FCC greenlights further testing of LTE-U by Verizon & Qualcomm [telecom]

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By Roger Fingas

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved additional testing of a cellular technology called LTE-U, controversial because it can operate over the same bands as Wi-Fi routers.

Qualcomm will now be able to test LTE-U hardware at two Verizon facilities, Re/code reported. The firms are among those arguing that LTE-U can be more efficient than regular LTE and won't interfere with Wi-Fi.

The FCC in fact invited the companies to demonstrate that position in their testing. The technology could also thereotically interfere with other devices using unlicensed spectrum, but Wi-Fi is the most serious issue, given its ubiquity.