Ericsson and Qualcomm in BONKERS 450Mbps 4G test lab demo

Combining frequencies to get more bandwidth is part of the LTE (4G) specification. Wireless boffins have now demonstrated the concept, achieving blazingly fast speeds in a test lab.

Qualcomm and Ericsson say they aggregated licensed frequencies and unlicensed 5GHz spectrum to achieve very high bandwidths.

Use of spectrum across frequencies – which is regulated in different ways – is called License Assisted Access by some and LTE-U (unlicensed) by others.

At a recent demonstration to customers, Ericsson showed lab trials of both LAA fair sharing and licensed-unlicensed aggregation - 20MHz on a licensed band and 40MHz on an unlicensed 5GHz band.

The licensed band provides an anchor, while the unlicensed band provides incremental capacity and enables faster data speeds and bonding. The latter, as used by the Samsung Galaxy’s “download booster”, often leads to latency issues. With the LAA aggregation, the licensed spectrum is used for the low latency tasks and the 5GHz for bandwidth.

Mixing licensed and unlicensed spectrum is clearly something operators like. This is partly because it will be important for 5G where the need for more bandwidth means going to higher and higher frequencies but also because it’s a source of bandwidth where the telcos don’t have to cough a fortune to their exchequer equivalent.

Ericsson video explaining Licensed Assisted Access

Ericsson LAA incorporates fair sharing within the 5GHz band to accommodate traditional Wi-Fi users. Fair sharing works on the principle that Wi-Fi and LAA users would have equal access to the spectrum.

Those looking in included Verizon, SK Telecom and T-Mobile US top brass.

Ed Chan, senior veep of network planning at Verizon, says: "We are encouraged by the headway that Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies have made in demonstrating the benefits LAA can provide."

Park Jin-hyo, senior veep and head of Network Technology R&D Center, SK Telecom, says: "SK Telecom is very active in the development of 5G technologies, which will be an extension and evolution of our LTE network. We are delighted to achieve the successful trial of the 450Mbps LAA and fair-sharing technology with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies and will continue to work closely with them to secure advanced network technologies."

Neville Ray, T-Mobile CTO, says: "It is very encouraging to see License Assisted Access live in the Ericsson labs already delivering on the promises of both a better mobile broadband customer experience and the fair sharing and co-existence within the 5 GHz band among wireless and Wi-Fi devices. With over 500MHz of underutilized spectrum in the 5GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) band, LAA can provide our customers with superior network performance while effectively co-existing with other Wi-Fi devices to ensure a better experience for all wireless users."

Ericsson is looking to use LAA in its small cells, which are aimed in particular at indoor applications. These include the Ericsson Radio Dot System for medium and large buildings and the Ericsson RBS 6402 Indoor Picocell for smaller buildings under 50,000ft². ®