T-Mobile and Nortel: World’s first successful live test of the next generation of mobile communications with LTE under everyday conditions

TORONTO – Mobility test passed: T-Mobile **, jointly with Nortel * [NYSE/TSX: NT ], was the first network operator to demonstrate the next generation mobile communications or NGMN (Next Generation Mobile Networks) successfully for its fitness under everyday conditions, using LTE (Long Term Evolution) as an example. T-Mobile had already shown its innovative leadership in the area of NGMN at CeBIT 2008: Visitors were able to experience in an on-site demonstration how close to real time several HD videos were transmitted with data download rates of up to 170 Mbit/s and upload rates of up to 50 Mbit/s.

Now, T-Mobile goes one step further by realizing the NGMN in a live test under everyday conditions. In the trial, data was transmitted to and from a vehicle driving in Bonn between Deutsche Telekom’s headquarters on the left side of the river Rhine and the T-Mobile headquarters on the river’s right bank. On the four-kilometer test track data transmission went smoothly without interruptions and without loss of quality even across different cells – one of the most important prerequisites for qualification as a mobile communications network of the future. The network used in this test was established by Nortel and consisted of a multi – cell end-to-end Nortel network. LG Electronics terminals were used in the vehicle.

In a second step, applications with high demands on bandwidth and latency like HDTV, HD-Video or Online Gaming will then be tested for their usability under real-world conditions.

“As a pioneer in the development of NGMN, T-Mobile marked the next step in testing future technology with this field trial. In line with the NGMN Alliance’s recommendation we are the first network operator worldwide to take LTE as one of the possible new future technologies from the laboratory to the field. In doing so, we are consolidating our position as the leading network provider and innovation driver. At the same time, we are underlining our claim of continuing to offer our customers top quality and the fastest broadband connections for the mobile Internet with the next generation of networks,” said a delighted Joachim Horn, chief technology officer of T-Mobile International AG, on the successful start to LTE testing.

“We are pleased to join efforts with T-Mobile in bringing Nortel’s LTE technology to life in the Bonn test network,” said Richard Lowe , president, Carrier Networks, Nortel. “T-Mobile is a thought leader in NGMN. This early field trial is an important step for both companies to test LTE’s extensive capabilities and demonstrate innovative LTE applications. Ongoing joint testing of LTE in a real mobile operator network will expand understanding of the benefits and performance characteristics of LTE technology which will further strengthen Nortel’s offering and accelerate our time to market.”