The Operator Mindshare was a big hit at previous LTE World Series conferences and will be once again featuring at LTE North America, taking place on the 21st-22nd November 2013, in Dallas, Texas, USA. Click here NOW to download a brochure for the event.
Michael Britt, Project Manager, Contractor, Public Safety Interoperable Communications Office, ADOA
Michael Britt, Project Manager, Contractor, Public Safety Interoperable Communications Office, ADOA, is speaking on the subject of State Perspectives on Rural Partnership Models on Day Two of the The LTE North America conference is taking place on the 21st-22nd November 2013, in Dallas, Texas, USA. Ahead of the show we find out his perspective on what the benefits and challenges are of using LTE for a public safety network.
What are the key benefits you feel LTE brings to public safety networks?
It brings real-time situational awareness for all members of a unit, with live streaming video from each at their respective positions. Beyond the on-scene, mission critical incident management flash and glitter type of impact, there will be a huge improvement in managing the mundane, but essential, such as time-entry, shift management, reporting and tracking on standards, training and certificates etc.
This post is by Adrian Baschnonga, lead analyst at EY’s Global Telecommunications Center
Enterprises are driven and challenged by a growing need for globalisation, operational and CAPEX efficiencies, and convergence across multiple devices. The inherent requirement for enterprises to connect with partners, suppliers, customers and employees is leading to newer forms of ubiquitous connectivity solutions.
Mansoor Hanif, Director of RAN development & programmes, EE, UK
Mansoor Hanif, Director of RAN development & programmes, EE, UK is speaking in a panel discussion on the evolution of voice services on Day One of the inaugural LTE Voice Summit, taking place on October 1st-2nd at the Hilton Paddington, London. Ahead of the conference we find out more about the recent advances EE has made to its network and find out more about the challenges that implementing VoLTE will bring.
EE has recently moved to offer ‘double speed’. Can you explain technically exactly what you did and what the challenges were?
From launch until June of this year our 4G network was running on 2x10MHz of 1800MHz spectrum. Technically this allows a maximum speed of around 70Mbps per second. Since June we’ve doubled the spectrum used for 4G to 2x20MHz, increasing the maximum theoretical download speed to 150Mbps in 20 of the largest cities across the country. The maximum upload speed was also increased to around 45Mbps. In real-world usage, this translates to average user download speeds of 24-30Mbps, and upload speeds often in excess of 20Mbps.
Jason Penton, senior manager for applications and services for Smile Communications, South Africa
Jason Penton, senior manager for applications and services for Smile Communications, South Africa is taking part is panel discussion on managing network traffic on Day Two of the inaugural LTE Voice Summit, taking place on October 1st-2nd at the Hilton Paddington, London.
What are the biggest challenges to implementing VoLTE on your network and when do you foresee it being rolled out?
The biggest challenge we face right now is the lack of availability of true VoLTE devices. When we refer to a true VoLTE device, we mean a device that supports VoLTE natively, not through an over-the-top (OTT), add-on application. We have already tested VoLTE on our network using OTT IMS applications on an LTE access device but this to us does not represent a true VoLTE device. We will be ready to launch VoLTE services on our network as soon as true VoLTE devices become readily available.
Chuck Robinson, director of shared services for the City of Charlotte
Chuck Robinson, director of shared services for the City of Charlotte is speaking in the Public Safety LTE track on Day Two of the LTE North America conference, taking place on the 21st-22nd November 2013, in Dallas, Texas, USA. Ahead of the show we speak to him about the key challenges or creating a public safety network in the US with LTE.
What are the key benefits you feel LTE brings to public safety networks?
LTE brings a standards based technology that can ensure nationwide interoperability for first responders at all levels. It is also commercially available technology that enables us to control costs and will provide us with the capacity to meet the needs of daily and emergency operations.
Mehul Shah is a principal architect with T-Mobile USA in the Network Technology group
Mehul Shah is a principal architect with T-Mobile USA in the Network Technology group. He is speaking in the LTE Evolution track on Day One of the LTE Asia conference taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore.
How is your LTE roll-out going?
As of July 1st 2013 T-Mobile USA covers 157million POPs with LTE. We have publicly stated that we intend to cover 200M POPs by end of 2013.
You marketed HSPA+ as 4G. Do your customers appreciate the difference that LTE brings?
LTE is on top and in addition to our nationwide 4G HSPA+ network. Customers with LTE devices get access to both 4G technologies and T-Mobile 4G LTE devices will automatically and seamlessly transition to T-mobile’s 4G network
Sridhar T. Pai runs Tonse Telecom, a research, analysis and consulting firm based out of Bangalore, India
Sridhar T. Pai runs Tonse Telecom, a research, analysis and consulting firm based out of Bangalore, India, that covers the Indian telecom sector extensively. Pai is chairing a panel discussion on integrating Carrier Wi-Fi on Day Two of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore.
