LTE 4G Technology to Prosper by 2013, Says ABI Research

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LTE 4G Technology to Prosper by 2013, Says ABI Research

6:30 am on June 16, 2008 | Category: Wireless Technology, Cellular

Long Term Evolution (LTE), the 4G technology of choice for many major wireless carriers, won’t be commercially launched until at least 2010, but could see upwards of 32 million subscribers by 2013, according to a new study by ABI Research.

Asia-Pacific countries will account for much of LTE’s early growth, according to ABI, given that China Mobile, and Japan’s NTT Docomo and KDDI are expected to make use of the technology.

“ABI Research anticipates about 12 million Asia-Pacific LTE network subscribers in 2013,” said senior ABI analyst, Nadine Manjaro. “The remainder will be split about 60-40% between Western Europe and North America,” where Vodafone and Verizon Wireless (respectively) have announced plans to adopt LTE.

In China, the government’s reluctance to grant 3G spectrum licenses could be a major factor driving demand for LTE.

“It wouldn’t surprise me to see some operators skip over 3G and go straight to LTE,” Manjaro commented. “Although China’s own TD-SCDMA 3G technology will be deployed on a small scale during the Olympics, I can’t see operators spending billions to implement that or any other 3G technology if they will just have to upgrade within a year or two.”

When carriers around the world begin to deploy LTE, numerous economic sectors stand to benefit. Vendors of test equipment will be the first big winners, as prospective LTE providers tweak the technology to ensure network interoperability and performance. Next to reap the gains of the 4G revolution will be vendors of the required network infrastructure itself, followed by “a huge opportunity” in the wireless device market, according to Marjaro.

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