Even Faster Wireless Broadband: Ericsson Demos 56 Mbps Network

by Om Malik

Wireless broadband keeps getting faster and faster. Ericsson, a Sweden-based telecom equipment maker todayshowed off a new technology that boosts High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) speeds to 56 Mbps. HSPA is part of the technology migration path for today’s 3G networks to what are generically termed 3.5G networks. The company had previously showed off a wireless broadband network with peak downlink speeds of 42 Mbps at the recent Mobile World Conference in Barcelona. Today’s HSPA networks can support speeds of up to 21Mbps.

The new peak downlink data rates of 56 Mbps were achieved through a combination of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) and multicarrier HSPA technology. Ericsson is showing off the technology at CTIA in Las Vegas. HSPA multicarrier technology with MIMO, which is currently being standardized, is scheduled for commercial deployment in 2010. By the end of 2009, Ericsson will support commercial deployment of multicarrier technology with speeds up to 42 Mbps.

According to Ericsson:

Today’s commercial HSPA devices can make use of only one 5MHz channel at a time. With the introduction of multi-carrier consumer devices, data from two or more 5MHz channels can be received simultaneously by one consumer. The data stream is split over the used channels in the radio base station to get higher speeds. With MIMO, a base station can send data twice as fast via two different antenna paths on the same frequency to a single consumer.

In other words, it’s possible to see even faster broadband on wireless networks. Ericsson thinks that in the very near future, networks could run as fast as 84 Mbps. Of course, since all these are peak download rates, what you and I are actually going to get in terms of speed is a whole different ball of wax. That depends on the amount of bandwidth available on the backhaul networks.

CTIA 2009 Preview: Verizon's LTE Party

Verizon Wireless will undoubtedly bask in the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) limelight at this week's CTIA Wireless 2009 show now that the U.S. operator has selected equipment suppliers and announced deployment schedules for it ambitious proto-4G mobile broadband network.

Verizon's CTIA team should certainly take the opportunity to celebrate in Las Vegas this week because the hard part of the LTE process -- the network rollout, the nail-biting wait for devices, the pressure to meet the aggressive 2010 launch date communicated to the market, and the decision about whether to confuse the general public by using "4G" in its marketing -- lies ahead. (See LTE Phones Will Lag Behind Networks and MWC 2009: Verizon Picks LTE Vendors.)

Expect CTIA chatter about LTE to revolve around: the kind of embedded devices Verizon wants; the operator's Evolved Packet Core (EPC) architecture strategy; future support for voice services; hand-off issues between CDMA and LTE; and the operator's 4G backhaul strategy.

And, hopefully, Verizon will provide further details about what it plans to do with its LTE network and what the actual average peak data rates are likely to be. (See Operators Face LTE Deployment Dilemma.)

But Verizon won't be the only operator talking up LTE this week.

"Now that Verizon has selected LTE, all the other North American operators in its orbit are looking to do likewise," says Gabriel Brown, senior analyst at Heavy Reading.

U.S. cable operator Cox Communications Inc. announced this week that Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. will supply a 3G CDMA network that, eventually, will be upgraded to LTE. The deal is an important win for Huawei in the U.S., where the Chinese vendor has been seeking a notable reference customer for some years. Cox is now looking for a second supplier for its mobile broadband network. (See Cox, Huawei Make Wireless Connection , BCI Gets Busy With Cox's 3G Buildout , and Cox Hires Wireless Ops Guru.)

MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS) has also entered the U.S. "4G" race and has talked about plans to deploy LTE in 2010. (See MetroPCS Chooses LTE for 4G Wireless Network.)

And AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month that it has accelerated its LTE deployment plans by a year with a network rollout slated for 2011. While AT&T said it'll upgrade its 3G network to 7.2 Mbit/s HSDPA and plans to implement 21 Mbit/s HSPA later this year, the operator may shed more light on its 4G ambitions this week too. (See Nextera Picks NexTone.)

Vendors love LTE too
It won't be just the service providers talking up LTE this week. Verizon's vendors -- Alcatel-Lucent(NYSE: ALU) and Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) for radio access, AlcaLu and Nokia Siemens Networksfor IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), and Starent Networks Corp. (Nasdaq: STAR) for evolved packet core -- will be showing off their wares.

