Deutsche Telekom and Qualcomm have released details of the latest over-the-air trial of licensed assisted access (LAA) technology.
The trial was completed in November at Qualcomm Technologies’ campus in Nuremberg, Germany, after three weeks of measurement. Deutsche Telekom provided the licensed spectrum to go with the 5GHz unlicensed band.
Researchers demonstrated the extended coverage and capacity of an LAA network compared to traditional LTE. Both companies said the trial also featured seamless handovers between e-nodeB.
LAA is among the features being developed by 3GPP Release 13, which should be ready by the end of June. The specification will include “Listen Before Talk” protocols, which should ensure fair spectrum usage with Wi-Fi operators also using the 5GHz band.
Bruno Jacobfeuerborn, Chief Technology Officer, Deutsche Telekom, said: “LAA is one of the key technologies that will help satisfy the increasing demand for data and better mobile connectivity. The trial will help the wireless ecosystem and key stakeholders verify and experience the benefits of LAA first hand.”
Matt Grob, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Qualcomm Technologies, added: “This trial is an important milestone demonstrating how global LAA technology will soon provide enhanced consumer benefits to users in Europe. We are pleased to collaborate with Deutsche Telekom on testing and demonstrating technologies that will enhance mobile broadband.”
Last November, Vodafone Netherlands and Ericsson trialled LAA technology across the former’s commercial network. Trials of the technology have seen speeds of 450MBps.