A conversation with Ziemowit Neyman, RAN Assistant Director, and Seppo Hämäläinen, RAN and SON Tools Assistant Director, Ooredoo
Download a transcript of the complete interview and the complete report.
LTE unlicensed is expected to use the 5 GHz spectrum more efficiently than Wi-Fi, but does the increase in efficiency justify the additional cost and complexity that LTE-U deployments will require? We talked about these issues with Ziemowit Neyman, RAN assistant director, and Seppo Hämäläinen, RAN and SON Tools assistant director at Ooredoo, in Qatar. Like most operators, Ooredoo is closely watching what is happening in the LTE-U space, and exploring alternatives such as Wi-Fi, LWA and TDD bands like the 3.5 GHz.
“Any Wi-Fi access point operating in the same spectrum band as LTE-U is actually in the price range of hundreds of dollars, while any LTE-U small cells, working in the same spectrum, are expected to be in the price range of thousands of dollars. There is a huge price-point difference, and the question is whether operators will be willing to spend more resources for the LTE-U capabilities, instead of using Wi-Fi access points,” Neyman said.
“LTE unlicensed could be used wherever there is still spectrum available, or where the spectrum is not fully congested. LTE-U and Wi-Fi should not be seen as competing, but rather as complementary technologies,” Hämäläinen added.
Read the full interview or watch the video to get the mobile operators’ perspective on LTE-U and how it relates to Wi-Fi.
This conversation is included in the Senza Fili report “LTE Unlicensed and Wi-Fi: Moving Beyond Coexistence.” If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the report, please click here to download.
