This event shows Ericsson’s commitment to its customers requesting TD-LTE and marks a major milestone for the TD-LTE technology. The user equipment was provided by Aeroflex, a world-leading test tool provider that the LTE industry uses to validate infrastructure and devices.

The success of the interoperability demonstration highlighted the work that has gone into ensuring smooth and seamless communication between all parts of the TD-LTE network – from user equipment, through the Radio Access Network (RAN), to the Evolved Packet Core network. This is the starting point for large customer trials being planned for the second half of 2010.

"Interoperability between vendors in TD-LTE is an important achievement to enable the ecosystem to grow and a positive sign of TD-LTE technology maturity,” states Madame Huang Yuhong, Director of Wireless Department at China Mobile Research Institute.

As LTE enables the same multi-standard radio base station and user equipment platforms to be used for both FDD and TDD deployments, it opens up a truly global ecosystem for the technology. Operators using either duplex mode will be able to enjoy the overall economies of scale of LTE, and Ericsson will offer operators optimized global solutions whichever duplex mode they require.

“This is a key event both for Ericsson and the industry as we can now focus on developing the complete LTE ecosystem with infrastructure and devices,” says Thomas Noren, Head of LTE Product Line at Ericsson.

Ericsson’s TD-LTE interoperability story on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dox3T7YiY54

Ericsson’s multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: 
www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room 

Ericsson is the world’s leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. Ericsson is the leader in 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies, and provides support for networks with over 1 billion subscribers and has a leading position in managed services. The company’s portfolio comprises of mobile and fixed network infrastructure, telecom services, software, broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and the media industry. The Sony Ericsson and ST-Ericsson joint ventures provide consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices. 
 
Ericsson is advancing its vision of “to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world” through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 75,000 employees generated revenue of SEK 209 billion (USD 32.2 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 with the headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX NASDAQ, Stockholm and NASDAQ New York.
 
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Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

TD-LTE (or LTE Time Division Duplex, TDD) means LTE is used in the unpaired spectrum, that is the same frequency is used for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL). A main advantage with TDD compared to Frequency Division Duplex, FDD where separate frequencies are used for UL and DL is the flexibility of how the available bandwidth can be allocated for UL and DL, depending on the planned traffic in the cell.

The Evolved Packet Core network included a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Converged Packet Gateway (CPG) and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) – all based on commercial, proven hardware and running standard-compliant software based on 3GPP March 2009 specifications.

Because LTE enables the same eNodeB and user equipment platforms to be used for both FDD and TDD deployments, it opens up a truly global ecosystem for the technology.

Leading terminal chipset vendors say that even for the first generation of LTE chipsets there will be an ability to support a multitude of different frequencies. The timing for the first TDD devices/mobile platforms is expected 2010.