Sweden goes beyond 3G with world’s first commercial LTE network

TeliaSonera will launch the world’s first commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) service in Stockholm in 2010, which is being supplied by Ericsson. The download speed of this wireless internet service will vary from 50 to 60 Mbps, 10 times faster than what is available today over the current version of 3G or High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) networks. Some of us have heard of 3G and 3.5G mobile broadband services. Others have been actively using it with their phones and wireless modems. Today, we have the next evolution of the GSM technology – LTE or 4G. LTE will transform the mobile-broadband user experience, providing the ultra-high data speeds needed for services such as HDTV, mobile video blogging, on-line video games and the mobile office environment.

Delivered by Ericsson, TeliaSonera has commercially deployed the services in the capital city of Stockholm, making it the first commercial deployment in the world, targeted for service availability in 2010. It was not so long ago that the first 3G networks were rolled out based on what the industry calls Release 99 version of 3G, supporting download speeds of 384Kbps, literally 20 times slower than what LTE can deliver today.

LTE enables unprecedented performance in terms of peak data rates, spectrum efficiency and delay. Ericsson has already demonstrated peak rates of 160Mbps. LTE can be deployed both in new and existing frequency bands and is designed to minimize the cost of network operation and maintenance.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “The unveiling of this site shows that LTE is no longer the story of the future; it is the story of today. Ericsson, as a leader in LTE development, is proud to work with TeliaSonera to bring a commercial LTE network to life.”

Commenting on this new win, President of Ericsson Malaysia, Krishna Kumar, said: “Ericsson has a clear vision of an all-communicating world where the consumers will be empowered with broadband connectivity anywhere and on the go. We are working with service providers to realize this vision today with the right technologies and more importantly, in a manner that is sustainable. LTE is definitely a sustainable business case for future growth, where operators will benefit from lower cost of ownership with flatter network architectures, lower cost of operations, efficient use of energy and network resources. The evolution of mobile broadband is an integral factor in building sustainable cities that minimize the use of energy and reduce CO2 emissions. Consumers will also benefit tremendously, and will be treated to greater user experience, bandwidth and services on demand.”