Telstra trials LTE in 1800MHz band

The LTE news keeps rolling in, with Australian carrier Telstra on Monday announcing that it has successfully tested the 4G technology in its 1800MHz spectrum.

Michael Rocca, Telstra’s chief operations officer said the company tapped Chinese vendor Huawei to deliver the equipment for the test, giving the operator insight into how to best use its spectrum assets for future services. The companies will continue to evaluate the technology in Victoria, using MIMO antenna configurations as well as several advanced features including Inter Cell Interference Coordination to reduce radio network interference and improve throughput, and Self Organising Networks.

Telstra set up LTE trials with Huawei and Nokia Siemens Networks in March.

Rocca said that he expects the 1800MHz spectrum to complement the 2600MHz spectrum and the 700MHz band anticipated to be made available through the digital dividend.

In related news, chip manufacturer ST-Ericsson on Monday showcased its complete end-to-end TD-LTE solution, catering to the TDD flavour of the 4G technology.

At an event hosted by China Mobile in Shanghai, Ericsson and ST-Ericsson demonstrated their complete TD-LTE platform for the first time, using a USB dongle embedded with ST-Ericsson’s TD-LTE chipset to deliver video-on-demand (VOD) and video streaming with a live camera.

Meanwhile, the VoLGA Forum has released an updated set of specifications for delivering mobile voice and SMS services over LTE. This latest release adding key new features including: the use of VoLGA over HSPA; support for SIM-less emergency calling; optimised voice-bearer routing; and host APIs for LTE handsets.

At the recent LTE World Summit in Amsterdam there was some debate of the viability of running voice over LTE.