Qualcomm Unveils New Version of LTE-U For Unlicensed Spectrum

Qualcomm unveiled a new version of LTE-unlicensed, MuLTEfire, which operates only in unlicensed spectrum, industry officials said Wednesday. Qualcomm didn't put out a news release on the development. Qualcomm is promoting three versions of LTE-U, a spokeswoman emailed Wednesday. LTE-U “operates in downlink-only mode in two parts of the 5 GHz band,” the unlicensed national information infrastructure-1 and UNII-3 bands, the spokeswoman said. Licensed assisted access involves modes “supporting both downlink-only and uplink and downlink operations” using an anchor channel in a licensed spectrum band, she said. The third version is MuLTEfire, which “operates entirely in unlicensed spectrum and, nevertheless, is envisioned to deliver enhanced capacity and a superior user experience than today's unlicensed technologies,” the spokeswoman said. “Qualcomm is working with service providers and equipment manufacturers around the world on these technologies.” NCTA said Qualcomm’s announcement of MuLTEfire is “welcome, though long overdue” as a unlicensed-only version of LTE-U. Still, NCTA said in a statement “it is irrelevant to the fundamental harm that Americans will face unless meaningful technical protocols are adopted to ensure that LTE-U technology does not impair the performance of Wi-Fi technology that uses unlicensed frequencies today.” Since hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi enabled devices and routers are in use, “the ongoing failure of LTE providers in the U.S to recognize and meaningfully address the potential for substantial consumer harm is a cause for increasing concern,” NCTA said. “In the absence of an open and reinvigorated industry process to develop and adopt protections that will prevent such harms, it will fall to policymakers to take the steps necessary to ensure that consumers are protected and to insist that providers use appropriate controls that promote fair use and will prevent LTE-U technology from steamrolling Wi-Fi operations."