LTE ‘boomer-cell’ reaches 108 km range in tests

General Dynamics Mission Systems' team supported the Public Safety Communications Research Program's (PSCR) testing of long-range LTE 'boomer-cell' technology using the company's high-sensitivity Band Class 14 eNodeB.

Test results presented by PSCR at a recent meeting showed that the company's eNodeB, used in combination with vehicle-mounted modems, successfully operated at ranges up to 108 kilometres.

PSCR tested long-range operations by mounting eNodeB on a tower at the US Department of Commerce's Boulder Atmospheric Observatory in Erie, Colorado.

During the test, user equipment operated at two power levels — a standard 23 dBm modem and a 31 dBm vehicle modem.

"Imagine you are a first responder in a rural area with no towers nearby, or a hurricane has hit and there is no working tower within miles; how do you communicate? General Dynamics Mission Systems' boomer-cell technology extends the effective range of operations providing first responders with the ability to relay and report critical information when infrastructure is not built, has failed or when towers are down," said Bill Weiss, vice president and general manager of Ground Systems for General Dynamics Mission Systems.