3GPP Firms Up Specs for LTE, Draws Praise from Wireless Leaders

 

Officials represented by the Third Generation Partnership Project, or “3GPP,” say they’ve approved a functional freeze of long-term evolution, or “LTE,” as part of Release 8, marking a major step forward in bringing the next-generation wireless broadband technology to market.

 

“There is significant commitment from operators to deploy this technology, and this landmark achievement will allow them to realize their early deployment plans,” 3GPP officials say. “LTE is aimed at providing the true global mobile broadband experience for users but also places high priority on improving spectral efficiency and reducing cost.”

 

3GPP – a collaboration of European telecom groups – say there’s a “significant commitment” from operators to deploy the technology, and that “this landmark achievement will allow them to realize their early deployment plans.”

 

“LTE is aimed at providing the true global mobile broadband experience for users but also places high priority on improving spectral efficiency and reducing cost,” officials say.

 

Officials at 3GPP also say that as equipment development continues to accelerate, they’ll now focus on fine-tuning the standard to ensure optimal performance.

 

“These work items can be found in the current work plan,” officials say. “The status of features being developed under the current work plan can be found in the summary presentation to the most recent TSG SA meeting (pictured right).”

 

A description document is available here.

 

The project’s announcement was met with enthusiasm by some wireless industry leaders. With an initial set of LTE specs in hand, vendors have a pretty good idea of what the standard will look like.

 

It isn’t clear how much the announcement affects handset manufacturers, for whom the standard may not yet be complete enough to start building to it.

 

Nevertheless, according to Fred Wright, senior vice president of home and networks mobility at Motorola, the new development in the LTE standards mark a major milestone for the industry that will help fuel momentum for the adoption of LTE.

 

“Motorola has been a very active and leading contributor in the standards process,” Wright said. “Our involvement in developing the LTE standard and our progress with field trials are two strong indicators of our expertise and commitment to bringing LTE to market.”

 

According to one online publication that covers the industry, the news means that a so-called “4G” mobile broadband standard is on track.

 

Michelle Donegan, European editor of Unstrung writes here that one industry insider – Adrian Scrase, president of international partnership projects at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, a 3GPP member – told her that “LTE is on target.”

 

For LTE, the “majority of the work has been done,” Scrase reportedly told Unstrung. “Then, in March, LTE is home and dry.”