LTE in unlicensed spectrum
T-Mobile US has said that it hopes to deploy LTE in unlicensed spectrum and now the operator is sharing some specifics. Today T-Mobile and Nokia said that they are developing a pre-standards LTE-U (LTE unlicensed) small cell solution.
LTE in unlicensed spectrum is of particular interest to T-Mobile US, since it does not have as much licensed spectrum as its larger rivals have. LTE-U is also known as LAA, or licensed assisted access. The deployment of LTE in unlicensed spectrum is meant to complement licensed spectrum deployments. Operators are targeting the 5 GHz band, the same band used for 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Nokia said that at Mobile World Congress it will showcase LTE-U operating on the same spectrum band as Wi-Fi. The company is adding LTE-U capability to its Flexi Zone small cell technology, already deployed in T-Mobile’s LTE network. Nokia said that the MWC demonstration will showcase a small cell box that combines LTE in licensed and unlicensed spectrum through carrier aggregation.
Nokia’s integration of LTE-U with its small cell technology follows a similar move from Ericsson. During the Consumer Electronics Show Ericsson unveiled its LTE-U (LAA) small cell.
CommScope earnings
CommScope (COMM) says sales were down slightly in the most recent quarter, due to a slowdown in sales to North American wireless carriers. The maker of cables and wireless networking gear said that its wireless segment sales were off 9% versus last year, but part of that decline was due to currency fluctuations. And the company’s other business segments posted healthy increases: enterprise segment sales were up 4% year-on-year and broadband segment sales were the big standout — up 20% year-on-year. The company says it is seeing increased investment from North American cable operators investing in fiber. (CommScope is doubling down on broadband — the company is in the process of buying TE Connectivity’s telecom and wireless unit for $3 billion.)
Overall, CommScope’s fourth quarter sales came in at $828 million, down 2% from the year-ago quarter. Net income was $48 million, versus a loss in the year-ago quarter. For all of 2014, sales were up 10% to $3.8 billion and GAAP operating income was up 75% to $577 million.
