Nokia Siemens, LG Complete LTE Interop Testing

In another stride towards the real-world commercialization of the 4G mobile broadband standard known as LTE, infrastructure vendor Nokia Siemens Networks and Korean device-maker LG Electronics have completed the first end-to-end LTE interoperability tests in the 2100 MHz frequency band, the spectrum where first commercial deployments are expected in Japan.

The first of a series of end-to-end tests were completed with successful data calls, and demonstrated the interoperability of Nokia Siemens Networks LTE radio equipment and Evolved Packet Core network elements with an LTE USB data card from LG.

“The availability of commercial LTE terminals and their proven interoperability with network infrastructure are prerequisites for any operator launching commercial LTE services,” said Go-hee Choi, vice president of LG Electronics Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab. “LG is taking the next giant step towards technology leadership in LTE technology through the partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks, and will continue to collaborate to drive early LTE deployments worldwide.”

As a next step, field trials with LG’s LTE terminal will begin in NSN’s test network in Espoo and Ulm, followed by tests in operator networks. The trials will also be extended to cover other frequency bands such as 2600 MHz and AWS/700 in the next few months.

“We are committed to bring commercial LTE to operator networks and a new, faster-than-ever broadband experience for end-users,” said Marc Rouanne, head of radio access at NSN. “Successfully conducted interoperability tests takes us another step closer to realizing LTE commercialization.”

The tests covered several steps in end-to-end network configuration based on commercial LTE hardware, including the Flexi Multiradio Base Station, the Flexi NS and Flexi NG evolved packet core products, and standards-compliant software, together with LG’s LTE USB Datacard. They were conducted at the NSN LTE center of competence in Oulu, Finland, with support from the R&D team in Ulm, Germany.