Gigabit LTE with Licensed Assisted Access Demonstrated Publicly for the First Time in the U.S. on the Samsung Galaxy Note8 —
SAN FRANCISCO — September 8, 2017 — At Mobile World Congress Americas, AT&T, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), and Ericsson plan to showcase the power of the latest LTE technologies, which are expected to offer improved data download speeds for wireless customers with compatible smartphones. For the first time publicly in the U.S., AT&T, Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies plan to demonstrate Gigabit LTE with License Assisted Access (LAA) technology enabled by the Ericsson Radio System’s small cell portfolio by using the Samsung Galaxy Note8, powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile Platform with X16 LTE.
This planned demonstration will provide a glimpse at the future of entertainment and connectivity, enabled by network upgrades like 4×4 MIMO, carrier aggregation, 256 QAM, and LAA. These technologies are expected to enable increase network capacity, improve download speeds and allow for near immediate access to the cloud, so users can access files lighting fast, and enjoy less buffering when watching streaming videos while on the go.
Gigabit LTE with LAA, an LTE Advanced Pro technology, combines unlicensed spectrum with licensed spectrum through carrier aggregation to increase network capacity, and will play a key role in AT&T’s evolution to 5G.
The planned demonstration at Mobile World Congress Americas will showcase the streaming of extremely high-quality 3D VR video, provided by NextVR, over Gigabit LTE with LAA, communicating with Ericsson’s micro Radio 2205 on the network end. The demonstration will also feature a file download speed comparison between the Samsung Galaxy Note8, supporting full Gigabit LTE with LAA capability, versus another device equipped with Category 12 LTE and no support for LAA.
“After conducting successful live LAA field trials earlier this year, we’re excited to show the customer experience with LAA,” said Gordon Mansfield, vice president – RAN and Device Design, AT&T. “This enhanced connectivity allows us to increase download speeds, expand network capacity, and improve spectral efficiency in our network. People are consuming data at a rapidly increasing rate, and LAA will allow our consumers to do things like stream their favorite content on the go and experience virtual reality at faster speeds.”
“Qualcomm Technologies pioneered LTE in unlicensed spectrum, and played a key role in driving LAA technology through 3GPP standardization, commercialization, FCC approvals, and is now supporting launches of leading global operators. The Snapdragon X16 LTE Modem, integrated into the Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform has been at the forefront of driving Gigabit LTE with LAA in the industry. We expect numerous Gigabit LTE premium flagship smartphones to be available before the end of this year,” said Mike Finley, senior vice president and president, Qualcomm North America, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This demonstration with AT&T is another proof point that Gigabit LTE is gaining momentum, and our work with AT&T and Ericsson helps ensure that millions of customers will have access to the most advanced LTE technologies. AT&T’s evolution to 5G is an important milestone that is expected to allow for better average download speeds and will be instrumental in driving new consumer experiences.”
“As an early pioneer in the development and introduction of LAA technology, Ericsson is evolving this technology as seen through this collaborative demonstration with AT&T and Qualcomm Technologies of Gigabit LTE with LAA,” said Joakim Sorelius, head of product area network systems, Ericsson. “We are excited to see AT&T utilize LAA within its network evolution, which includes our small cell solution, to bring faster data speeds and higher network performance to their subscribers in several cities.”
