South Korean mobile network operator KT Corp has reportedly partnered with Finnish vendor Nokia Networks to complete successful tests of a new technology that can reportedly expand the range of Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage from a single base station to up to 120km.
According to the Korea Times, without requiring the construction of any additional base stations, the 4-transmit-4-receiver (4T4R) antenna technology in question supports a maximum downlink data rate of up to 100Mbps, and will reportedly enable faster coverage expansion in sparsely populated regions. ‘Technically, the 4T4R wireless technology doubles the number of antennas that are currently being used in the current LTE networks. This technology could be used in all handsets,’ spokesman Ji Young-hoon was cited as saying.
Initial trials of the technology were carried out between KT’s base station on Jeju Island and a ship near an island some 120km from that location.