LG Electronics announced that it will demonstrate its almost market-ready Long Term Evolution (LTE) – a top contender to become the standard technology for 4G mobile networks – in cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Spain from February 11 through 14.

The wireless LTE technology LG will showcase this year is two to three times faster than the wired technology it demonstrated last year. With download speeds of up to 60 Mbps and uploads at up to 40 Mbps, this LTE technology is fully capable of real time high definition video streaming, with no choppiness or buffer time. It is fully six times faster than HSDPA (High Speed Download packet Access) and eight times faster than HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access). This means that phones built for LTE networks could download a 700 megabyte movie in 90 seconds or a three megabyte MP3 file in 0.4 second.

The technology demonstration will use an LTE handset platform developed by LG and base station technology from Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel. This is not a laboratory simulation and will demonstrate how close to commercialization LTE is. The demonstration will use real mobile phone frequency ranges and components that can be further miniaturized for use in actual handsets. It will also show how LTE can be used in real-life situations like video conferencing, uploading user generated content to the internet and streaming security camera video.

“This demonstration shows that we are fully on track for commercializing Long Term Evolution technology,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “This demonstration clearly shows LG’s advantage in developing Long Term Evolution micro receivers for handsets. We at LG have drawn up the blueprints for the future of wireless technology and these new networks will allow us to better provide our customers with the services and content they demand.”

LTE is likely to become the next standard for high speed wireless networks, as it can be added to existing WCDMA and HSDPA networks without the need to build additional infrastructure. This demonstration shows the leading roles played by LG, Alcatel-Lucent and Nortel in moving LTE toward commercial use.

To further promote the speedy commercialization of LTE technology LG has joined the Next Generation Mobile Network, an association dedicated to the creation of networks suitable for the competitive delivery of mobile broadband services and cost-efficient eventual replacement of existing networks.

LG is also the first Korean company to join the LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI), an association promoting the early adoption of the Third Generation Partnership Project’s Long Term Evolution technology, or 3GPP LTE.

To see this technology demonstration in person, visit LG’s booth during the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Hall 8 of Fira de Barcelona.

Photos attached are at the courtesy of Yonhap News Agency, Korea (when one uses photos plz identify the source, Yonhap News Agency, Korea)

About Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Long Term Evolution is an advanced mobile communication technology based on WCDMA, the current 3G standard. This means that the technology can provide enhanced mobile services without the need for building additional network infrastructure. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a mobile technology standards organization, is currently in the process of standardizing LTE as a 4G technology. Top phone makers and networking companies from around the world, including LG Electronics, Ericsson, Qualcomm and NTT DoCoMo, support and contribute to LTE’s development. Industry experts see a strong likelihood that LTE will be the next 4G standard thanks to its strong capabilities and ease of implementation.

About 4G
To qualify as 4G, a network technology must be able to transfer data at over 1 Gbps to a stationary receiver or 100Mbps to a receiver moving at 60 Km/h. This is 50 times faster than WCDMA for moving receivers and 10 times faster than wired broadband internet connections for stationary receivers. 4G networks are also IP-based, making them more efficient.

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 Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Orange, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Since its inception LSTI has expanded to also include a total of 18 companies in its membership.

About 3GPP LTE
Third Generation Partnership Project Long Term Evolution or 3GPP LTE is part of the IMT-Advanced concept, for future mobile technology standards. It is in the final stages of standardization, which will be completed in September 2007. Its core technology is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Modulation/Multiplexing (OFDM) and Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO), which are superior for transmitting broadband data over CDMA networks and for maximizing spectral efficiency.