Citing Erich Zielinski, Alcatel-Lucent's chief for end-to-end 4G solutions, Telecompaper reports that the company is pleased with the initial test results of the first Long-Term Evolution (LTE) trials it has conducted in Germany. Zielinski also says that he expects the first LTE services to be available in Germany by the end of 2010.
In Germany, Alcatel-Lucent has set up an end-to-end LTE test centre in the city of Stuttgart, intending to use it for demonstrating LTE solutions to European operators. In the meantime, the vendor—among five of its competitors—has been selected by Telefónica to run live LTE trials with one or more of its six units. Since it possibly the hardest-pressed of the leading players of the crowded network equipment market, securing LTE contracts would be crucial for Alcatel-Lucent if it wants to continue without being merged with or acquired by one of its rivals.
