading Mobile article
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