Momentum behind TD-LTE technology in India has grown further with news that regional greenfield operator Reliance Industries – previously a proponent of rival technology WiMAX – has successfully trialed TD-LTE services ahead of its plans to launch commercial services. The move is significant as Reliance has until now been linked to use of WiMAX as the technology for its nationwide Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) license, acquired in June this year. Reliance is the only firm to hold a nationwide BWA license, having acquired a 95 percent stake in startup Infotel Broadband, which originally won the license. The TD-LTE trial claimed to achieve peak rates of 80 Mb/s in the downlink and 20 Mb/s in the uplink using ST-Ericsson dongles and network kit from Ericsson. A senior executive of Reliance Industries was quoted in a release as stating: “This LTE trial not only demonstrated the superiority of LTE-TDD technology but it also strengthened our confidence in the timely availability of LTE eco-system in India with Ericsson’s global deployment expertise. We look forward to leveraging on the pilot to set up a commercial network that will build on a globally standardised eco-system and technology that offers immense potential for a wide spectrum of end-user offerings.” Although Reliance Industries has not publicly dismissed WiMAX, its reference to the “superiority” of TD-LTE would certainly indicate that it favours LTE. It’s worth noting that Reliance Industries is a separate entity to Reliance Communications, the country’s second-largest cellular operator which is currently planning 3G service rollout. 

Reliance Industries’ TD-LTE strategy follows a move by Qualcomm to buy a BWA license and promote the use of TD-LTE technology at the expense of WiMAX. Qualcomm has already admitted it plans to sell its Indian TD-LTE business to a major mobile operator, with the acquirer guaranteeing that the airwaves are used for TD-LTE technology rather than WiMAX. In a separate statement yesterday, Qualcomm trumpeted a successful demo with Ericsson that saw TD-LTE technology showcased in an outdoor environment in India. “This demonstration is part of Qualcomm’s previously stated plan for its LTE venture to accelerate the deployment of LTE in concert with 3G to drive the growth of mobile broadband in India,” noted the statement. The statement added that dualmode 3G/TD-LTE infrastructure and chipsets should be available in 2011. Other big winners in the BWA license auction earlier this year included Aircel and Bharti.