Qualcomm to test LTE-U with T-Mobile US

The Federal Communications Commission granted Qualcomm permission to move forward with LTE-U product development testing with T-Mobile US at four network sites around the country.
The sites are in T-Mobile US’ home of Bellevue, Washington; Simi Valley, California; Richardson, Texas; and Las Vegas. Qualcomm said testing will involve up to 10 small cells and access points, with mobile units that are receive-only at 5 GHz, but able to transmit on LTE Band 4.
This is the second Special Temporary Authority Qualcomm has received for LTE-U product development testing. The first STA was with Verizon Wireless and involved up to 30 small cells and access points within macro cell coverage at two locations in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Oklahoma City. No results from that product development testing have been publicly discussed; the Verizon Wireless STA expires June 30.
According to Qualcomm’s STA application for T-Mobile US, the proposed testing is fairly similar, described as being “very small scale product development testing of … equipment at four trial sites. The purpose of the proposed testing is to evaluate the technical performance of precommercial LTE-U equipment, operating in downlink-only mode in the UNII-1 and UNII-3 portions of the 5 GHz band, in a highly controlled field environment in order to assist in the ultimate development of commercial products.”
Qualcomm asked for permission to deploy as many as 80 LTE-U-capable mobile devices, or up to 20 at each of the four locations. The company intends continuously run devices and small cells during its test period.
This testing is separate from the Wi-Fi coexistence testing Qualcomm plans to conduct, which it has said it will allow Wi-Fi Alliance to observe as part of its ongoing efforts to assuage ongoing concerns within the Wi-Fi community that LTE-U will unduly interfere with Wi-Fi at 5 GHz.
“In addition to the product development testing … Qualcomm, T-Mobile and their partner companies intend to conduct separate and independent LTE-U/Wi-Fi coexistence testing in a real-world environment at a T-Mobile facility using a coexistence test plan being developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance,” Qualcomm said in the STA application, noting the test plan “would be modified as appropriate based on the specific environment to be used for the testing.”
Wi-Fi Alliance is in the process of validating a test plan for ensuring LTE-U/Wi-Fi coexistence and hopes to deliver it by the end of summer.
Dean Brenner, Qualcomm’s SVP of government affairs, said in a statement the company “continues to prove fair coexistence between LTE-U and Wi-Fi through our own testing, through third-parties and through our work with other stakeholders within the LTE and Wi-Fi industries. … We will also continue to collaborate with the Wi-Fi Alliance to develop a coexistence test plan, and utilize that plan for joint lab and field testing. We thank the FCC for again granting a STA, and thank all others involved for working with us to further LTE-U progress.”
Check out RCR’s recent webinar on The Future of Wi-Fi, with representatives from Wi-Fi Alliance, Qualcomm and Verizon, and download the special report.