US Wimax operator Clearwire announced plans to test a LTE network. The tests will be run with Huawei Technologies, which has already deployed a commercial LTE network in Europe using the same frequency band as Clearwire, 2.5-2.6GHz. Clearwire will use Samsung's base station platform, already in use for its Wimax network, and work with suppliers such as Beceem on end-user devices for a multi-mode Wimax/LTE network. Other participating vendors for Clearwire's technical trials are expected to be named at a later date, as well as a number large wireless operators. The tests will be conducted in the autumn and throughout early 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. Clearwire plans three types of tests. A trial of FDD LTE using 2x20 MHz of its 2.5 GHz spectrum is expected to confirm real-world download speeds of 20-70 Mbps, well ahead of the 5-12 Mbps in Verizon's trials using smaller pairs of 10Mhz channels. Clearwire will also test TDD LTE, in a 20 MHz configuration, which is twice the channel size currently used in its Wimax deployments. Finally, Clearwire will test Wimax co-existence with both FDD LTE and TDD LTE to confirm the flexibility of its network and spectrum strength to simultaneously support a wide-range of devices. The company also restated its commitment to use Wimax technology for its current network build plan.
