Xplornet Conducts Successful Trials of Alvarion 4Motion TD-LTE Capability
Rural broadband service provider Xplornet Communications Inc. and Alvarion Ltd., a provider of optimized wireless broadband solutions addressing the connectivity, capacity and coverage challenges of public and private networks, have announced that Alvarion’s 4Motion® solution supporting TD-LTE was successfully tested in the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequency bands. The trials were the first in Canada to demonstrate a seamless TD-LTE option over existing WiMAX infrastructure, offering a smooth migration path from WiMAX to TD-LTE technology based on a software-defined radio solution from Alvarion.
The trial in 3.5 GHz was conducted using the same 3.5 GHz spectrum band that Xplornet uses for existing deployments, demonstrating the opportunity to leverage Xplornet’s existing 3.5 GHz WiMAX network. The trial in 2.5 GHz, which took place at Xplornet’s Canadian facilities, was conducted under a development license issued by Industry Canada.
Xplornet tested the network for outdoor coverage from 5 to12 km away from the transmitting station and realized high-speed, uninterrupted access to applications such as high-bitrate streaming media and online video conferencing. The TD-LTE network displayed good results with high quality, low latency and system stability.
“This represents a breakthrough for rural broadband,” said John Maduri, CEO of Xplornet Communications Inc. “With licensed spectrum, this technology combines the reliability of a WiMAX solution in relevant frequency bands with a path to participate in the TD-LTE ecosystem of the future to provide a state of the art broadband solution for rural Canada.”
Mr. Maduri further added: “Technically-speaking, how we deploy spectrum – a public resource – is important in our rural market. TD-LTE, as compared to the traditional approach, uses spectrum more efficiently for broadband use, which allows for more robust download speeds than could be offered with equal spectrum on FD-LTE. Ultimately, this more efficient approach to spectrum will better support video-streaming, drive more choice and offer better value for our end consumers.”
“We are committed to responding to the unique needs of rural broadband operators, which include the flexibility to take advantage of the full scope of the 4G device ecosystem as it evolves,” said Eran Gorev, president and CEO of Alvarion. “Xplornet is bringing advanced broadband capabilities to every Canadian province and territory and we are proud to support their efforts with a 4G platform that will meet their needs today and into the future as well.”
