First LTE Data Call Made On Live NetFirst LTE Data Call Made On Live Net

The live call is the latest in a series of LTE tests and trials in preparation for the launch of LTE.

The first data call on a live LTE network has been completed by Alcatel Lucent, which reported Thursday that the call was carried out on the 800 MHz European Digital Dividend (EDD) spectrum band in Germany.

The live call is the latest in a series of LTE tests and trials in preparation for the launch of LTE in several countries including by Verizon Wireless in the U.S.

Noting that the EDD call was completed at Alcatel-Lucent's 4G/LTE solutions center in Stuttgart, the firm said it transmitted high-definition video streaming and that Alcatel-Lucent's commercial infrastructure platforms and prototype mobile devices were utilized in the call. The company said 800 MHz spectrum is expected to be auctioned in the second quarter of 2010 in Europe.

"Our goal is to quickly and effectively support operators in their plans to further enhance the availability of broadband services all over the region," said the company's Ken Wirth in a statement. "so we adapted our LTE solution to the 800 MHz frequency band quite early on and we are now working with customers on field trials." Wirth is president of Alcatel-Lucent's LTE/4G Solutions unit.

LTE in the 800 MHz spectrum band will likely be valuable in bringing mobile broadband to rural areas and to urban areas where smaller cells are required, Alcatel-Lucent said, adding that it has been successfully testing 4G/LTE mobile services and has achieved data rates up to 60 Mbit/s in the process.

In the U.S. Alcatel-Lucent has been building out an LTE infrastructure for Verizon Wireless' along with Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Starent Networks.