

- Distinctions between LTE-U and LAA
- Timelines for development and deployment
- Coexistence with WiFi
- Coordination of LAA development between 3GPP and IEEE 802
- Support for a standalone (unlicensed only) version
- 3GPP considered all of the LAA simulation and testing results that had been generated during the Study Item (SI) period, and advanced LAA to the status of a Work Item (WI) for Release 13 (expected to be finalized in the March 2016 timeframe). The WI specifies a single global framework operating in 5 GHz, that the Rel13 version will be Supplemental DownLink (SDL) only, and that a standalone mode will not be supported. LAA Work Item
- 3GPP also approved LWA as a formal WI for Release 13. Unlike LAA, the LWA program was initiated as a WI, so there were no study results to consider. The WI did not specify SDL operation, so presumably LWA could support both downlink and uplink LTE data augmentation. LWA Work Item
- 3GPP declined a request by IEEE 802 for both organizations to jointly co-host a workshop on LAA/Wi-Fi coexistence coincident with IEEE’s meeting this month. Instead, 3GPP announced that it will host an LAA workshop in late August open to interested industry organizations. The announcement was sent to IEEE 802, WFA, WBA, GSMA, ETSI, FCC, OfCom, and CCSA. The stated goal of this workshop is “to exchange views and information on LAA”. The WFA and NCTA both noted in their reply comments to the FCC PN, that the wording of this workshop announcement, and the minutes from the Malmö discussion, indicate that the interactions at this workshop will not constitute the “coordination and agreement” that the Commission enquired about.