SAN BRUNO, Ca.-Sprint Nextel Corp. is set to be the first operator to test the next evolution of IPWireless Inc.’s mobile broadband technology, the companies announced.
IPWireless announced that beginning in March, Sprint Nextel plans to begin testing the company’s new Long Term Evolution-capable platform. IPWireless said the platform offers operators an evolution path to LTE technology, which is in the process of being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project for the evolution of WCDMA and TD-CDMA standards.
The technology trial is scheduled to be part of the ongoing UMTS TD-CDMA tests Sprint Nextel is conducting in the Washington D.C. area. The carrier is testing a range of subscriber services, including broadband mobile access for laptop computers, PDAs and other handheld devices, as well as interactive mobile multimedia services such as gaming, video streaming and video conferencing.
According to IPWireless, the company’s platform is supposed to offer operators a progression to the LTE standard that is likely to apply to GSM operations in the 2.5 GHz spectrum in Europe and Asia.
“Having a common platform with Europe and Asia in the 2.5 GHz band would bring a number of benefits. The potential of IPWireless’ solution to deliver a viable path to the Long Term Evolution of UMTS is relevant to our analysis of candidate technologies,” said Barry West, chief technology officer at Sprint Nextel.
