2G, 3G Spectrum More Actively Considered for LTE Repurposing Under New Plans

There's no denying that LTE is catching on. Huge new LTE networks are being built throughout the United States, even stretching into some smaller towns and more unlikely places. Getting LTE coverage to a large swath of the United States—and well beyond—is a priority operation for many mobile carriers. With a move on to get voice traffic off 2G and 3G networks, where traffic is circuit switched, and instead moved to packet-switched LTE, that's making the issue of said 2G and 3G networks somewhat more important to reconsider. The direction being reconsidered, meanwhile, is how to repurpose those old networks for LTE traffic.

Both handset makers and operators alike—according to ABI Research's research associate Ying Kang Tan—are eager to make a wider jump to LTE. Not only is it important for mobile operators, be said operators CDMA operators like Verizon or WCDMA operators like AT&T, LTE is a lot more efficient than even WCDMA is, and voice over LTE (VoLTE) traffic can't fall into a circuit-switched domain. The sheer number of handsets that work with LTE is also in rapid gain, as handset shipments in the Asia-Pacific market are set to grow 28 percent to reach 150 million in 2014, and in North America, comparable growth is expected at 25 percent to reach 81 million. With China poised to get in on VoLTE in 2014, and over 93 percent of the North American population about to have access to LTE, it's clear that getting more LTE systems on line—be these network or handset—is going to be a crucial part of mobile operators' entire game plan.

What's more, it's not just smartphones making the jump to LTE, as reports suggest that global shipments of LTE-capable tablets will climb 67 percent worldwide, and that number actually goes up in the United States, where the number is expected to increase by 72 percent. Part of this move is said to be spurred on by the growth of shared data plans, a system that users are taking increased pleasure in and enjoying on a more frequent basis.

It's a good idea to repurpose at least some 2G and 3G traffic; when it comes to connectivity, people want the fastest and biggest bandwidth connections available for the longest possible time. No one's really that interested in buffering video or waiting for a game to connect and load, so getting more speed and more bandwidth in the picture is a welcome idea. While there are still some potential uses for 2G and 3G traffic—particularly in terms of M2M connections—it's not hard to see much of that migrating to LTE as well.

Improving a network's quality, no matter what it's ultimately used for, is generally a good idea, and to see carriers eager to roll out network improvements is a development that's just as welcome. With more uses for bandwidth cropping up every day, getting more of it to the user is a move that's sure to keep networks in good graces with customers, and one that's sure to keep customers online for talk or for any other traffic.