Motorola Demonstrates Industry’s First CDMA/EV-DO Rev-A to LTE Network Handoffs

[Mobile Mike]

Lab innovation accelerates next-generation network selection for CDMA carriers

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – 26 March 2008 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the first successful packet-switched network handoff between CDMA EV-DO Rev-A and Long Term Evolution (LTE) technologies in a demonstration with VoIP calls and streaming video. Motorola’s handoff technique illustrates how service providers using CDMA-based networks today can smoothly integrate broadband OFDMA and IP packet-based wireless broadband technologies like LTE into their network, enabling the roll-out of more interactive services like HD mobile blogging and broadcasting, HD video-on-demand and online gaming.

Designed to encourage discussions and trials of high-performance, mobile broadband networks, Motorola’s demonstration highlights LTE’s potential for delivering multiple voice, video, data and wireless services with transparent mobility between LTE and legacy networks using multi-mode LTE/CDMA/EV-DO Rev-A enabled devices. The handoff also shows carriers interested in upgrading their networks the viability of deploying LTE while using their existing 3G network coverage and assets, without sacrificing service quality as consumers move between LTE and 3G network coverage zones.

"Technological enhancements such as the CDMA/EV-DO Rev-A to LTE handoff demonstration done by Motorola gives Alltel confidence that LTE is progressing in the right direction,” said Chris Smith, executive vice president, Network Services, Alltel. “It is going to be incredibly important for LTE to inter-operate with our existing technology as this is one of many key functionalities that will play a critical role in our final decision making."

In this Motorola demonstration, laptops and mobile devices are equipped with dual radio transceivers that support both CDMA/EV-DO Rev-A and LTE and are active during the packet handoffs. As a device loses LTE connectivity, it automatically switches to EV-DO to ensure consistent streaming without dropping IP packets. The process is then reversed, and devices switch back to LTE when LTE connectivity is restored.

While the LTE standards are still under development, the handover mechanisms employed in this demonstration leverage concepts which are part of the non-optimized handover procedures in LTE core network SAE standard 3GPP TS 23.402.

The Motorola mobile devices and networks product and advanced technology teams collaborated to develop the necessary application software for the base station trial equipment and the mobile device used in the demonstration.

From Motorola.com

Referenced from a news byte at Phonescoop:

Motorola has successfully handed off packet sessions from an EV-DO Rev. A network to an LTE network. It used VoIP calls and streaming video feeds to illustrate how the hand-offs work. The hand-offs require handsets that are equipped with both LTE and EV-DO chipsets. This test shows that CDMA networks run by companies such as Verizon Wireless can transition to LTE technology smoothly in the future. The LTE standard has not yet been fully ratified, but the concepts Motorola used to conduct these tests are based on some of the core LTE network specifications.

[Eric47]

this has alrealdy been demonstrated for GSM/UMTS(WCDMA) i believe

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

this has alrealdy been demonstrated for GSM/UMTS(WCDMA) i believe

I believe you are right. This one highlighted how CDMA handed off to LTE, which is a major step in aiding the transition from CDMA to LTE by Verizon, Alltel, and others.

[Eric47]

pretty neat. we will be back to what the AMPS days were like were everyone used the same systems as eventually everyone will go LTE...i really doubt that WiMax will make it but who knows, and we never know if something else will come around as it will be a few years before the implimentation of anything anywayz.

But the thing that interests me is the implications that it may have on the industry/roaming agreements/prices/etc.

either way its a win for the consumer...

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

pretty neat. we will be back to what the AMPS days were like were everyone used the same systems as eventually everyone will go LTE...i really doubt that WiMax will make it but who knows, and we never know if something else will come around as it will be a few years before the implimentation of anything anywayz.

But the thing that interests me is the implications that it may have on the industry/roaming agreements/prices/etc.

either way its a win for the consumer...

I'm excited about this because, as you said, not since analog days will most carriers be on the same system. To be able to switch phones between Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Alltel, and whoever else joins the LTE parade, would be awesome.

This makes Verizon's move towards LTE more plausible and possible without massive headaches (I'm hoping) building an entirely parallel network. Fingers crossed.

[Eric47]

Alltel is excited bc they will become an even bigger key roaming player than they already have been.


Of course, until we see the build out of 700mhz, we really dont know...Alltel may not be the only rural providers now that ATT and Verizon have some big chunks of 700

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by EricN4707

Alltel is excited bc they will become an even bigger key roaming player than they already have been.


