Nokia Siemens Networks and Nokia have jointly conducted the world’s first end-to-end LTE data call with Nokia Siemens Networks’ commercial equipment on the 800 MHz frequency band. Popularly known as the Digital Dividend, this spectrum is becoming available as terrestrial TV moves from analogue to digital broadcasting.
The successful interoperability tests mark a decisive step forward in the commercialization of LTE on this band, particularly hastening deployment in rural areas. This fact, coupled with its inherently attractive propagation capabilities, makes the Digital Dividend spectrum ideal for providing rapid and cost efficient mobile broadband services - and hence, perfectly suited to the needs of emerging markets.
NSN commenced production of LTE-ready Flexi Multiradio Base Stations for the 800 MHz band in April this year. With the frequency band being freed up by regulators and assigned for LTE usage, the timing of the tests – conducted at NSN’s LTE Centre of Competence in Espoo, Finland – is opportune.
“These tests are part of a larger campaign which includes various customer trials and demonstrations to make LTE on 800 MHz commercially viable by this summer,” said Reino Tammela, head of LTE business line, Nokia Siemens Networks. “Right after the first Digital Dividend spectrum was assigned to operators in the spectrum auction in Germany in May, it was important that standard compliant LTE network products and LTE user devices for this band become commercially available. This will enable successful rapid LTE network rollouts allowing end users to experience high speed and high quality mobile broadband services in rural areas with a large variety of terminals.”
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