“Qualcomm leads the industry in enabling next-generation mobile experiences with highly integrated, powerful and elegant solutions for dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE. We are pleased to be working with so many industry leaders to bring these advanced technologies to market,” said Alex Katouzian, vice president of product management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “We remain committed to CDMA and OFDMA WAN modem leadership and the seamless and cost-effective commercialization of next-generation technologies around the world.”

Qualcomm is working with numerous network operators, infrastructure vendors and device manufacturers with its dual-carrier HSPA+ and/or LTE solutions. Among multiple network operators evaluating the new technologies are Japan’s EMOBILE Ltd. and Telstra Wireless. Qualcomm is also working with multiple infrastructure vendors, such as Huawei Technologies and Nokia Siemens Networks, to perform interoperability tests for dual-carrier HSPA+ and LTE. Among the many device manufacturers currently evaluating the new chipsets are Huawei, LG Electronics, Novatel Wireless, Sierra Wireless and ZTE.

Qualcomm’s MDM8220 dual-carrier HSPA+ solution, based on the 3GPP Release 8 standard, provides peak downlink data rates of up to 42 megabits per second (Mbps) and 11 Mbps on the uplink, allowing carriers to easily upgrade their existing infrastructure equipment to achieve significantly higher bandwidths. Its dual-carrier technology doubles networks’ bandwidth from 5 MHz to 10 MHz by aggregating two HSPA carriers in parallel.

The MDM9200 and the MDM9600 chipsets are the industry’s first multi-mode 3G/LTE solutions that allow UMTS and CDMA2000® operators to upgrade seamlessly to future LTE services while preserving backward compatibility to their existing 3G networks. MDM9200 supports UMTS, HSPA+ and LTE, while the MDM9600 supports CDMA2000® 1X, EV-DO Rev. B, SV-DO, SV-LTE, UMTS, HSPA+ and LTE. All of the new chipsets support FDD LTE and TDD LTE modes and different carrier bandwidths, and are capable of using orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) and multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology to support peak data rates of up to 100 Mbps on the downlink and 50 Mbps on the uplink.

The above telecommunications industry leaders have jointly developed a technical profile for LTE voice and SMS services, also known as the One Voice initiative. The profile defines an optimal set of existing 3GPP-specified functionalities that all industry stakeholders, including network vendors, service providers and handset manufacturers, can use to offer compatible LTE voice solutions.

By following the jointly defined technical profile, the industry can help guarantee international roaming and interoperability for LTE voice and SMS services, ensuring subscribers continuity of these vital services – all while offering service providers a smooth and well-defined path to LTE.

The four companies have completed the development of an LTE-PF chipset engineering sample and are now evaluating its main functions. The sample will be exhibited at the NTT Group stand at ITU Telecom World 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland from October 5 to 9 and the DOCOMO stand at CEATEC JAPAN 2009 at Makuhari Messe, Chiba Prefecture, Japan from October 6 to 10.

“Nokia is committed to supporting industry activities aimed at maturing LTE technology to enable the first commercial networks to launch in 2010,” says Jani Mäenpää, Project Manager, LTE/SAE Interoperability and Trials, Nokia. “Nokia is a founding member in the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) and carries out interoperability testing with a number of network vendors, collaborates with measurement equipment manufacturers and is ready to support operators with their LTE deployment activities. The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 is used in all these activities.”

The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 supports interoperability with GSM/EDGE and WCDMA/HSPA to make the most out of the global GSM and WCDMA reach right from the start. The Nokia Internet Modem RD-3 also supports multiple LTE frequency bands so is able to meet operators’ deployment plans across many different countries and regions.

The site will be part of a commercial network scheduled to go live in 2010, providing the ultra-high data speeds needed for services such as internet TV, mobile video blogging, on-line video games and the mobile office environment.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “The unveiling of this site shows that LTE is no longer the story of the future; it is the story of today. Ericsson, as a leader in LTE development, is proud to work with TeliaSonera to bring a commercial LTE network to life.”

Other than the LTE network, the companies has also signed an agreement for a mobile advertising solution. The Personal Pod Advertising service, part of Ericsson’s Mobile TV solution, allow advertisements to be sent out as podcasts overnight when traffic is low. The solution offers significant benefits for both operators, who earn revenue on ads sent out, and for retail companies, which can track consumer behavior and interact with specific target groups.

“This is where the race to 4G begins. By building a joint network and sharing our spectrum we create a whole new playing field on the Swedish market, placing ourselves in pool position to provide high-speed mobile broadband with the best coverage and quality. Sharing this investment ensures cost-efficiency and enables a solid market position in the long run for Telenor in Sweden,” said Lars-Åke Norling, CEO Telenor Sweden.

Telenor and Tele2 will be equal partners in the joint venture. The agreement also comprises spectrum sharing in the 900MHz and 2600MHz frequency bands, creating superior conditions for a nation-wide 4G network in Sweden. The launch of high-speed mobile broadband services based on LTE-technology is expected in the end of 2010, or when mobile devices (modems) become available on the market.

“Motorola is at the forefront of 4G development which will address the mobility demands of today’s consumers who are looking for personalized media experiences and operators looking to lower their cost per bit and gain a competitive advantage,” said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA & Asia Pacific. “With our latest trial network we look forward to working closely with our customers in EMEA as they transition to LTE during 2009 and beyond.”

Motorola’s first commercial release of LTE solutions later this year will include products for the 700MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands to help operators increase coverage and capacity of their networks. Motorola is engaged with operators in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region for LTE field trial activity.

DOCOMO will incorporate its new LSI chip technology in ongoing research and development of LTE and International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) systems, as well as in its active support of the establishment of related international standards.

LG demonstrated the chip today at its Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab in Anyang, Korea, achieving wireless download speeds of 60 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps. The fastest phones currently on the market use HSDPA technology and download at a maximum speed of 7.6 Mbps.

The new modem chip is a 13 by 13 mm modem chip, perfectly sized for the next generation of slim-yet-powerful handsets. For its demonstration today, LG used a test terminal running Windows Mobile to play back high quality, on-demand video. In addition to this handset modem, LG is also developing the first preliminary LTE-based data card, which can replace the wireless cards currently used in computers.

“Now that LG has developed and tested the first 4G handset modem, a commercially viable LTE handset is on the horizon,” said Dr. Woo Hyun Paik, CTO of LG Electronics. “This latest breakthrough gives us a strong technology advantage that we will use to bolster our industry leadership.”

Mobile phone carriers have now built LTE test networks and are currently working on early stage handsets. The first LTE mobile phones will likely reach the market in 2010.