FCC Allows Qualcomm To Conduct LTE-U Tests Working With Verizon
The FCC is allowing tests of LTE-unlicensed, to be conducted by Qualcomm, on a “very small scale” at two Verizon sites, Julius Knapp, chief of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, said Friday in a blog post. OET approved…
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special temporary authority (STA) for the tests in Oklahoma City and Raleigh, North Carolina, Knapp said. “Various parties have expressed concern that LTE-U may not share spectrum fairly with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in unlicensed spectrum,” he wrote. “The Office of Engineering & Technology and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau have encouraged the industry to address and resolve these concerns and considerable progress has been made.” Grants of STA and experimental licenses “don't have any significance relative to whether the Commission may ultimately authorize a device or service,” Knapp wrote. “Significant steps remain” before LTE-U could see widespread commercial deployment, he said. “We believe that this development is an encouraging step in continuing that success.” The news got a bipartisan thumbs up from the leaders of the House Commerce Committee and Telecom Subcommittee. “This is what we have been working toward all along, and it’s the right call for consumers and innovation,” the leaders said in a news release. “An environment that fosters the development of next generation technologies is what makes America the greatest place in the world to do business, create jobs, and develop state-of-the-art communications tools for consumers.” CTIA Chief Technology Officer Tom Sawanobori said, “Fostering innovation in unlicensed bands is key to meeting consumer demand and maintaining our position as global leader in mobile broadband.”