US Should Move Forward on LTE-Unlicensed, AT&T Says
The Wi-Fi Alliance recently announced it's “finally” closing in on an approved LTE-unlicensed coexistence test plan, said Joan Marsh, AT&T vice president-federal regulatory. The alliance also determined in a not-so-pleasant surprise that the test plan should include LTE-U’s cousin, licensed…
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assisted access (LAA), Marsh said in a Monday blog post. Part 15 of FCC rules “has always stood for the principle of permission-less innovation,” Marsh wrote. “Any device consistent with the Part 15 rules was promptly authorized. It was a clear regulatory paradigm that led to an explosion of unlicensed devices. With LTE-U, that paradigm was subject to a tectonic shift toward a ‘mother-may-I’ standard, with the role of mother being played by an ever-changing number of actors.” This oversight must be rejected for LAA, she said. “AT&T has no interest in undermining the vibrant Wi-Fi ecosystem that exists today,” she said. “But with LTE-LAA, the ‘mother-may-I’ paradigm must be rejected so the wireless industry can move forward. Make no mistake, the rest of the world is not waiting for permission -- Deutsche Telecom conducted the first LTE-LAA over-the-air trials last November in Germany.” The LTE-U tests in the U.S. have been controversial, with industry groups clashing over whether the alliance is moving quickly enough to open a path for LTE-U (see 1608020054). Some LTE-U advocates urged the FCC to step in and force resolution (see 1606300052).