MWC demonstrations highlight LTE & WiFi connectivity

Qualcomm will feature the first public demonstration of Category 11 LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) Carrier Aggregation (CA) connectivity. Utilising LTE Category 11 three-channel 60MHz CA and 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), and infrastructure provided by Ericsson, Qualcomm will showcase download speeds of up to 600Mb/s. Such technology is designed to offer OEMs with the latest connectivity options where the 256QAM addition provides enhanced network efficiency, especially in small cell deployments for mobile operators.

Showcasing the ability to enable Category 9 LTE-A CA download speeds of up to 450Mb/s, Qualcomm will also feature the first LTE-FDD demonstration with a commercial smartphone, utilising LG’s recently released LG G Flex 2 featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with X10 LTE and infrastructure provided by Ericsson. An LTE-FDD demonstration will be held in collaboration with Telstra, NETGEAR and Ericsson, featuring the recently announced NETGEAR AirCard LTE Category 9 mobile hotspot based on the Snapdragon X12 LTE modem and QCA6174 2-stream 802.11ac WiFi chipset.

A TD-LTE Advanced Downlink three-way CA demonstration will also take place, in co-operation with China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC) and ZTE, to showcase three times more throughput and an enhanced network performance. Additionally, Qualcomm will also support demonstrations for LTE TDD-FDD 2x CA at Ericsson and Nokia booths.

LTE TDD-FDD Carrier Aggregation enables spectrum from both LTE TDD and LTE FDD to be combined to deliver higher peak data speeds and improve application coverage across the network, as well as ensures the efficient utilisation of spectrum, increasing both the combined TDD and FDD coverage area, and capacity, of the network. 

Combining next-gen LTE-A technology with its multimode capabilities, a demonstration for Category 6 Dual SIM connectivity will also be featured, showcasing how mobile users can take advantage of speeds up to 300Mb/s in mobile devices without compromising the benefits of Dual SIM use in many countries around the world. Qualcomm’s solution includes LTE-A CA in a dual standby configuration with dual receive, which is designed to result in fewer missed calls and lower strain on data throughput.

Qualcomm is teaming up with Facebook and Ericsson to demonstrate the ability to efficiently push application updates simultaneously to many mobile devices via LTE-Broadcast. This capability highlights a potential use case for LTE-Broadcast technology, which is designed to utilise the scale of operator LTE networks, relieve network congestion, and deliver high-quality video and large files, all with minimal impact on network capacity. Using this technology, application vendors and app store owners can successfully push application updates to user devices, which offers background file delivery of services and significantly reduces download time and improves network efficiency.

Using Qualcomm’s IP Multimedia Services (IMS) client, Qualcomm is teaming with Ericsson to demonstrate LTE/WiFi Call Continuity, which is designed to support seamless transfers of voice and video calls between LTE and WiFi without the hassle of dropping the call. The IMS client gives mobile operators the ability to offload voice and/or video calls to WiFi as a way to optimise network usage and extend LTE calling coverage. With Call Continuity, operators can now offer bandwidth-intensive video calling services, while offloading some of the added traffic to WiFi networks at the same time.

Through efforts made by Qualcomm, Networks Business of Samsung Electronics, Alcatel-Lucent and KT, LTE/WiFi Link Aggregation will be demonstrated publicly for the first time. Until now, operator WiFi has existed independently of the operator’s LTE network. This technology will bring operator WiFi access points under the direct real-time control of the LTE radio network without the need for modifications. As a result, it will give operators the opportunity to tap into the capacity of the WiFi access points they own or control, by aggregating LTE and WiFi radio links together in the mobile device. Doing so provides users with faster throughput and direct access to operator services in more places, and it offers operators unprecedented levels of control, mobility and offload that are not possible when carrier WiFi access points are kept separate and unconnected to LTE.

To showcase the co-existence of LTE-A and WiFi, Qualcomm will conduct live demonstrations of LTE in an Unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U). Extending LTE-A to unlicensed spectrum in a way that coexists with WiFi allows operators to utilise available unlicensed spectrum effectively. The demonstration will show LTE-U in multiple 5GHz channels. Additionally, Qualcomm recently announced the integration of LTE-U into its FSM99xx small cells product portfolio, along with the WTR3950, the first commercial RF transceiver to support LTE-U in mobile devices.

In conjunction with Qualcomm Atheros, LIFX has announced that it will expand its family of smart lights to include the LIFX White 800, a smart light with tunable whites utilising the QCA4002, a feature-rich, low-power WiFi solution by Qualcomm Atheros. The LIFX White 800 allows for ranges of warm white shades to bluish-white variations on daylight adjustable from any smart device. Thanks to built-in WiFi, it connects directly to a home’s WiFi network without the need for a hub or bridge - making the Smart Home more accessible and easier to set up for millions of users. The lights are fully compatible with the Allseen Alliance’s open-source Lighting Service Framework (LSF), which is designed to provide interoperability with AllJoyn enabled smart devices in the home, and are certified “Designed for AllSeen.” The LIFX White 800 is powered by the Lighting Connectivity Module (LCM), a turnkey WiFi based smart lighting platform.

“Mobile connectivity is the integral part of every aspect of the mobile experience and the advances we are showcasing at MWC 2015 will take the industry to new heights,” said Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies, and co-president, QCT. “With LTE-Advanced multiplying connectivity speeds, LTE-Broadcast redefining the way we experience premium content delivery, and LTE and WiFi convergence designed to empower operators to provide truly seamless communications for consumers, Qualcomm Technologies’ inventions continue to define what is possible through wireless technology.”

Attendees of Mobile World Congress can experience live demonstrations of next-gen mobile connectivity at the Qualcomm booth in Hall 3, Stand 3E10.