The Networks business of Motorola, Inc. announced today that it had added a new product to its 4G - WBR 700 Series LTE eNodeB portfolio, namely a TD-LTE-Advanced capable 4Tx/8Rx radio head that also sports multiple input/multiple output (MIMO). According to the company, the new product is expected to deliver advanced MIMO schemes, including multi user (MU) MIMO and beam-forming. Moreover, the company also revealed that it would showcase the device at the International CTIA Wireless 2010.

Motorola has launched the LTE-Advanced capable WBR 700 Series only recently, the second generation LTE platform it delivers. The WBR 700 Series comes with the company's Intelligent OFDM Scheduler for improved sector throughput, Motorola notes, adding that the eNodeB portfolio features support for TD-LTE as well as FDD-LTE solutions in frequencies ranging from 700MHz to 2.6GHz. At the same time, the solutions also come with a combination of capacity, compact size and energy efficiency.

According to the company, the new high-performance TD-LTE radio head is expected to provide a better subscriber experience courtesy of increased performance and coverage. The solution comes with support for the 2.3GHz frequencies and other TD-LTE bands such as 2.6GHz, the company adds. At the same time, the new WBR 700 TD-LTE 4Tx/8Rx radio head also comes with energy efficient features, decreasing power consumption by up to 30 percent and lowering operational costs.

“Motorola continues to demonstrate the benefits of our significant OFDM expertise by bringing to market industry-leading LTE solutions like the WBR 700 4Tx/8Rx TD-LTE solution,” said Bruce Brda, senior vice president, Motorola Networks. “We are one of the few vendors that has committed to investing in both TD-LTE and FDD-LTE because we know operators will likely use a combination of technologies to meet their 4G needs.”

The company also notes that there are a series of factors that drive the interest in TD-LTE upwards, including:
- the low cost of TDD spectrum that is particularly attractive to emerging and developing markets
- operators’ continuing need for more capacity and spectrum
- and the ability of TD-LTE to hand-off to FDD-LTE networks

The ability to roam between FDD-LTE and TD-LTE enables carriers to make use of TD-LTE networks to boost capacity on their FDD-LTE network. In addition, TD-LTE operators will be able to offer subscribers the possibility to roam other operators’ FDD-LTE networks when abroad. Motorola's WBR 700 series are expected to accommodate 3GPP Release 9 and 10, so that carriers can enjoy a greater flexibility and investment protection when deploying LTE on their network.