Informa Telecoms Academy, which provides technology and business training to the global telecoms industry, has launched the School of LTE & Advanced Communications, which it says will deliver a wide portfolio of training courses covering the key technologies in the planning and deployment of LTE and Advanced Communications networks.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the new technology standard being produced by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and is the favoured path for 3G/UMTS networks evolving towards 4G wireless. LTE is spectrally efficient and will enable network operators to more efficiently, providing their customers with significantly faster data rates. Several network operators have already committed to deploying LTE networks, and it is expected many more will follow.
All programmes within the School of LTE & Advanced Communications include comprehensive market updates from Informa Telecoms & Media Industry Analysts, which will add the latest news on LTE deployments and equipment, as well as covering commercial and regulatory topics.
The School of LTE & Advanced Communications currently consists of eight instructor-led programmes, ranging from introductory level courses to certified in-depth technology programmes. The current portfolio consists of:
- LTE Explained
- LTE Air Interface
- LTE Architecture & Protocols
- Informa Certified LTE Radio Planning Professional
- Informa Certified Advanced Core Network Planning Professional
- IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)
- Technologies for Convergence & Multimedia-Service Networks
- Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
For the Informa Certified LTE Radio Planning Professional programme, the Telecoms Academy have partnered with industry software providers Mentum and Symena to ensure participants have the tools to fully appreciate and assess the technical and commercial impact of different planning scenarios.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be the leading technology choice as networks evolve towards 4G, says Informa Telecoms Academy Training Director, Tony Wakefield. As operators and vendors develop their strategy, it is essential that this new technology is fully understood from both a technical and a business perspective by those that are making key strategic decisions (whether technical or commercial), and by those that are implementing the strategy on the ground. The School of LTE & Advanced Communications aims to deliver the right blend of programmes to ensure that staff at all levels of the business attain the appropriate level of skills and knowledge in order to fully benefit from the opportunities that LTE presents. 
