If you turn TLPS upside down do you get LAA?

Ericsson and T-Mobile US used the event to announce that they are starting new production trials for licensed assisted access (LAA) for indoor small cell settings.

The announcement pushes us yet further away from those simple times when it was clear which technology used which band. 

As we have reported before, LAA, formerly known as LTE Unlicensed, aims to introduce 3GPP-standardised cellular (LTE) technology to unlicensed radio spectrum.

The opposite approach, using Wi-Fi technology on licensed spectrum, seems to have been delayed.

Globalstar’s terrestrial low power service (TLPS) proposes a network that relies on open standards – Wi-Fi, on its privately owned mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band.

Changing the way that band is used requires permission from US regulator the Federal Communications Commission. Globalstar previously told us that it expects to get that permission by the end of 2014.

But with 2015 now upon us, there is no news on whether the FCC will approve the scheme. A delay to regulatory approval, or regulatory approval with largely modified rules, is the last thing Globalstar needs. Its value has already almost halved recently after coming under attack from short selling firm Kerrisdale in September.

Globalstar has fought back against claims that its business model is flawed, citing interest from Samsung among other things as evidence of the company’s potential.

The prospects for LAA, conversely, are boosted by the fact that it will be standardised by 3GPP. It also has wide support – not only from Ericsson and T-Mobile US, but from the likes of Nokia and Qualcomm.

Ericsson claims LAA can provide a 150 mbps speed boost for smart phones using only four per cent of the 5 GHz band. Beyond this claim, however, the two companies have provided little new information about the next steps.

Another year, another band where multiple technologies are staking their claim.

Toby Youell, PolicyTracker

7/1/2015