The FCC has granted Qualcomm a special temporary authority (STA) to conduct very small scale performance evaluation tests of LTE-U equipment at two Verizon sites in Oklahoma City and Raleigh. The Wi-Fi Alliance, working together with advocates of LTE-U, is developing a test plan to evaluate the coexistence of LTE-U with Wi-Fi and other devices operating in the unlicensed spectrum. A draft of the plan is expected to be released in early February. Qualcomm and Verizon have also agreed to participate in subsequent laboratory and real world co-existence testing of LTE-U.
Julius Knapp, chief of the regulator’s Office of Engineering & Technology, said that while significant steps remain before LTE-U can be considered for commercial deployment, this development is an encouraging step forward. He added that LTE-U devices will have to be tested and authorised by the FCC Laboratory before they can be marketed in the US.
