5.29.2009

First commercial LTE

Here we are - first real LTE network has been launched recently. At the moment it's just 1 site without any live customer, but it's lust a beginning.
Site was built by Ericsson for TeliaSonera, which going to have fully live network in Stockholm in 2010. It's really interesting that Nordic countries are pushing ahead fast in testing and deploying the Long Term Evolution networks. Last month Tele2 Sweden and Telenor Sweden announced their plans to build nationwide LTE network through a new joint venture, dubbed Net4 Mobility.
Unfortunately, Ericsson didn't share technical details of LTE site. There is no details about number of base stations and supported downlink/uplink speeds. But as vice president and head of product area radio at Ericsson said "The unveiling of this site shows that LTE is no longer the story of the future; it is the story of today".
Small note. LTE still has problems with legacy voice and SMS services, so the story going to be very interesting.