First LTE devices certified for conformance and interoperability

Stuart Corner
Monday, 11 April 2011 11:13

Business IT - Technology

A Samsung USB LTE modem, the GT-B3740 and LG's FM300 Xenon, LTE-connected WiFi router, have become the first LTE devices to be certified by the Global Certification Forum (GCF).

Adriana Nugter, operations manager of GCF, hailed the certification as "a significant milestone, saying: that certification "Reduces acceptance testing overheads for manufacturers and operators alike'¦[and] will accelerate the development of LTE devices for the mass-market."

GCF certification incorporates conformance, interoperability and field testing and is designed to give operators confidence that new devices are compliant with relevant standards. Both devices operate in Band 20, the 'European Digital Dividend band', in which LTE is currently being deployed in Germany. Certification is not yet available in the 1800MHz band that Telstra will use for its LTE service.

GCF formally launched the development of the LTE certification program in early 2008 with an initial focus on three FDD bands; 700MHz (USA), 2100MHz (Japan) and 2600MHz (Europe) and two TDD bands; 2570-2620 MHz and 2300-2400 MHz (China/USA).

It announced in December 2010 the extension of the scheme to encompass LTE devices designed to operate in the 700MHz or 800MHz European Digital Dividend bands.

GCF says it expects to extend certification to several additional bands over the coming months. Telstra will launch its LTE service at 1800MHz and is trying to get other operators and vendors to support this frequency.

GCF said in December that during 2010 it had received requests to extend LTE certification to the 1800MHz band widely used by operators in Europe and Asia, but has not to date said when this will happen.