Qualcomm has announced its initial foray with LTE into the unlicensed 5GHz band, spectrum that is normally reserved for WiFi networks.
Qualcomm believes LTE-U, or LTE in unlicensed spectrum, could help carriers fill in blank spots with small cells. LTE-U would be use for downlink purposes only and could supplement standard cellular coverage in targeted areas.
Qualcomm has made a transceiver for cell phones that can receive LTE in the 5GHz band, as well as the corresponding transmitters for small cells and/or base stations. The phone transceiver would work in tandem with a normal LTE modem, and the chip can handle CAT 6 with 3x20MHz carrier aggregation.
Qualcomm claims LTE-U provides reliable and predictable performance; a seamless experience for users; better performance than LTE or WiFi could provide separately; and additional capacity for carriers. Qualcomm says LTE-U can coexist with WiFi and not cause interference or other problems thanks to its more efficient use of the spectrum.
Qualcomm expects to see LTE-U capabilities added to handsets during the second half of the year, though it’s not clear if or when carriers might add LTE-U to their cellular networks.
