In other LTE design and development news, ST-Ericsson and Sagem Wireless are developing a multimode platform for the launch of commercial multimode LTE/HSPA+ products. Sagem Wireless, which is based in Cergy-Pontoise, France, is working with ST-Ericsson on a platform that can connect to LTE, HSPA+, third-generation (3G), and GSM networks. Their goal is to develop a mobile-broadband modem to be launched before the end of this year.
Supporting downlink speeds to 100 Mb/s via LTE and 21 Mb/s via HSPA+, Sagem Wireless' dongle modems will enable Internet gateways to offer very-high-speed wireless access. These modems will also enable laptop computers to get online wherever there is mobile coverage, giving end users a high level of flexibility. According to the GSM Association, there are currently 61 live commercial HSPA+ networks in 34 countries and 80 mobile operatorsspanning 33 countriesare committed to deploying LTE. Sagem Wireless plans to use this multimode platform to produce versatile modules that can bring high-speed mobile connectivity to laptops, netbooks, tablet computers, machine-to-machine (M2M) applications, and other devices.