Ericsson, AT&T, and MediaTek have completed the first in-field trial of Layer 1/Layer 2 Triggered Mobility (LTM) in North America. The test took place on the AT&T network, which utilizes Ericsson’s Radio Access Network technology. The location focus for this development is Plano.
The trial demonstrated that the new 5G Advanced Mobility feature can reduce handover interruption time by up to 40 percent. In specific testing scenarios, LTM reduced data interruption during cell changes by 25 percent compared to legacy Layer 3 mobility. These improvements aim to increase reliability and resiliency for wireless links, particularly for latency-sensitive services such as extended reality, physical AI, and critical IoT applications.
Reducing handover interruptions supports real-time applications including immersive video conferencing and cloud-based tools. The technology is designed to provide smoother connections for users and equipment in motion. For enterprises, near-seamless mobility is critical for mission-critical operations, helping to prevent safety risks, traffic disruptions, and production outages that can result from connection drops.
The collaboration also highlights the potential for future AI-powered enhancements. Many emerging AI workloads, such as real-time scene reconstruction and industrial automation, depend on continuous data exchange with low jitter and predictable latency. LTM helps ensure these experiences operate reliably as devices move between network nodes.
Ericsson has been a primary contributor to the development and standardization of LTM within 3GPP. The feature is viewed as an enabler for consistent user data rates and has the potential to reduce handover failure rates across various services.
Mårten Lerner, Head of Networks Strategy & Product Management at Ericsson, stated that the milestone shows how 5G Advanced can translate into better user experiences with seamless connectivity needed for extended reality and physical AI. Rob Soni, VP of RAN Technology at AT&T, noted that the work demonstrates improved mobility performance for customers using cloud applications and immersive video conferencing.
