Ericsson Breaks 4G Speed Record
Mobile phone company Ericsson set a world record at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona when it showcased a LTE / 4G phone with a download speed of 1 GB per second.
The high download speed is possible by combining two types of 4G technology: Multi Carrier technology and Multiple Input Multiple Output.
Ericsson has already signed commercial contracts with five major mobile phone operator – AT&T, Verizon and MetroPCS in the US, TeliaSonera in Norway and Sweden and NTT DoCoMo in Japan.
NTT DoCoMo To Demo 4G Phone
Japanese mobile phone company NTT DoCoMo will demo a prototype 4G phone based on LTE technology later this month, according the company’s handset partner NEC.
The 4G demo will take place at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which starts on February 15.
While 4G modems are starting to go on sale around the world, voice 4G phones have yet to appear in the marketplace. NEC says NTT DoCoMo will demo streaming high resolution video across a 4G network at the Mobile World Congress on a 4G phone joint developed by Fujitsu, NEC, NTT DoCoMo and Panasonic.
First 4G Network Launched
Scandinavian mobile phone operator, TeliaSonera, has launched the world’s first commercial 4G phone network based on LTE technology.
The new 4G phone service is available now to customers in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway. TeliaSonera says it’ll start rolling out the service to other major cities in Sweden and Norway soon.
The mobile operator also has a 4G license for Finland.
Verizon 4G Speeds
Verizon Wireless has announced to the world that the forthcoming Verizon 4G network will have average data speeds of 5-12Mbps for downloads and 2-5Mbps for uploads.
Verizon 4G is due to launch in 30 US markets in 2010. It also said it plans for Verizon 4G to match the footprint of the current 3G network by the end of 2013.
T-Mobile Adds Voice to 4G Phones
Deutsche Telekom, known outside Germany as T-Mobile, have announced the first voice call using 4G LTE technology.
While other mobile operators have gone down a purely IP based technology – where voice calls are sent using VOIP (think Skype) – T-Mobile / Deutsche Telekom has been working on something it calls VoLGA (Voice over LTE via Generic Access).
It claims the system is a cheaper solution that needs little in the way of hardware upgrades. A spokesperson said, “The VoLGA test shows how operators could quickly and easily provide next generation voice services, re-using their existing core networks.”
Czech Republic 4G – Telefonica & Noika Siemens Networks
Mobile phone company Telefonica has chosen Nokia Siemens Networks as technology partner for a trial 4G network in the Czech Republic.
The trial will last six months and is part of a series of tests in Europe and Latin America of 4G. Noikia Siemens Network and Telefonica have worked together since the 2G phone era in the Czech Republic.
Italy 4G Trial
Italian mobile phone operator Telecom Italia has started testing 4G technology in the city of Turin, in the north of Italy.
Conducted with Telecom Italia’s technology partner Huawei, the tests use 14 new LTE mobile phone towers clustered around central Turin. Telecom Italia recently launched a HSPA+ mobile phone service for Milan (also in the north of Italy) giving theoretical download speeds of up to 28Mbps.
Finland Awards 4G Licenses
Finland has awarded four licenses to develop 4G networks – three based on LTE technology and one based on WiMAX.
A total of €3.8 million / $5.7 million was bid in the auction, which was much smaller than other mobile frequency auctions held in Sweden and Norway.
Swedish / Finnish mobile operator TeliaSonera and Finnish companies Elisa and DNA will each build a 4G LTE network, while Pirkanmaan Verkko will develop a WiMAX service for Finland.
The first of the 4G services is expected on line next year.