Of course, until we see the build out of 700mhz, we really dont know...Alltel may not be the only rural providers now that ATT and Verizon have some big chunks of 700

Good point, Eric. It will be interesting to see how the 700mhz spectrum use by the Big 2 will play out as far as rural coverage and roaming, not to mention 4G technology.

[Dogma]

Originally Posted by Mobile Mike

Good point, Eric. It will be interesting to see how the 700mhz spectrum use by the Big 2 will play out as far as rural coverage and roaming, not to mention 4G technology.

Alltel is going to have either merge or buyout a few more carriers to make it long term. Just as you mentioned, the "big two" will be building out their 700 MHz markets eventually. The 700 propogations will be an added benefit in rural America.

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

i have to say that I honestly didnt know that Alltel had 4G plans........now since UMTS is 3G is LTE just the next assumed step in the evolution...........cuz like it has been said earlier in the thread this means incredible things for roaming and rates and so one and so forth

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by SmArTeStChIlD421

i have to say that I honestly didnt know that Alltel had 4G plans........now since UMTS is 3G is LTE just the next assumed step in the evolution...........cuz like it has been said earlier in the thread this means incredible things for roaming and rates and so one and so forth

Every carrier has to have some sort of 4G plans. They have to be at least thinking about it. At least here in the US if they don't invest in new technology they are sunk.

-Jay

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

yeah i guess you're right............but look at T-Mobile.......they are only starting 3G rollout this year......i do hope that they have set up a big 3G network and just havent turned it on yet........they have said nothing about 4G at all..

not to get too off topic but does it make sense to say that T-Mobile prolli has built a big 3G network to turn on all at one time or a small one in a few cities.......cuz turning on hundreds of cities would be a smart instead of turning on 20......you know what i mean? considering that they are a little behind.

[MasterC]

Originally Posted by SmArTeStChIlD421

yeah i guess you're right............but look at T-Mobile.......they are only starting 3G rollout this year......i do hope that they have set up a big 3G network and just havent turned it on yet........they have said nothing about 4G at all..

not to get too off topic but does it make sense to say that T-Mobile prolli has built a big 3G network to turn on all at one time or a small one in a few cities.......cuz turning on hundreds of cities would be a smart instead of turning on 20......you know what i mean? considering that they are a little behind.

I think If T-Moblie is smart they will turn it on in alot of big cities and go from there.

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

Originally Posted by MasterC

I think If T-Moblie is smart they will turn it on in alot of big cities and go from there.

exactly.....and it wont be that hard eithe rbecause T-Mobile's native network isnt all that big anyway......i dont see why they shouldnt have half of their network 3G capable when they do eventually turn it on because they stick to major cities anyway......if they had 3/4ths of the network 3G when they turn it on this year I'll be impressed......it's disappointing though that T-Mobile is confined to 1700/2100 for UMTS though.....they wont be able to do roaming agreements with AT&T for 3G services......unless they add the radio for roaming only......kinda makes me thinkg T-Mobile will be a regular 3G Nextel.......

[Mobile Mike]

I have a feeling DT will position T-Mobile US to move right into 4G, despite a short life span of 3G on their network. It wouldn't make any sense for them to let T-Mobile fall behind again. Besides the fact that LTE is the normal evolution of the GSM path anyways.

[Eric47]

TMOB will do it ATT style. They will use the top 20 Markets as test markets and get them rolling and then build upon them and out from there.

by the end of this year ATT's 3G footprint will be over 2x bigger than current status as well as the roll out of HSPA (4G data essentially) in early 09

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

Originally Posted by Mobile Mike

I have a feeling DT will position T-Mobile US to move right into 4G, despite a short life span of 3G on their network. It wouldn't make any sense for them to let T-Mobile fall behind again. Besides the fact that LTE is the normal evolution of the GSM path anyways.

yeah kinda like T-Mobile's EDGE

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by SmArTeStChIlD421

yeah kinda like T-Mobile's EDGE

But even shorter...

[SmArTeStChIlD421]

okay now you see thats just depressing

[Eric47]

whats funny is they are Demo'ing RevA to LTE yet Sprint is hyped up on WiMax, is it not a bit ironic that they find the hard way to do alot of things?

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by Eric47

whats funny is they are Demo'ing RevA to LTE yet Sprint is hyped up on WiMax, is it not a bit ironic that they find the hard way to do alot of things?

I wonder what Sprint's logic is. If they continue to follow the path they are taking they will very likely be unable to roam on, or recieve roaming revenue from any other carrier. I guess they're used to it on the Nextel side, but once they go WiMax, and their coverage drops, how many customers will jump ship?

-Jay