Three U.S. operators, two industry associations – plus a couple of telco vendors for good measure – have formed a new lobby group tasked with promoting LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) and licensed assisted access (LAA).
Called Evolve, the group insists that these upcoming technologies pose no threat to other unlicensed spectrum users like WiFi, and has called on regulators to think twice before meddling with them.
LTE-U is a means of supplementing mobile capacity for cellular communications by utilising unlicensed spectrum. The 5 GHz band, which is used for WiFi, is proving a popular choice for LTE-U. LAA aggregates an LTE-U carrier with an LTE carrier operating in licensed spectrum to increase the amount of overall capacity.
In May, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a consultation seeking input into how LTE-U and LAA will coexist with WiFi. In August, a group of senators wrote to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, urging him to ensure that LTE-U and LAA do not interfere with WiFi.
"Evolve members support WiFi and understand the important role it plays in meeting consumers’ broadband demands. LTE-U and LAA were designed from the ground up to operate cooperatively with WiFi and other signals," said Evolve, in a statement on Monday.
Evolve’s founding members – AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon, the Competitive Carriers Association, CTIA, Alcatel-Lucent, and Qualcomm – argue that current generation technologies like WiFi must also accommodate emerging unlicensed spectrum users like LTE-U and LAA.
"The best way to address spectrum congestion is a strategy of abundance and sound p olicy," said Evolve. "The federal government must continue to make additional spectrum available for unlicensed use."
