LTE over Wi-Fi spectrum sets up industry-wide fight over interference

A plan to use Wi-Fi airwaves for cellular service has sparked concerns about interference with existing Wi-Fi networks, causing a fight involving wireless carriers, cable companies, a Wi-Fi industry trade group, Microsoft, and network equipment makers. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US plan to boost coverage in their cellular networks by using unlicensed airwaves that also power Wi-Fi equipment. While cellular carriers generally rely upon airwaves to which they have exclusive licenses, a new system called LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) would have the carriers sharing spectrum with Wi-Fi devices on the unlicensed 5GHz band.

The latest development came when Verizon, T-Mobile, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Qualcomm sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission opposing a Wi-Fi Alliance proposal that would slow the process of getting LTE-U out of testbeds and into real-world networks. The FCC hasn't made any final decisions yet.