Wi-Fi Alliance approves LTE-U Coexistence Test Plan

The Wi-Fi Alliance has presented a Coexistence Test Plan to help develop LTE-U services in spectrum bands used for Wi-Fi.

 

The test plan was developed over several months by dozens of companies from both the Wi-Fi and LTE-U communities and will be used to test whether LTE-U devices can share unlicensed spectrum without disrupting Wi-Fi services. The plan includes a comprehensive set of test scenarios agreed upon by the industry as adequate to determine proper sharing, and the Wi-Fi Alliance encouraged all LTE-U vendors and operators to use the test plan. 

 

Coming to an industry-agreed solution required compromises from all sides, the Alliance noted. Therefore, the test plan is designed to be used as an unedited whole. Alternate test approaches, such as selectively omitting or modifying portions of the test plan would not have been acceptable in this cross-industry effort, since those tactics will not provide assurances of fair coexistence. 

 

It is expected that LTE-U vendors will test every LTE-U device against the entire Coexistence Test Plan. The Wi-Fi Alliance will qualify an independent test laboratory so coexistence testing can begin immediately.