Mobile Personalization

The LTE market is accelerating, forecast to top $11 billion by 2014. Well of course - now that the Chinese are on board.

Market research firm Infonetics Research (News - Alert)has released its LTE Infrastructure and Subscribers market size and forecast report, which tracks Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network macrocells (a.k.a. enhanced NodeBs), evolved packet core infrastructure and Long Term Evolution subscribers.

'Despite NTT (News - Alert)DoCoMo's shift in topology aimed at cutting LTE deployment costs by using the existing W-CDMA footprint with remote radio head-based expansion, there is no slowdown foreseen in the LTE market, only acceleration,' the report finds. Full speed ahead, captain.

Last September TMC reported Alcatel-Lucent's (News - Alert)prediction that 'LTE can enable sustainable and profitable business models while supporting the increase in network usage. In fact, LTE subscriptions globally are predicted to grow at a rate of more than 400 percent (CAGR) over the next four years.'

In addition to Verizon (News - Alert)Wireless's aggressive LTE roadmap, the analyst firm's report finds, more mobile operators have committed to LTE, 'including China Mobile and China Telecom (News - Alert), with a massive TD-LTE rollout expected in China by 2012.'

There will be a dozen live LTE networks by the end of 2010, if the report's predictions are on track, and 'the total number of committed LTE launches has grown to 64 so far, with more commitments expected,' notes Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile and FMC infrastructure at Infonetics Research.

In fact, Alcatel-Lucent noted, 'The global LTE market is expected to grow faster than any previous mobile standard, with subscribers predicted to eclipse 136 million by 2014.'

Infonetics thinks the LTE infrastructure market will reach $11.4 billion by 2014, 'fueled by macrocell eNodeB deployments.' To fully support the speeds it promises, the report finds, 'LTE will be deployed in dense coverage configurations, with microcells, picocells, and possibly femtocells playing a significant role.'

TeliaSonera launched the world's first commercial LTE network in Oslo and Stockholm in December 2009, but Asia Pacific and North America will drive the first major wave of LTE rollouts in 2010 through 2012, the report concludes: 'The second wave will kick off in 2012-2013 when the Chinese operators start their rollouts along with the majority of Western European mobile operators.'

In fact, the report finds, LTE subscribers 'could exceed 153 million by 2014, with most of them split between Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.'

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David's articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.

Edited by Marisa Torrieri