SaskTel to test LTE in rural areas

One of the problems bedevilling carriers is how to deliver faster broadband speeds to rural customers as they boast about the speeds their urban clients can get.

SaskTel said Monday it will test a new approach starting in December in three Saskatchewan communities: Fixed data and voice wireless service using the LTE standard.

The carrier announced from Bejing that it has signed an agreement with Huawei Technologies for a nine-month trial to see if the technology is economically feasible.

The pact was announced in China in part because Premier Brad Wall is there on a mission.

 
 
(SaskTel CEO Ron Styles and Huawei Canadea president Sean Yang at signing ceremony in Bejing.)

“SaskTel’s copper infrastructure dates back to the 1960s and we are fast approaching the need to replace and upgrade this technology,” SaskTel CEO Ron Styles said in a statement. “With the positive partnership that has evolved with Huawei with our 4G network and our mobile LTE wireless deployment efforts that are underway, we are very pleased to partner with them to complete this trial.”

LTE, short for Long-Term Evolution, is usually thought of a mobile wireless data technology built into the latest handsets, tablets and USB modems.

This test will use Huawei base stations and customer modems using technology called TDD-LTE (for time-division duplex), a version developed by Chinese telecom manufacturers like Huawei which doesn’t require paired spectrum. Transmit and receive signals are sent on the same channel. Handsets in North America use FDD-LTE (for frequency-division duplex), which requires paired spectrum. The test will use SaskTel’s spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band.  Also to be tested is the suitability of the emerging voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) technology. LTE handsets now still carry voice signals over a separate band. VoLTE is a converged Internet protocol voice-data technology that promises carriers greater efficiencies with their spectrum.

 
RELATED CONTENT

Scott Bradley, vice-president of government and corporate affairs for Huawei Canada, who is in Bejing for the deal signing, said in a phone call this morning that the trial will test the speed and range of the technology, as well as different residential modem/antenna options. Extending broadband into Saskatchewan’s less densely-populated areas is a problem because some homes are several kilometers away from each other, he said.

Huawei is doing similar tests in several countries, he said, including Portual. He didn’t have details on how they are going. This is new technology for Huawei, he said, that has started rolling out only in the last six months.

It is hoped customers will see download speeds of close to 100 Mbps, which is the theoretical maximum LTE can achieve under ideal circumstances. Download speeds will vary based on the number of people on the network.

(In a recent test on the Telus network in Toronto, IT World Canada sometimes got download speeds of just over 40 Mbps using a wireless RIM PlayBook tablet).

By comparison, last month SaskTel announced it has started construction of its infiNet fibre optic to the home landline network in the province that will give download speeds of up to 200 Mbps. That $670 million network will be built in the province’s nine largest cities over seven years.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Howard Solomon
Howard Solomon
Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times. I can be reached at hsolomon [@] soloreporter.com

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now