LTE spectrum sharing could accelerate coverage

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut HHI in Berlin, have found a way to make it easier for providers to build out 4G LTE infrastructure in the face of growing demand for high-speed mobile access to the Internet.

They’ve created a new technology, dubbed LTE spectrum sharing, that allows two or more providers to share frequencies and infrastructure, such as base stations and mobile radio antennas. HHI’s Dr. Volker Jungnickel, explains: “This way, for example, customers of network provider A in Bavaria could use the base stations of network provider B in Brandenburg and vice versa.” Apart from cost savings, say the researchers, the new approach can close coverage gaps and make LTE available more quickly in rural areas.