Rating: All thanks to Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio offering
4G-ready mobile devices from across the globe might not inter-work but the mobile networks can sort out the incompatibilities. This is the message behind a recent test call made by Alcatel-Lucent which involved two locations in China and one in the USA. The call was made possible because Alcatel-Lucent has deployed its complete end-to-end 4G/ LTE solution for China Mobile to use for its fourth-generation TD-LTE trial network in Shanghai. Like all good technology demos this one actually involved a vehicle driving around the streets of Shanghai – just to prove this wasn’t just another labs experiment.The Chinese were obviously very impressed. Li Zhengmao, a vp with China Mobile, commented, “We are very pleased to see that using Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio system, the demo call was successfully linking to the TD-LTE network. Congratulations!”
The three points involved were the Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey [USA]; the Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell demonstration centre in Shanghai [China], and an ‘LTE Connected Car’ demonstrator vehicle roaming the streets of Shanghai.
“This call brings the global commercial reality of lightRadio even closer, “argued Wim Sweldens, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s wireless division.
It also demonstrated the company’s ability to provide increased performance and savings within an operator’s network through the implementation of its lightRadio technology.
The most intriguing aspect to the whole international TD-LTE link was the facilities that such a connexion can provide to some-one in the LTE Connected car.
It equips a vehicle with an high-speed, high-bandwidth mobile broadband connexion – thereby providing driver and passengers with access to on-demand services and applications.
These can consist of traffic and weather information; access to streamed video content; and to enhanced navigational features.
Such features could include in-car maintenance and safety applications like accident and emergency assistance and stolen vehicle recovery systems.
Of particular interest is the fact that the Connected car forms part of Alcatel-Lucent’ ng Connect Program.
This is a global initiative that brings together device, application, network and content companies to accelerate the availability of next generation services and applications.
One of the aims of the ng Connect program is to reduce the time to market for 4G LTE-enabled services.
What LTE lightradio can provide to operators is the flexibility to adapt to data demands on bandwidth services such as VOIP whilst delivering high speed services to customers in China on an LTE network.
