Cable Europe has said today that the latest research into the use of LTE technology points to a new risk for interference as moves to allocate new spectrum continue to be debated.
The novel research also analyses real life situations to better understand what sorts of interference scenarios users of in home consumer equipment may face as newer, more powerful LTE devices find themselves on collision course with existing TV and broadband connections.
“Impact analysis is crucial as we get closer to new usages for the precious spectrum that will take part in Europe’s recovery. What we have now seen is that the debate on interference continues and so does attention to the risks to manage,” said Caroline Van Weede, MD of Cable Europe. “One new element in this equation is the risk of interference caused by base stations used for LTE. In cities where these stations are among more densely packed areas, it is important to understand how consumers and business would deal with being next to a fixed source of interference.”
The research was undertaken by Excentis, and is in line with a concerted European effort to assess ongoing risks associated with interference. The report states that “the required distance to avoid interference varies between different models of consumer premises equipment, but for some models a distance of even more than six metres is required.” The report goes on to highlight the base station issue, “if interference is caused by the base station it is likely to be constantly present… Moreover, the user has no control on the signal of the base station.”
The report cites an example where 35% of LTE devices used in urban areas will have to operate at “high power” and at these levels would likely cause interference if the user came within 3 meters of in home consumer equipment.
“With Europe’s ICT sector responsible for 5% of EU GDP and 40% of last year’s growth, it’s key to understand how the LTE interference will affect consumers in real life situations. This work does just that – with a variety of scenarios that examine best and worst case settings. And we are still not satisfied that the consumer will be appropriately protected,” continued Van Weede. “We would like to see solutions from all actors be considered in light of cable’s efforts to boost mitigation moving forward.”
You can download the presentation delivered at this year’s European Commission workshop on LTE interference from the Cable Europe website.
