Alcatel-Lucent, a provider of solutions that help enterprises in delivering voice, data and video communication services to end-users, has reportedly announced that it successfully completed the first long term evolution or ‘LTE’ (News - Alert) data call on the 800 MHz "European Digital Dividend" or ‘EDD’ spectrum band in a live network.

 

The company completed this call at its 4G/LTE end-to-end solutions center in Stuttgart, Germany on Oct. 4. The feat was achieved by transmitting high-definition video streaming over the air, deploying Alcatel-Lucent's (News - Alert) commercial infrastructure platforms and prototype mobile devices.

 

As LTE launches in the European market, this first EDD call in a live LTE network is a remarkable step in the direction, and affirms that the company is ready to provide mobile operators with a commercial solution as soon as regulatory decisions on EDD are introduced. It is being expected that during the 2nd quarter of the year 2010, Germany, will hold a frequency auction including the 800 MHz spectrum band. This spectrum plays a vital role in bringing mobile broadband Internet services to rural areas.

 

The cellular operators find it much helpful to deploy the LTE at 800MHz as they require fewer sites to cover rural areas, thus reducing overall environmental impact. 800 MHz spectrum LTE deployment could be an ideal

 

Considered to be a perfect complement to a 2.6GHz spectrum LTE deployment, the 800 MHz spectrum LTE deployment suits the places requiring smaller cells, such as a dense urban environment.

 

In addition to having live 2.6GHz LTE networks in Stuttgart and Velizy in France, Alcatel-Lucent has CE marked 2.6GHz radio modules, which means it can conveniently ship the 2.6GHz LTE base stations in the European Economic Area ‘EEA’.

 

According to Ken Wirth, president, LTE/4G solutions, Alcatel-Lucent, this is a major breakthrough on company’s path to become the first vendor to offer a commercial solution for the 'Digital Dividend` spectrum. Wirth said that Alcatel-Lucent aims at providing quick and effective support to the operators in their plans to further enhance the availability of broadband services all over the region, so it adapted its LTE solution to the 800 MHz frequency band quite early on and is now working with customers on field trials.

 

Recently, Alcatel-Lucent had announced that it has further strengthened its working relationship with Libyan Post Telecommunications and Information Technology Company or ‘LPTIC’, by signing a multi million Euro contract to deploy the second phase of Eastern Libya's optical fiber network.