lightRadio
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Alcatel-Lucent's latest lightRadio development aims to spread TD-LTE across China
We've yet to hear much about Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio since it's original introduction in early 2011, but here in Barcelona, the outfit has announced (in cooperation with China Mobile, no less) that its latest innovation could help spread the wondrous waves of TD-LTE across China. Available now for large-scale commercial deployment in China Mobile's first trial TD-LTE network, which spans 13 cities in China, lightRadio Metro Radio will bring legitimate 4G services to residents in densely populated areas of Shanghai, Nanjing and Qingdao. China Mobile itself has over 722 million subscribers, and a huge swath of those are no doubt clamoring for faster transmission speeds. In China, lightRadio Metro Radio will be deployed in bustling indoor and outdoor locations, such as shopping malls and stadiums, but there's no word on when the masses might expect this stuff to launch in earnest. Here's hoping for a speedy trial, eh?
Douglas Coupland's V-Pole unifies wireless connectivity and EV charging in an LED streetlight
It's still very much a concept, and not something being described as a business venture, but author / designer Douglas Coupland is hoping that his new "V-Pole" design will serve as something of a model for cities looking to build out their technology infrastructure. As you can see, it's a rather nondescript (albeit brightly-colored) pole on the outside, but Coupland sees the inside being packed with an array of the latest technology, including Alcatel-Lucent lightRadios for wireless connectivity (both WiFi and cellular), an LED street light on top, and connections to nearby wireless charging stations for electric vehicles. As for the "V" in the name, that stands for Coupland's home city of Vancouver, which he sees as a natural fit for the pole -- something the city's mayor apparently agrees with.
Alcatel-Lucent's lightRadio shoves a base station in a box, minimalists cheer
They've been fashioned after palm trees, Christ on the cross, and what look to be Dyson Ball vacuum attachments. But now, Alcatel-Lucent is giving cellphone towers a makeover that might actually stick. The company's new broadband base station solution, known as lightRadio, eliminates the need for cumbersome huts at the base of cellphone towers and packs antennas into a series of 2.5-inch boxes, while simultaneously improving capacity and reducing cost. These so-called radio cubes combine 2G, 3G, and LTE antennas with an SoC for processing, making them small enough to prop up on a lamp post. They're firmware upgradable, and utilize beamforming to more efficiently connect to wireless devices; according to the company, groups of 'em can not only increase broadband capacity by 30 percent, but also cut operation costs and CO2 emissions in half. Clearly, lightRadio makes a compelling case for narrowing the digital divide, but it won't be available broadly until 2012, which means the creative cover ups will just keep on coming. Sorry, JC. [Thanks, Nathan]
