Spanish carrier Telefonica has announced a new optimized 4G standard which manages to offer better coverage indoors while giving its users greater bandwidth compared to existing LTE networks by providing increased capacity in high data traffic density areas.
What makes this new technology really cost efficient and boosts network development is small cell technology which ensures the optimum use of spectrum. This is the first time that the users will be able to experience the complete benefits of LTE networks at the 2.6 GHz band frequency, a band notorious for low penetration in buildings. This release was made today by Telefonica at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). This new network is said to provide with as much as 400% increase in capacity at high density data traffic areas, largely advanced indoor coverage, upload speeds of around 40-60 Mbps and download speeds of around 100 Mbps.
Telefonica’s new network is based on Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio technology and is considered to be a founding step in the direction of creating the first true “HetNet” network which will vastly increase the coverage of networks for mobile services by reducing the distance between the customer and the small cell base station. The main feature of this network would be its ability to use 4G metro cells with the currently existing conventional radio base stations with no interference as the two would be working at the same frequency. Samsung has been strong supporter of Telefonica’s LTE service initiative and will be unveiling Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE tablet and the Galaxy S II LTE smartphone, the first LTE smart mobile devices for the 2.6 GHz band.
One of the most remarkable improvements which can be noticed in the LTE network of Telefonica is the large growth in the capacity. Each cell in the network is able to simultaneously provide an average speed of about 30Mbps to 30 different people. The network in essence allows the users to connect at speeds about 10 times those available on 3G networks.
The Chief Technology Officer of Telefonica, Enrique Blanco has said that the mobile networks have taken a step into the future with the release of the LTE network by Telefonica at the MWC. However, he added that the challenge now lies in making sure that all of the present technologies like fiber, WiFi, LTE, 3G and 2G manage to co-exist.
