Altair, ZTE work on LTE interoperability testing
Altair Semiconductor and ZTE have performed extensive system level interoperability development testing on Altair's FourGee LTE USB ExpressCard UE and ZTE's LTE eNodeB. The successful testing validates the performance and maturity of these products, and will soon follow with a field trial to be conducted in an actual carrier network.
Motorola bags 2nd Wimax contract with FITEL
Motorola said First International Telecom has awarded Motorola's Networks business a contract to deploy a Wimax network in northern Taiwan. FITEL plans to launch commercial high-speed mobile data services based on the 4G technology this year after the Wimax network is certified by Taipei's National Communications Commission in March.
Softbank taps Ericsson on 3G network upgrade
Softbank Mobile is engaging Ericsson for an upgrade of its mobile broadband network to meet “rapidly growing” demand for data traffic in Japan, according to executive VP Junichi Miyakawa. The upgrade starts in the first quarter of 2010 and is planned to be completed within the year.
Lufthansa relaunches in-flight internet service
Lufthansa will relaunch in the middle of this year FlyNet, its on-board broadband internet service, through a partnership with Panasonic. Long-haul passenges will not only have WLAN internet access but will also be able to send SMS messages by mobile phone and transfer data via smartphones.
Ericsson shows 1 Gbps download speed at LTE/4G demo
Ericsson set a world record through a demo of LTE/4G with a downlink speed of 1 Gbps at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Executive VP Johan Wibergh said Ericsson envisions 50 billion connected devices by 2020.
CSL hits download speed of 105 Mbps at LTE trial
Hong Kong cellco CSL announced that its LTE trial has yielded download speeds of 105 Mbps in its Technology Centre lab, and around 75 Mbps on the streets of Kowloon Bay. In Barcelona, CSL chief Tarek Robbiati declared the results more meaningful than other LTE trials because it was done on a live network, rather than a “throwaway” test network.
M1 completes 100 Mbps data call on trial LTE network
MobileOne (M1) completed a 100 Mbps data call on its Long Term Evolution trial network using commercial LTE hardware and software from Nokia Siemens Networks. M1 will be showcasing high-definition TV streaming as well as high-speed file download over an LTE network at its flagship store in Singapore until the end of March.
Qualcomm, Audi roll out connected cars
Car maker Audi’s Mobile Media Interface (MMI) Plus in-car navigation system, featuring integrated UMTS connectivity from Qualcomm, will be available on select Audi A8 vehicles this year. The MMI’s embedded 3G connectivity also allows the car to perform as a mobile hotspot, allowing passengers to connect their Wi-Fi devices to the internet from the vehicle.