February 17, 2010

Alcatel-Lucent, Telecom Italia Team for LTE Tests

Alcatel-Lucent has signed a cooperation agreement with Telecom Italia (TI) to engage in a new technology development program, including a trial of Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless broadband technology.

The joint program aims to assess the evolution of mobile radio access network, in order to prepare TI to offer its customers a wider range of next-generation services.

Leveraging the respective strengths of TI Lab and Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent's research arm, a unique end-to-end LTE trial has been initiated.

The field trial will focus on the usage of small cell solutions (such as pico cells) to address "hot spot" and indoor coverage applications, and their related throughput and latency performance.

In parallel, TI Lab and Bell Labs will investigate even more specific and advanced LTE-related topics, through simulations and analysis. Architectural analyses will be conducted, and unique proof of concepts will be realized - all aimed at giving Telecom Italia unique insights into LTE's efficiency and evolutionary capabilities.