Motorola is pushing ahead with the development of time division duplex long term evolution (TD-LTE) technology which is expected to be the basis of 4G mobile networks in China.
The company is working with operators on TD-LTE trials in China later this year. It expects full deployments from Q4 2009 to mid-2010.
“We are designing a common LTE platform that is capable of supporting FDD and TDD, bringing to market early and field-proven end-to-end LTE solutions to support TDD and FDD deployments,” said Mohammad Akhtar, v-p and general manager, Motorola, home and networks mobility China
TD-LTE is a time division duplex version of LTE that will move the Chinese 3G standard TD-SCDMA to 4G networks, but the progress has not been without its problems, in particular a lack of chip technology from key suppliers.
There must also be concerns that the effects of the global economic slowdown in China will hinder the deployment of 4G further.
With this statement, Motorola is confirming its commitment to TD-LTE to support operators in China. The company carries out TD-LTE R&D in China.
It is also taking part in the LTE/System Architecture Evolution (SAE) trial programme. This industry group is driving the acceleration of commercial and inter-operable next-generation LTE mobile broadband systems.
The TD-LTE technology is based on OFDM broadband platform with radio options that include MIMO and smart antennas.