The download on LTE-U

“Permissionless innovation” has given us some remarkable products and services that we now take for granted. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, both of which operate on unlicensed spectrum, are two examples and have changed the way we live. Now, a new technology is poised to jumpstart a new wave of innovation using unlicensed spectrum. It’s called LTE for Unlicensed, or LTE-U.

LTE-U features what consumers like about 4G LTE mobile broadband: fast speeds, improved downloading and streaming, smooth hand-offs and secure, reliable connections. And it was designed to work using unlicensed spectrum and to be a good neighbor to other technologies sharing the unlicensed bands. We are excited to see that LTE-U is working exactly as expected in the lab and we will begin field trials this Fall. If all goes well, consumers could begin seeing the benefits of this technology innovation as early as Spring 2016. But as exciting as all of this is, it’s only the beginning of a new wave of innovation in the mobile broadband marketplace.