Understanding LTE-Unlicensed // July 2015
Editor's Note
LTE-U Attracts
Controversy and
Industry support
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Can LTE and Wi-Fi
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Unlicensed
T-Mobile and LTE-U: An
Early Entrant Goes All-In
FierceWireless
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>> T-Mobile and LTE-U: An Early Entrant Goes All-In
from the 3GPP, which is expected to finalize standards
for the technology early next year. The new LAA
specifications may not be identical to the LTE-U
spec, and may be completed within just weeks of
T-Mobile's launch.
One major question is whether the LAA spec will
include a feature such as Listen Before Talk, which
would prevent it from overtaking Wi-Fi and other
technologies that use unlicensed spectrum. LBT is
mandated in some markets worldwide, but not in the
U.S. T-Mobile insists that Wi-Fi remains a top priority,
which is logical considering the fact that the carrier has
been a leader in Wi-Fi calling. But while it supports
"efforts that enhance fair sharing of spectrum between
mobile and Wi-Fi devices," T-Mobile declined to say
whether its deployment of LTE in unlicensed spectrum
would include LBT.
"(T-Mobile is) looking at protocols like Listen Before
Talk (LBT) and Dynamic Channel selection, which are
used by LAA to help ensure LTE co-exists with Wi-Fi,"
the carrier said in an e-mailed response to questions
from FierceWireless. "It's a bit early to have a discussion
about specific technical capabilities of the protocols but
overall, (CTO) Neville (Ray) and team see in LAA a
new and emerging LTE technology that shows a lot
of promise."
What LTE-U might mean for T-Mo
And while a rollout of unlicensed LTE could be
provide a big boost for the company's mobile data
business, it may have an even larger impact on its
prospects of merging with another major company.
Comcast, Dish Network and Sprint have all been
reportedly eyeing the company in recent months, and
in each case an LTE-U based service could make the
carrier a more attractive partner: In addition to giving
the two TV providers an entry into mobile without
having to build out their own networks, it enables
them to boost viewership outside of the home.
As an early entrant to this new space, though, T-Mobile
faces some daunting challenges. Any interference
problems with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other technologies
that use unlicensed spectrum will surely result in a
backlash not just from consumers but from companies
whose business models are built on Wi-Fi. Any
interference problems will only be exacerbated by
the rise of the Internet of Things, which is already
producing a wide variety of newly connected devices.
T-Mobile may also have to find a way to create
incentives for users to access unlicensed spectrum
rather than traditional airwaves to maximize data
offload. And building out a nationwide network of
small cells that is free of technical wrinkles won't be
pain-free.
Unlicensed LTE technologies are still being developed,
and standards are still being completed. So even the
end of 2016 might be too early to gauge just how
successful these new technologies and services might
be. But carriers around the world will be watching
T-Mobile and other early entrants as they bring their
unlicensed data services to launch. In fact, they surely
are already. n
