A global standard

“This new technology offers the promise of being the first truly global wireless standard,” says Dan Warren, Director of Technology at the GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide.

LTE takes advantage of the scalability of internet architectures and combines it with the security of the GSM family of networks based on smart cards. Its IP framework gives it significantly higher capacity, which in turn offers economies of scale. This capacity means that LTE will support voice, video, text, web, email and gaming to the same standard as, if not better than, a cabled network. It also creates the potential for more location-based services and presence applications that take advantage of the user’s mobility.

The significance of this becomes clear when you consider that mobile broadband subscribers will grow by 1,000% by 2014 and that there will be more than 2 billion mobile broadband users, generating annual revenues of US$137 billion. (Source: Ovum Research.)

The GSMA expects LTE to grow from 4.2 million connections in 24 countries by the end of 2011 to almost 300 million in 55 countries by 2015. “Mobile network operators around the world are investing in mobile broadband infrastructure and network upgrades,” Warren explains, “and this is paving the way for LTE to gain real traction.”

A harmonious LTE rollout will generate the momentum that drives the cost of everything, from bandwidth to handsets. Today there are 21 live commercial LTE networks in 13 countries, with the US and Japan leading the way and Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden blazing a trail in Europe.

However, some countries, such as the UK and France, have not even released the required spectrum yet. Other markets that would benefit hugely from mobile broadband, notably emerging countries such as India and Indonesia, have also been slow in releasing the new spectrum. So these countries will have to wait longer for the economic benefits of mobile broadband, and especially LTE.

In countries where LTE is available, users are already spoilt for choice as to how they exploit its potential. Smartphones will have massive significance, but it’s not just about iPhones and Android devices. Tablets, laptops, desktop PCs and Macs will all get access to this fast wireless, using USB keys, femtocells and a range of gadgets. Wireless Intelligence says that 104 LTE-ready devices are already available from 33 vendors.
 

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