T-Mobile USA’s CTO Urges More Spectrum for LTE
LTE’s real benefits kick in when a large chunk of spectrum is available, Neville Ray, T-Mobile USA chief technology officer, said at a Wells Fargo Securities investor conference Wednesday. The carrier will move to LTE eventually, but the technology still faces challenges, he said.
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LTE’s main virtues are increasing spectrum efficiency and reducing latency, allowing flexible deployment in current and new spectrum, Ray said. But “you need large blocks of spectrum to secure those efficiencies,” he said. There are several ways to move to LTE in 2011 and 2012 using current spectrum, Ray said. But the company and the rest of the wireless industry need additional spectrum to handle the growth of mobile broadband, he said. LTE doesn’t make much sense until enough spectrum comes along, he said.
The 4G technology still faces challenges, including voice over LTE standardization and device availability, Ray said. “LTE devices are still expensive and still a challenge with battery life and heat dissipation,” he said. “We are looking at how that will mature in 18 months to two years.” T-Mobile’s HPSA+ network is offering 4G speeds that are comparable to what early LTE will deliver, Ray said. The company has deployed its HSPA+ service in 75 markets and plans to push the total as high as 100 this year.
Backhaul plays a key role in the carrier’s HPSA+ performance, Ray said. The carrier uses different backhaul providers to get the right mix of technology and price, he said. “It’s the combination of scheduling and pricing to bring it together and create a capable network,” Ray said. Meanwhile, many new entrants are bringing wholesale models, he noted. But T-Mobile, which isn’t a mobile virtual network operator and has no virtual operations, needs to evaluate the cost proposition, Ray said.