IPWireless and Sprint in Test of LTE Progression Platform

Sprint will be the first operator to test the next generation of IPWireless' mobile broadband technology, starting in March 2006.

The Long Term Evolution (LTE) platform delivers peak speeds up to 29Mbps (megabits per second) per sector in a pair of 5MHz channels and seamless interoperability from paired and unpaired spectrum.

The next generation of UMTS TD-CDMA technology is designed to offer operators a progression to the LTE standard currently being defined by 3GPP as the evolution for both WCDMA and TD-CDMA for deployment by GSM operators most likely in the 2.5GHz extension bands in Europe and Asia.

The performance and essential characteristics of the new standard have been set by global operators including very high data rates, low latencies, optimization for packet access, spectral flexibility to work in variable bandwidths, the ability to work in both unpaired and paired spectrum, support for very high speed mobility, and an IP-based core network.

IPWireless' LTE Progression Platform is based on an evolution of the 3GPP TD-CDMA standard. The platform supports Antenna Multiplexing, which increases overall performance throughout the cell through multiple antennas in both the base station and devices. The platform supports the seamless transition between paired and unpaired spectrum bands, which has been identified by operators globally as an essential requirement for LTE. This means that a user could move between a network deployed in unpaired spectrum in one city and a network deployed in paired spectrum in another.

Sprint Nextel is currently evaluating a number of next generation technologies and announced a trial based on UMTS TD-CDMA technology from IPWireless in June 2005. The field trial is being conducted in Washington, D.C. areas. The goals of the trial are to allow Sprint to test a range of subscriber services, including broadband access for laptops, PDAs, and handheld devices as well as a wide array of Wireless Interactive Multimedia Services such as video streaming, online gaming, document collaboration and video conferencing.