MTS turns to Ericsson to conduct Russia’s first live trial of LTE Broadcast


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Editor

| 10 October 2015





Leading Russian telco MTS and Qualcomm Technologies are claiming to have completed their first live tests of LTE Broadcast, a first for the country.


The trail in the city of Nizhny Novgorod featured pre-configured LTE Broadcast-enabled mobile devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with an integrated X10 LTE modem, an LTE Broadcast solution for the evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS). Additionally, the X10 LTE modem supports up to 450 Mbps download speed even in intensive use cases like 4K video streaming. Devices received different video feeds, with content distributed from Aachen, Germany, using Ericsson’s end-to-end LTE Broadcast solution.

Commenting on the test and its goals, Andrei Ushatskiy, MTS vice president, technology and IT, said: “The delivery of broadcast entertainment is set to enter a new era in Russia and MTS intends to lead this process through our enhanced LTE Broadcast technology. Consumers want to be able to watch premium high-quality content, such as live sporting events, when and where they wish and MTS will provide the best mobile solution to this need.”

Russia will likely be a key country for LTE Broadcast. According to the latest Ericsson ConsumerLab report, half of Russian consumers watch TV and video on their smartphones, and 37% are ready to pay for HD-quality video. “With video traffic expected to grow by about 60% annually until the end of 2020, operators are under increasing pressure to enable their subscribers to enjoy a high-quality video experience anytime, anywhere, while still managing network efficiency and costs,” added Jeff Travers, Head of Customer Unit MTS, Ericsson Northern Europe and Central Asia. “This first test in Russia is an important milestone for the national mobile telecommunications sector as it marks the robustness of LTE technology for transformation of TV industry in the country”.