What do you consider to have been the main developments and major milestones over the last 12 months with regards to LTE?
The main developments are that LTE is now real, as indeed is LTE Advanced. In terms of signalling, Diameter is now the defining protocol for LTE , and LTE Roaming is soon going to become a big deal and operators need to wake up to the reality of this. IPX operators need to upgrade to support LTE roaming.
The Andrew Six Sector Solution converts a traditional three sector site into a higher capacity, six sector site with the use of only three antennas.
This post is by Brendan Millard, Director-Wireless, Southeast Asia, at CommScope
Wireless operator networks are facing unprecedented demands for more and more capacity every day, driven by the services available on smartphones, tablets and laptops. In order to meet these demands they are looking to newer technologies in both existing and new frequency bands such as refarming 1800MHz GSM spectrum to be used for LTE or implementing new LTE networks in 700MHz. These days, it seems there are two things a wireless operator cannot get enough of: spectrum and tower space to hang the antennas required for these new services.
This post is by Catherine Lalanne, Product Manager, The Now Factory
LTE is being deployed all over the world at breakneck speed to cover the vastly increasing demands for data from people and their machines. LTE is primarily being sold as a data technology, but many people still tend to see their smartphone as a voice device first with data capabilities added on. When these oh-so-smart smartphones fall down on the job and have a hard time fulfilling their primary function as a voice phone, it becomes a bit of a joke.
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is designed to enable voice calls over a 4G LTE network, but a strange thing has happened: hardly anywhere in the word is Voice over LTE commercially deployed. Why is that?
Bernadette Noujaim-Baldwin, Global Head of Carrier Services, Telstra Global, Singapore
Bernadette Noujaim-Baldwin, Global Head of Carrier Services, Telstra Global, Singapore is speaking on Day Two of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore.
What have been the biggest milestones for Telstra Global’s IPX network over the past year?
The rapid expansion of our customer base, and the clarification of our IPX roadmap and journey for the future. By talking with existing and potential customers, Telstra Global has developed a clear understanding of the concerns of our LTE customers, and also their vision of where LTE will take them in their home market, allowing us to support those advancements to their remote partners. We have had many exciting and innovative conversations with service and content providers, enabling us to have a strong roadmap for the future. The adoption of LTE and in turn IPX means having a view of the future and not just today.
As the furore settles down over yesterday’s Apple iPhone 5s/iPhone 5c update we can take a quick look at the news and specifically what it means from an LTE perspective.
Two new phones were launched and while are clearly very solid offerings, no wheels were reinvented, and as such, it was a little underwhelming, at least from an iPhone 5 owner’s perspective.
The iPhone 5C is essentially an iPhone 5 in a plastic shell, available in more colours and the 5S is essentially a faster version of the iPhone 5, thanks to a new 64-bit chip capable of taking advantage of the 64-bit iOS7.
The ‘budget’ iPhone angle that analysts were predicting also failed to come true. The 5c is still a £469 phone SIM free – which hardly makes it likely to appeal to developing markets.
The good news though is that both phones though are capable of taking advantage of more LTE bands that any other smartphone in the world right now. There are five models of each to choose from depending on region.
This is essentially as Apple has to make a choice as to which LTE frequencies to support, as with 40 LTE bands currently employed round the world supporting them all at once would mean a battery life of around five minutes.
This post is by Brendan Millard is Director-Wireless, Southeast Asia, at CommScope
The dramatic shift to remote radio heads (RRH) with third and fourth generation cellular mobile technologies has created a real disconnect from the past when it comes to connectivity on cellular sites.
First and second generation cellular mobile technologies were mostly installed using traditional site architecture with the radio housed within a shelter or cabinet at the base of a tower and connected to the antenna at the top of the tower using coaxial cable. This was a well established and understood practice, the interfaces were standardised, the cable sizes were well defined in relation to the tower height and installation practices had evolved over many years to become common practice.
By Paul S. Cawte
Despite the introduction of LTE with its heavy focus on improved mobile broadband speeds, mobile operators still rely on voice and SMS services for a large part of their revenues (roughly 70% globally). In previous generations of mobile technology these services were explicitly supported as part of the mobile network stack, with voice bearers supported in the radio access network and SMS making use of the voice signalling mechanisms. Indeed in 2G mobile standards data was originally only supported by sending data over a nailed up voice channel (high-speed circuit switched data or HSCSD) with the native data transport mechanisms of the general packet radio service (GPRS) introduced later as part of the so called 2.5G standards and in enhanced form as EDGE with 2.75G.
With the advent of 3G mobile standards (such as UMTS) voice and data were catered for on an…
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Mock Pak Lum, CTO, StarHub, Singapore
Mock Pak Lum, CTO, StarHub, Singapore is delivering the opening keynote on Day One of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore.