Meanwhile, Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Nortel Networks Ltd. (NYSE/Toronto: NT) will also put their LTE offerings on display. (See Moto Shows Off LTE.)

Nortel will wheel out its LTE demo with LG Electronics Inc. (London: LGLD; Korea: 6657.KS) , and the Canadian vendor, currently in the midst of a major reorganization, is also developing trial femtocell systems for LTE. (See Nortel Keeps LTE Dream Alive, No Femtos in Verizon's First LTE Rollout, Nortel Files for Bankruptcy Protection, and Nortel Appoints EMEA Administrator.)

Here's a snapshot of the LTE news for the week so far:

• AlcaLu Converges in RAN
• AT4 Tests LTE RF
• Forum Preps LTE Device Tests
• Camiant Sprinkles In LTE
• Tecore Touts 4G Upgrade
• Genband Joins VoLGA
• Starent Adds Smarts to LTE Core

Field Tests Show New DSL Extension System from CTDI Provides Telecom Industry’s Greatest Extended DSL Reach for Rural Areas

XCel-4e system’s unique rural DSL extension capabilities align with goals of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $7.2 billion Broadband Initiative.

WEST CHESTER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Independent field tests recently conducted in four states have demonstrated that the XCel-4e DSL extension system from Communications Test Design, Inc. (CTDI) provides greater extended DSL reach for rural areas than any competitive extension product at comparable speeds. The new XCel-4e optimally addresses demand for broadband Internet access by delivering 8 Mbps DSL service to remote users, including subscribers located more than 100 kilofeet (kft) from a DSLAM. The tests were conducted over a five-month period in California, Illinois, Nebraska and New Mexico.

The XCel-4e’s capabilities make it ideal for inclusion in rural DSL extension projects for which $7.2 billion in federal funding is being made available as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009. The Act’s Broadband Initiative, aimed at providing ubiquitous broadband throughout the country, will provide grants to competitive local exchange carriers, independent telephone companies, power utilities and other organizations.

XCel-4e Service & Cost Benefits: The XCel-4e system transparently extends existing central office or remote DSLAM-based ADSL2+. Each XCel-4e system accepts four ADSL2+ subscriber lines from the DSLAM. These four lines are then carried on a single copper pair at a standard rate of 8 Mbps. Using line-powered repeaters, providers can reach four customers per system at a distance of more than 100 kft from the DSLAM*. As opposed to passive repeaters which simply amplify the signal, the XCel-4e fully terminates and regenerates the signal, allowing it to be repeated multiple times. For loops longer than roughly 75 kft, CTDI offers an express powered repeater to deliver ubiquitous broadband access targeted at 8 Mbps per user for all subscribers, regardless of location.

The XCel-4e is a cost effective addition to any rural broadband DSL extension system, requiring no fiber, less equipment, including less cable and fewer structures for CPE equipment, and less installation manpower.

“The recent field tests demonstrate that the XCel-4e is an exceptionally robust broadband DSL extension product,” said Brian Parsons, Director of CTDI’s Products Division. “Carriers that are considering submitting grant applications and proposals for the stimulus package’s Broadband Initiative may find the XCel-4e to be a perfect fit for their broadband expansion plans. CTDI has already invested its time and resources into understanding the Broadband Initiative, and our goal is to partner with our customers any way we can to expedite the grant-writing and application process.”

For more information about the XCel-4e, results of the field tests or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Broadband Initiative, visit www.ctdi.com or call (610) 793-8587.

* Rates and distance depend on the wire gauge.

About CTDI: A premier Telecommunications service company headquartered in West Chester, PA., CTDI has provided groundbreaking maintenance and product service solutions to the global telecommunications industry since 1975. Today, CTDI offers the most comprehensive Service Portfolio in the industry that includes: Wireline Repair & Logistics, Wireless Repair & Logistics, Engineering and Installation services, Global Supply Chain solutions and Product Engineering & Manufacturing. Today, CTDI services Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and Carriers from 39 international strategic repair and logistics locations supported by an experienced team of over 3,500 telecommunications professionals. CTDI feels we are the best in the industry at what we do and has a company-wide commitment to achieving service excellence. CTDI has also developed a world-class suite of telecom products through focused engineering and strategic acquisitions, including the SwitchMAX, Phoenix Wireless, Verilink, GoDigital, AccessNode, and eLuminant product families. For more information, visit www.ctdi.com.