LSTI Begins Cross-Vendor Interoperability Testing for LTE/SAE

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, May 19 (MARKET WIRE) --
The LTE SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI), a unique global collaboration of
LTE/SAE vendors and operators, has commenced testing to confirm that
LTE/SAE infrastructure, chipsets, and devices from various vendors across
the globe can interoperate to deliver end-to-end LTE/SAE networks. This
vendor co-operation and interoperability testing will enhance the LTE
ecosystem, leading to economies of scale and more diverse deployment
options for LTE operators.

LSTI's Interoperability Development Testing (IODT) will be performed by
various pairs of LSTI members. Each pair will consist of a network
infrastructure vendor and a user equipment or chipset vendor. The pairs
will perform interoperability testing based on a common set of features
and established 3GPP LTE/SAE Release 8 Standards (March 09). Testing
results will be consolidated by LSTI to validate the maturity of the
standards and ensure the commercial capabilities of end-to-end LTE
networks. A selection of consolidated results will be made public for the
benefit and use of the entire LTE industry.

"Interoperability testing based on an industry-wide set of common
features is important because it will give LTE operators a wider choice
of equipment from different vendors as they plan their network
deployments," said Jani Maenpaa, IODT Group Chairman, LSTI. "LSTI's work
on interoperability supports the development of a robust global ecosystem
for LTE/SAE. Cross-vendor collaboration at this point in the development
of LTE/SAE will help to ensure that that all the pieces of the LTE puzzle
- infrastructure, chipsets, devices, and applications - fit together to
support commercial deployments of LTE/SAE."

In March, 3GPP officially froze the LTE/SAE Release 8 standards. The 3GPP
standard provides a baseline for the functions and capabilities provided
in LTE/SAE products and how they should interoperate. Commercial LTE/SAE
devices and networks are being created based on the standard. LSTI has
aligned the interoperability phase of its LTE/SAE testing to this
official standards baseline.

For interoperability testing, LSTI has identified core LTE/SAE features,
such as data transfer and mobility, related to user equipment and network
interfaces. LTE/SAE test specifications that align with the 3GPP standard
have also been developed. LSTI's IODT work will show the progress of
cross-vendor interoperability for these LTE/SAE features and further
strengthen the maturity of the standards baseline.

LSTI's IODT phase builds upon the Proof of Concept testing which was
completed earlier this year. In addition to Proof of Concept testing on
the FDD variant of LTE, LSTI has now successfully completed a first phase
of testing on the TDD variant, also called 'TD-LTE'. Single user TD-LTE
equipment in the lab is functioning as expected and meets the industry's
performance targets for latency, peak data rates (uplink and downlink),
and MIMO functionality. Initial results are also now available on more
mature aspects such as end-end performance and handover. The group is on
target to consolidate all aspects of TDD performance and functionality in
June.

The LSTI Proof of Concept activity tests how real LTE implementations
measure up against theoretical expectations. Julius Robson, Chairman of
the Proof of Concept group, will present these results at the LTE World
Summit in Berlin on Tuesday 19th May.

LSTI's efforts to accelerate development of the LTE technology and
ecosystem have recently been enhanced by the addition of further new
members to the trial initiative. The latest companies to join LSTI are
Bouygues Telecom, EMOBILE, EB (Elektrobit Corporation), setcom wireless
products, Cisco, DATANG Mobile, and Turkcell.

About LSTI

The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) is a global, collaborative technology
trial initiative focused on accelerating the availability of commercial
and interoperable next generation LTE mobile broadband systems. The
Initiative was formally launched in May 2007 by leading
telecommunications companies. Since its inception LSTI has expanded to
include over 30 members, click here to see a full list of members. For
more information visit www.lstiforum.com.

Contacts:
Nortel
Karen Monaghan
+1-613-763-1133
kmonagha@nortel.com

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