Premiere in Asia: Siemens live demo shows what future mobile networks can do

ITU Telecom World - 3G World Congress, Hong Kong - The successors to W-CDMA mobile networks will be able to transfer data at a peak rate of 100 megabits a second. Optimized for transporting data, they extract maximum performance from existing frequencies. In addition, the delays experienced in downloading data from the Internet will be reduced. Yet the new LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology for network access is not a break with the W-CDMA standard, but builds on it and will coexist with 2G and 3G networks. LTE radio networks will be ready for the market in 2010. Siemens Networks, which is pioneering this new development in mobile communications, is showcasing a next-generation radio network in completely live operation at the industry event ITU Telecom World/3G World Congress in Hong Kong. Among other things, games and high-definition videos will be transported to mobile devices.

Siemens Networks is presenting its innovative strength at this year’s largest telecommunications event in Asia from December 4 to 8, 2006. The company is giving a live demonstration of products and solutions for the further development of today’s wireless standard W-CDMA. To enable this, a complete network has been installed in Hong Kong in compliance with the “Long Term Evolution” (LTE) standard. The network also integrates MIMO technology (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output), which can be used to increase transfer rates by deploying multiple transmission and reception antennas in base stations and end-user devices.

The new standard has been under development since 2005 by the standardization body Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP); the first networks will be set up beginning in 2010. To ensure that the investments made by telecommunications companies in legacy networks are protected, Siemens’ LTE technology also works with existing frequencies, which can be given a higher cell capacity thanks to LTE. Mobility, quality of service and range are not impaired. Since it can be based on existing infrastructures and the network structure is also simplified, the new network is in service quickly and
at lower cost.

One advantage over other wireless standards is the higher transfer rates needed to cope with the steadily growing data traffic in mobile networks and to meet subscribers’ expectations for DSL quality in mobile communications. LTE networks have a peak downlink data rate of 100 megabits a second, with uplinks topping out at 50 megabits.

To prove this speed and high quality in Hong Kong, Siemens will transport high-definition videos at a date rate of up to 60 megabits a second to mobile phones.

An online game that demands not only fast reflexes on the part of the players but also extremely low system delay illustrates the fact that latency is reduced by a factor of 3. Clear proof of the smooth interaction between an LTE and W-CDMA network is provided by a continuous video on a mobile phone that has radio contact alternately with one of the two networks.

“Subscribers to future mobile multimedia offerings will gear their expectations regarding quality to that of fixed networks. Applications like games and films will place high bandwidth and latency demands on future mobile networks. Technologically, LTE is therefore the absolutely right path into the future for networks, especially since carriers can build on their W-CDMA networks,” said Christoph Caselitz, President Mobile Networks at Siemens Networks.

Siemens has been conducting research into and developing the LTE standard since 2005. Like the other cellular radio technologies WiMAX or Flash-OFDM, it is based on OFDM. The difference is that individual frequencies are assigned in an adaptive fashion. Every subscriber is assigned the frequencies that are ideal at the moment he or she needs them. Moreover, the assignment of network resources is reassessed 2,000 times a second. That greatly improves latency compared with other OFDM systems.