NextWave Wireless subsidiary IPWireless has opened a new development center in Aalborg, Denmark, to meet European operator demand for TDtv, a mobile TV technology developed by IPWireless that uses existing 3G spectrum to deliver HD multichannel mobile TV, digital radio and other multimedia services.
The Aalborg facility will focus on developing TDtv terminal designs, MBSFN protocol stacks design, unicast/multicast integration and advanced development projects based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology. It will also support the commercial deployment of TDtv technology across Western Europe. IPWireless expects the center to employ more than 40 engineers by the end of the year.
According to Dr. Bill Jones, CEO and co-founder of IPWireless, TDtv has been designed as a way for operators to "profitably deliver advanced, multichannel HD mobile TV services to their customers. It's a proven technology that is now ready for full commercial deployment." The main role of the engineering team at the Aalborg facility will be to accelerate the rollout of TDtv in Europe.
TDtv operates in the universal unpaired (TDD) 3G spectrum bands that are available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and 2010MHz. It enables UMTS operators to further use their existing TDD spectrum to offer subscribers mobile TV and multimedia packages without impacting their 3G voice and data services, which use universal paired (FDD) 3G spectrum. In addition, the technology supports network sharing to further reduce deployment and operational costs.
Earlier this year, IPWireless announced the results from a joint technical trial of TDtv conducted by Vodafone, Telefónica, Orange and 3UK. The trial demonstrated TDtv's ability to reliably deliver up to 14 high-quality channels in 5MHz of TDD spectrum with coverage comparable to WCDMA — with far fewer cell sites. According to the company, the trial also demonstrated the viability of dual-mode TDtv/WCDMA handsets as well as the ability of the technology to support full mobility at vehicular speeds.
For more information, visit www.ipwireless.com.
