January 28, 2010 | First data call at maximum downlink rate of 100 Mbps for a Class 3 USB wireless modem.

Nokia Siemens Networks and LG Electronics have achieved an LTE downlink data transfer rate of 100 Mbps, the maximum speed for a Class 3 LTE terminal. In LTE, user equipment is categorized into classes based on its potential uplink and downlink data rates. Class 3 terminals are expected to be the first widely used commercial LTE terminals when they are launched later in 2010. This data call, operating a Class 3 terminal at its 100Mbps limit, therefore demonstrates significant progress towards commercial LTE.

The call was made using Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE radio equipment including the Flexi Multiradio Base Station, its Evolved Packet Core network elements and standards-compliant software along with a pre-commercial LTE USB modem from LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications. The speed record comes after the announcement from November 2009, when the two companies were the first to complete end-to-end LTE interoperability tests in the 2100 MHz frequency band.

“LTE is the super-fast mobile broadband technology that we are able to deliver today. It helps operators address the challenge of growing data traffic as well as delivering a superior end-user experience,” said Marc Rouanne, head of Network Systems, Nokia Siemens Networks. “We’re driving the introduction of LTE through our collaboration with leading device vendors, such as LG ,and by providing a smooth and cost-efficient transition path to LTE via a software upgrade only.”

The data call was made as part of extended interoperability tests conducted by Nokia Siemens Networks and LG in the 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz frequency bands at Nokia Siemens Networks’ LTE R&D centers in Oulu, Finland, and Ulm, Germany.

“This successful data call at 100 Mbps shows the progress we have made towards commercial LTE deployments as well as our readiness to offer the high throughput performance expected with LTE,” said Go-hee Choi, vice president of LG Electronics Mobile Communication Technology Research Lab. “It builds on the interoperability tests we conducted last year with Nokia Siemens Networks, where we demonstrated a pre-requisite for commercial deployments of LTE.”

Nokia Siemens Networks and LG continue to work on testing LTE in other frequency bands and to improve performance. In addition to initiatives at its R&D centers, Nokia Siemens Networks has deployed a number of LG’s terminals in its live over-the-air field test network in the Espoo area of Finland, using real-life mobility scenarios. In addition, LG’s terminals will be used in live trials with Nokia Siemens Networks’ customers.