Europe : Since its beginning, the Internet has been a hotbed of innovation. From YouTube to Facebook to Second Life, it has brought an onslaught of new and exciting ways for us to communicate. All of them based on some lesser known but equally important innovations: the telecommunications technologies that companies like Nortel have invented and are continually improving. One of the latest technologies set to quell user demand for more bandwidth is 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE).

With progress, comes the demand for more progress. We have the Internet, now we want the wireless Internet. Research conducted by Nortel has shown that people are frustrated by the data limitations of most wireless networks today. Better connections -- more connections, faster connections, like what is offered by LTE - would make life in the hyperconnected world much simpler.

"Today, at home or at the office, your network is just there - putting the world at your fingertips. But if you are out on the move, whether it be for meetings, running errands, or traveling around the world, your communications experience becomes very, very complicated," said Scott Wickware, vice president of marketing and strategy for Carrier Networks, Nortel. "You can e-mail, but you can´t send or open certain files. You can surf the net, but you have to wait ages for pages to load and forget about watching a video. Your other option is to search out a WiFi hot spot where you´ll then have to pay yet another connection fee. When you go mobile, all of a sudden you are forced to pay attention to the network and you shouldn´t have to."

The demand for better connections and the need for the experience to be simple are what drive the next level of innovation in our networks. For wireless networks, that next level of innovation is 4G mobile broadband, which includes LTE and WiMAX. 4G can extend the quality experience that users get from their fixed connections into the mobile world. Nortel has all the elements needed to bring carriers successfully into the 4G world: innovation in WiMAX and LTE, a strong ecosystem, all IP-core, and a deep understanding of what consumer and business users are looking for from their wireless experience.

At this year´s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nortel, LG-Nortel, and LG Electronics(2) (LG) are demonstrating how LTE can deliver high-speed wireless Internet that is so accessible from everywhere that the user doesn´t even need to think about it.

The Nortel, LG-Nortel, and LG real-world demonstration scenarios take advantage of the huge bandwidth capacities of LTE to bring some of today´s hottest Internet applications onto wireless devices. For example, using an LTE mobile broadband connection, a user traveling on a train can watch videos streamed from YouTube or monitor his home security by accessing an online video surveillance system. With the speed of LTE, the mobile user could even watch streaming HD video or engage in a video chat session with friends.

"Bandwidth-intensive applications are expected to drive huge demand on mobile networks. By working together, LG, Nortel, and LG-Nortel are accelerating the commercialization of LTE forward, preparing it for real-world deployments that deliver the services that consumers are craving," said Dr. Jinsung Choi, head of LG Electronics Mobile Communication Tech Research Lab.

As the world embraces the new era of Hyperconnectivity, where anything that can be connected will be, LTE will allow operators to evolve their current 2G and 3G networks to the next level of innovation that delivers the true mobile broadband services that consumers want. Using LTE, operators can deploy competitive, revenue-generating applications cost effectively to all subscribers.

"Nortel is moving forward aggressively on LTE in order to bring to market a solution capable of supporting high demand applications like video and interactive services that will have an impact on operators´ bottom lines and revolutionize the user experience," said Doug Wolff, general manager of LTE, Nortel. "Whether an operator is currently operating a 2G or 3G network, Nortel will enable their transition to LTE in a simple and cost effective way - protecting investments in existing technologies."

But just how long term is this LTE innovation? Field trials of the technology will occur this year, with deployments in 2009 and commercial ramp in early 2010. Nortel is establishing early leadership in LTE. The company is currently conducting LTE trials alongside other telecom infrastructure and device vendors, including LG, as well as wireless operators and chipset companies around the world as part of the LTE-SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI). The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) is a global, collaborative technology trial initiative focused on accelerating the availability of next generation LTE mobile broadband systems and a strong ecosystem of devices and applications. LTE is defined by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8 which has already been approved by the organization.

For more information on Nortel´s LTE strategy, listen to a 4G "Teach In" webcast delivered by Richard Lowe and Doug Wolff.