Nokia Siemens makes first voice call on 4G LTE network
updated 05:20 pm EDT, Thu September 17, 2009
Technology approaching commercial deployment
Nokia Siemens on Thursday announced that it has made the first voice call on a 4G LTE network. Although the technology has been previously tested, the latest demonstration was performed on a commercial base station while using standards-compliant software. The call was placed at Nokia Siemens research and development facility in Ulm, Germany, using the company's Flexi Multiradio Base Station.
Nokia recently introduced its first modem, the RD-3, to support the LTE format. The device is claimed to achieve peak speeds of 100Mb/s, while also supporting HSPA and EDGE networks.
Initial LTE services are expected to arrive by the end of this year in select markets, although larger-scale deployments will not begin until 2010. Verizon claims it will be ready next year, while other carriers such as AT&T are said to be aiming for 2011 introductions.
