Samsung and Qualcomm unveil industry-leading LTE-enabled small cells in unlicensed frequencies

New York, February 21, 2016.- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. And Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated NASDAQ: QCOM , announced a collaboration to develop small cell technology and products that support LTE in unlicensed frequencies and are designed to increase the speed and capacity of mobile networks. With this, mobile operators will be able to help their subscribers have a superior user experience.

Samsung’s small LTE-U eFemto cell, based on FSM chipsets

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Qualcomm

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, Will help improve speed and capacity of mobile networks

Due to the surge in smartphone and data traffic, companies need more frequencies to provide fast-growing traffic and higher-quality services. LTE in the unlicensed bands includes a number of technologies that aggregate licensed and unlicensed frequencies such as 5 GHz frequencies , effectively and rapidly increasing network capacity and throughput.

Samsung’s LTE-U eFemto small cells have built-in Qualcomm FSM 9955 chipsets. With the aggregation of licensed and unlicensed bands, Samsung’s small cell LTE-U eFemto femtocell helps mobile operators cope with the rapid growth in demand for mobile data communications by improving network performance in busy locations, enterprises such as offices, shopping malls, hospitals and other public places.

Qualcomm’s FSM9955 chipset supports eCSAT enhanced Carrier Sensing Adaptive Transmission technology, which provides the ability to share with Wi-Fi according to the latest LTE-U Forum specifications released this past October, providing fair sharing of the unlicensed frequency band for both scenarios – both below and above the ED Energy Detect threshold for Wi-Fi.

Using Qualcomm’s FSM9955 chipset, Samsung’s LTE-U eFemto small cells can also support LTE Licensed-Assisted Access LAA technology with a simple software upgrade. The LAA includes “Listen-Before-Talk” functionality required in some countries to coexist with Wi-Fi, making it a universal solution for LTE use in the unlicensed band. LAA is part of the 3GPP LTE Advanced Pro Release 13 standard, which will be finalized in early 2016, and is then expected to be quickly adopted by mobile operators worldwide.

“We are pleased to partner with industry leader Samsung in accelerating innovation in small cells and extending the benefits of LTE into the unlicensed band,” said Neville Meijers, Vice President of Small Cells at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. – Judicious use of licensed and unlicensed spectrum is important to meet information needs and provide users with the best service possible.”.

“We are pleased to add this innovative LTE-U technology to our small cell portfolio. Mobile operators and companies need to combine advanced technology with affordability to meet the fast-growing data demands of 4G today and in the future,” said Kiho Cho, Vice President, Network System Design Lab, Network Business, Samsung Electronics, “Samsung’s small LTE-U eFemto cell will benefit users by providing faster data transfer rates along with seamless mobility and reliable operation while minimizing Wi-Fi interference.”.

Samsung’s LTE-U eFemto small cell design embodies the “plug and play” principle, with easy installation and high capacity for both operators and enterprises. A single small cell can support three 20 MHz carriers in both licensed and unlicensed bands, delivering peak speeds to subscribers of up to 450 Mbps.

Samsung’s LTE-U eFemto Small Cell with the Qualcomm FSM 9955 chipset will be on display at the Qualcomm Pavilion Exhibit Hall 3, #3E10 and Samsung Exhibit Hall 2, 2M10 at Mobile World Congress 2016, February 22-25 in Barcelona, Spain.