How has your LTE network developed over the past year?
We have gone from no coverage to almost nation-wide coverage in Singapore in the past year.
What is your timeline for implementing LTE Advanced technologies?
We are looking at carrier-aggregation sometime in 2014.
Where do innovative technologies such as Hetnets fit into your plan?
We will be looking at small cells and also Wi-Fi to supplement our macro cells.
When are you looking at introducing VoLTE and what will the benefits be?
The introduction of VoLTE will depend on the availability of handsets which can receive VoLTE, this is likely to happen in 2014. It will provide high quality voice, almost instantaneous set up time and easier integration to apps.
What are you hoping to get out of attending and speaking at the LTE Asia conference?
To meet and learn from other mobile operators.
The LTE Asia conference is taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Click here to download a brochure for the event.
This post is by Avijit Ghosh, assistant vice president of technology, Aricent
The ‘Self-organizing Networks’ (SON) concept is a ‘hot’ topic for today’s wireless networks, especially with the expected proliferation of small cells and heterogeneous networks.
The idea is that the network should, while minimising cost and staying within constraints that may be applicable, automatically and continually adjust itself to maximise its own key performance indicators: generally coverage, capacity & quality of experience.
It is also expected that such a system should generate information, analysis and visualisation to assist effective forward planning of the service provider’s business.
This post is by Dave Labuda, founder, CEO and CTO, MATRIXX Software
We’ve speculated many times that all billing ultimately will move to real time. It makes sense when you consider factors like pre-paid/post-paid convergence; increasing demand for account and spend controls; more on-demand services that utilise real-time triggers and transaction capabilities; and expanding applications for real-time notifications. The shift from traditional billing architectures to any new architecture can be viewed as painful but there is a huge upside to be had moving towards a real-time billing environment.
Mobile data is now driving real-time requirements because of the risks associated with failing to measure, notify, and charge for data services as they are consumed faster and faster. Standards like IMS and 3GPP have also introduced more real-time concepts as policy control, enforcement, and charging become essential to delivering application-based services that respond immediately to taps on a touch screen.
Technical considerations aside, what’s really driving the development of new real-time technologies, however, are the experiences that consumers gain from sectors outside of telecom. If we look at what’s happening in the online, over-the-top, e-commerce, and pay TV environments, we see that the successful players are using communications technology to drive group-oriented social interactions that translate into more revenue and more lasting relationships.
Wing Lee, CEO of Malaysian communications provider YTL
Wing Lee, CEO of Malaysian communications provider YTL is speaking on the subject of Managed Service and Cloud Platforms on Day Two of the LTE LTE Asia conference taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Ahead of the show we speak to him about the state of YTL’s 4G networks and Lee’s view on TD-LTE technology.
What the current situation with regards LTE in terms of spectrum allocation and launch plans?
We have been a good steward of the spectrum allocated to us by the government and have used that to build the largest 4G footprint in Malaysia. With the addition of LTE to our 4G network, that will only serve to give us additional competitive advantage. We are actively working toward that and will be ready to make announcements when the time is right. Granted, having more spectrum allocation will only enable us to do more for the benefit of our customers.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the TD-LTE eco-system?
We like TD spectrum as it is more flexible and efficient compared to FD spectrum and we are particularly pleased that our spectrum holding positions us very well for that. We think TD-LTE is tracking to be an important global standard. With China and India both preparing toward TD-LTE launches, we believe the ecosystem for TD-LTE will soon cross the tipping point.
Hadi Hariyanto, senior researcher for Telkom, Indonesia
Hadi Hariyanto, senior researcher for Telkom, Indonesia is taking part in a panel discussion on integrating carrier Wi-Fi into telco networks on Day Two of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Ahead of the show we find out more about the complex spectrum issues that are holding back the deployment of LTE in Indonesia.
A year ago you had completed LTE trials in Indonesia. How has your LTE network progressed since then?
We are monitoring the progress of the LTE ecosystem including device maturity, VoLTE, and new business opportunities. Since it is most likely that we will be using re-farmed spectrum, we have conducted an intensive study of heterogeneous networks. This technology will enable us to anticipate the possible challenges and opportunities of delivering seamless mobility between 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi networks. We also actively contribute to a European ICT Project, related to LTE small cells and mobile cloud computing, which is called Tropic. We believe mobile cloud computing will be a great source of new revenues on top of the LTE network.
Thatha Rao, CTO, PT. Bakrie Telecom, Indonesia
Thatha Rao, CTO, PT. Bakrie Telecom, Indonesia is speaking in the Network Optimisation track on Day One of the LTE Asia conference is taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Ahead of the show we speak to him about his the various challenges of deploying LTE in a developing country.
What have been the main developments and major milestones for you over the last 12 months with regards to LTE?
