Are carriers trying to steal Wi-Fi's spectrum? Not exactly

By Stephen Lawson
 
If unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum is like a cool, independently run cafe, then mobile operators using those frequencies for LTE may sound like a corporate chain buying out your favorite spot.
There goes the neighborhood. Or does it?
LTE is coming to the fat 5GHz unlicensed radio band that much of consumers' Wi-Fi use now depends on. The idea drew skepticism at first, but the mobile industry is starting to agree on some steps to make sure wireless LANs don't get trampled under LTE's feet. The first trial deployments are expected to begin this year, and users could get faster service as the technology is rolled out.
Huawei and NTT DoCoMo demonstrated the technology last August, Qualcomm showed it off at International CES last month, and T-Mobile USA plans a trial deployment later this year. More plans for unlicensed LTE may be revealed next month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where the quest for more mobile capacity will be a hot topic.
 
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