Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) said it is on track to release TDD-LTE chipset products next year. The announcement is targeted at markets like China and India, where TDD-LTE could play a major role.
The company, which has been a major proponent of TDD-LTE in India, said its MDM9200 solution is being used to demonstrate TDD-LTE over-the-air with 2x2 MIMO in the 2.3 GHz band. The chipset supports both FDD and TDD modes of LTE. Qualcomm conducted the effort at the Shanghai Expo, and the company is working with China Mobile on the solution; China Mobile has been a key backer of the TDD-LTE standard in China.
In India, CDMA giant Qualcomm has sold stakes to two Indian partners for its broadband wireless access joint venture, which the company plans to use to promote TDD-LTE network technology. Global Holding Corp. and Tulip Telecom each purchased a 13 percent stake in the venture for $28.9 million.
Jim McGregor, an analyst at In-Stat, said Qualcomm's announcement is a key step in the maturation of LTE, but does not change the market dramatically. He said this announcement will have a greater impact on China and India, but is also a crucial step in Qualcomm's embrace of LTE. "I would expect that in the same timeframe they're going to have FDD or dual-mode parts available," he told FierceWireless, Qualcomm is "trying to get parts out there as quickly possible," he said.
Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) and MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS) are launching FDD-LTE networks this year.
"It's kind of like watching a puzzle come together," McGregor said of the Qualcomm announcement. "We're finally seeing the pieces."
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