Completion Of LTE Underpins High-Speed Mobile Future
11 February 2008
LTE operators will be able to join GSMA following board resolution
11th February 2008, Barcelona, Spain: The completion of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards by 3GPP is a major milestone on the road to the deployment of high capacity mobile networks capable of delivering very high speed and low latency services, according to the GSM Association, the global trade association for mobile industry. Recognising LTE as the next evolution of the GSM family, the GSMA’s board yesterday passed a resolution that will enable LTE operators to join the Association regardless of whether they have GSM or 3GSM networks.
3GPP’s LTE project has led to the development of technology to enable a significant step-change in the bandwidth achievable over mobile networks, while also boosting cell capacity and reducing latency. By drawing on the existing definitions of GPRS, 3GSM and HSPA networks, 3GPP has ensured backwards compatibility with these existing widely-used technologies, building on the all-pervasive international roaming already available with GSM technology today.
“The 3GPP standards provide the technical baseline for the GSM family of technologies and the GSMA is delighted to welcome LTE into the fold as the next step in the evolution of GSM,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer of the GSMA.
Since its inception, the 3GPP LTE Project, and the related work to evolve the core to an all-Internet Protocol (IP) network, known as the System Architecture Evolution (SAE) project, have received widespread backing from operators and vendors alike. However, most significant has been the support of operators that had traditionally chosen to deploy networks defined in fora other than 3GPP.
“The completion of the LTE specifications will not only ensure the future roadmap for our existing operator members deploying Mobile Broadband in the form of HSPA today, it will also enable new members, including those that have already publicly declared their intent to deploy LTE, to join with our existing 700 plus members to create even greater economies of scale,” added Sinclair.
The growing demand for Mobile Broadband services, both in developed countries and to bridge the digital divide in developing countries, requires an adequate supply of spectrum, the “oxygen” of the mobile industry. At the World Radiocommunications Conference in Geneva, the world’s governments agreed to identify a chunk of spectrum for the deployment of advanced mobile broadband services. “This represents the removal of another potential barrier to deployment of LTE and ensures the continued evolution of mobile networks for the future,” Sinclair concluded.
Notes to Editors:
About the GSMA:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the global trade association representing more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 218 countries and territories of the world. In addition, more than 200 manufacturers and suppliers support the Association's initiatives as key partners.
The primary goals of the GSMA are to ensure mobile phones and wireless services work globally and are easily accessible, enhancing their value to individual customers and national economies, while creating new business opportunities for operators and their suppliers. The Association's members serve more than 2.5 billion customers - 85% of the world's mobile phone users.
For more information please contact:
Mark Smith or David Pringle
GSM Association
Email: press@gsm.org
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