Ericsson unveils world's first commercial LTE platform

Ericsson today unveiled its M700 mobile platform, the world's first commercially available LTE-capable platform, with peak data rates of up to 100Mbps in the downlink and up to 50Mbps in the uplink.

These speeds match, or in some cases surpass, fixed-line data rates, enabling a superior user experience, supporting advanced real-time mobile services such as online games and video streaming.

The M700 is optimized both in terms of size and power consumption and comparable to standard 3G platforms available today.

The first products based on M700 will be data devices such as laptop modems, ExpressCards and USB modems for notebooks, as well as other small-form modems suitable for consumer electronic devices.

A rich set of interfaces allows easy integration with other handset platforms to create multi-mode devices. Samples of ASICs will be available during 2008 and commercial release is set for 2009, with products based on the platform expected in 2010.

Supporting bandwidths between 1.4 and 20MHz, the M700 is compatible with networks around the world.

It can support up to six bands, including the 700 MHz bands. Ericsson's interoperability testing ensures manufacturers can rapidly bring highly advanced devices to the market while reducing risk and lowering development costs.

Ericsson's head of mobile platforms, Robert Puskaric, said the launch markes a milestone in the company's technology leadership and reflects its commitment to developing LTE as an evolutionary path.

It is set to boost operators' service offering and provide consumers with a superior experience with full service broadband on any device, anywhere, at any time," he said.

The announcement follows the first ever demonstration of an LTE-enabled end-to-end phone call employing handheld mobile devices at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.

Also today, Polycom announced that its analogue SoundStation and VoiceStation conference phones now incorporate advanced radio frequency (RF) shielding technology.

This new benefit, built into the latest versions of the iconic triangular conference phones used by millions of corporates worldwide, delivers a clearer and more productive conferencing experience by eliminating the annoying buzzing noise caused by interference from nearby cellular devices.

RF interference affects the millions of conference phones, regardless of manufacturer, that are currently installed in businesses around the globe.

Polycom A/NZ country manager, Michael Chetner, said RF interference is nothing new, but awareness of it is at an all-time high, as more and more business is conducted over virtual forms of communications such as voice and video conferencing.

This is also compounded by the growing popularity of mobile devices.

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"Now customers can bring their mobile devices into the conference room and be assured that they won't cause any interference to important conference calls," Chetner added.

Polycom has aggressively worked to develop solutions that stop the "buzz" and offer unmatched audio quality.

The company's new RF shielding and isolation technologies are currently shipping worldwide and was developed in response to customer feedback.

In a survey of 1,000 Polycom customers, 97 per cent of respondents noticed the buzz when on a call and found it distracting or annoying.

While they understood the buzz was a direct result of having mobile devices in the room, 60 per cent of respondents said it was critical for them to keep their mobile device with them during the meeting in order to stay connected to business.

The problem is so widespread that 70 per cent reported a willingness to upgrade their conference phones if that would solve the problem.

Mobile and wireless advisory firm, Farpoint Group, praised the technology. The company's principal, Craig Mathias, said RF interference, known for being an issue with wireless LANS and other unlicensed devices, affects all kinds of products, wireless or not.

The problem, he said, is widespread and is finally being addressed.

Polycom has built multiple layers of robust protection to help avoid the adverse effects of RF interference.

Moreover, customers upgrading conference phones with the new technology can recycle old phones under a partnership Polycom has formed with Sims Recycling Solutions.

In Australia and New Zealand, electrical and electronic products (e-waste) are increasingly contributing to landfill sites as rapid advances in information technology and commoditisation rates reduce the lifecycles of computers and peripheral materials.

In Australia, the manufacture, use and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment purchased is estimated to account for over 42 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year.