Currently we are preparing various 4G deployment options as the Indonesian government has not yet decided on the exact spectrum and license mechanism for LTE deployment. It is expected to announce this during 2014.
How much of a challenge do you feel monetising LTE will be?
It’s definitely going to be a big challenge, especially in Indonesia. This is a key developing country in the region but on the positive side it has lots of growth prospects over the next few years. The traditional model of deploying LTE for high spending customers and later extending the service to other segments may not work this time, simply because the revenues generated by this niche segment can’t justify what we need to spend for CAPEX and OPEX. However, if we choose the mass subscriber approach, price becomes the predominant factor compared to service quality and high speed.
The LTE Asia conference is taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Click here to download a brochure for the event.
Tell me about the fresh challenges that LTE brings with regard to backhaul?
I believe small cells will play an important and key role in the LTE access network in order to create better coverage and speeds. To reach these small cells with optical fibre though is definitely not an economical option and would also be very tedious, so we need a strategy that uses point-to multi-point radio backhaul technologies using short wave, which offers high bandwidth within short distances.
Where is LTE Advanced on your roadmap? Will you implementing it all at once or gradually introducing key features?
We preferred to take a gradual approach, based on demand and customer needs.
Why is attending the LTE Asia conference such an important date in your diary?
Frankly, I don’t want do make many mistakes in my LTE deployment, so learning from the struggles and success stories of other LTE operators is the prime reason for me to attend this conference.
Yi-Bing Lin, member, board of directors, Chungwha Telecom & SVP, NCTU, Taiwan
Yi-Bing Lin, member, board of directors, Chungwha Telecom & SVP, NCTU, Taiwan, is speaking on the subject of Taiwan’s mobile broadband on Day One of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Ahead of the show we speak to him about the challenges of deploying LTE in Taiwan.
What have been the main developments and major milestones for you over the last 12 months with regards to LTE?
As the leading telecommunications operator in Taiwan, we are well prepared to develop LTE commercial services once the license is awarded. Over the last 12 months, we have aggressively conducted LTE network and service planning. The Taiwan regulator announced that it will issue new mobile broadband licenses services by end of 2013 with the auction process starting on 3 September 2013. We are confident of getting new licenses to deploy LTE commercial services.
How much of a challenge do you feel monetising LTE will be?
Pricing and base station installations are the key challenges for LTE development in Taiwan. Users in Taiwan used to pay a flat-rate tariff for accessing Internet services via 3G. They enjoy mobile broadband to access Internet applications on a daily basis, but on the other hand, protest at base station installation frequently. Resolving these two issues will be one of the key challenges for monetising LTE.
This post is by Ashok Kumar, assistant vice president of technology for LTE Advanced carrier aggregation technology at Aricent.
LTE Advanced as a technology offers many new critical features. These include 8X8 MIMO in the downlink direction and 4×4 MIMO in the uplink direction, co-ordinate multi-point operation (COMP), multi-cluster transmission support in the uplink direction, carrier aggregation (CA), support of relay node, enhanced PDCCH channel, and enhanced ICIC.
In practice, some features of any new upcoming technology always get deployed much ahead of the other features, and in my opinion, carrier aggregation is going to be one such feature of LTE Advanced. The rationale behind this is that the demand for data is increasing fast and the realisation of this feature is cost effective. This is because only software upgrade is required on the network side and new user equipment devices supporting this feature.
Now, some of you may be wondering what exactly carrier aggregation is but simply put, CA is a mechanism to increase channel bandwidth, or in other words, achieve higher data rates than standard LTE, as shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1
LTE as a technology supports up to 20MHz channel bandwidth, but with CA, the same can be enhanced to 100MHz as five such channels (called component carriers), up to 20 MHz each, can be combined.
To achieve this, CA introduces the concepts of Primary cell (PCell) and Secondary cells (SCell). The CA-capable UE selects a PCell, just like a non-CA capable UE, making this feature fully backward compatible. The SCells are allocated to the CA-capable UE by the RRC layer, after due evaluation that these cells can also serve that particular UE. The activation/deactivation of these SCells is controlled by the MAC layer. The SCells may operate on the same frequency band as the PCell, or on a different Band. There are no changes made to the RLC and PDCP layers, except for the support of larger buffer sizes.
There are three new user equipment (UE) categories (6-8), defined in LTE Advanced, which indicate the support of CA by the UE, while previous UE categories, from 2-5, may also support CA. In LTE Release 10 specifications, the UE only has support for two serving cells (1 PCell + 1 SCell ) operating in the same band . Later LTE Releases add the support for more serving cells.
Aricent will be at available to meet at Booth 1 of the LTE Asia conference, taking place on the 18th-19th September 2013 at the Suntec, Singapore. Click here to download a brochure for the event.
The LTE World Series Blog 
Written by Benny Har-Even
on 30 Sep 2013
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