Feature Article

Free eNews Subscription>>
February 05, 2014

Wheelings & Dealings: A Pinyon-Sequans Partership Surfs the Global LTE Wave

A study undertaken by GSMA Intelligence reported at the end of 2013 there were 176 million LTE connections globally, representing about 20 percent of the world population. The best news of the report was the expectation that by 2017, 50 percent of the population would have access to LTE service, with a possibility of one billion devices in service.

The international market for mobile devices is growing at an astonishing rate and as global carriers upgrade their networks to LTE the demand for LTE devices will also grow. There are already 14 countries with over 100 million mobile subscriptions with both China and India beating out the United States to top the list. Twenty-nine percent of the world’s mobile users live in these two countries and each has three times more subscribers than the US. Yet India is still only at 59 percent population penetration in mobile use and China is at 90 percent, compared to the United States’ 110 percent.

And LTE networks are maturing around the world, growing from 20 networks in 14 countries in 2010 to 230 networks in 88 countries today. By 2017 Asia is expected to own a full 47 percent of LTE network bandwith, serving the largest mobile market in China.

Image via Shutterstock

Device makers are rushing to capitalize on projected growth by pumping money into LTE development. Pinyon Technologies, a mobile wireless networking product provider, just announced a partnership with LTE chipmaker Sequans Communication to deliver LTE product solutions to providers worldwide. Pinyon’s proprietary AirWire antenna system, specifically designed to capture more signals in noisy environments, will be meshed with Sequans Mont Blanc LTE platform to provide ultra-high speed delivery for high bandwidth applications like video streaming. The demand for high speed mobile devices is particularly high in developing nations, where mobile devices are often an individual’s only access to the Internet.

Sequans has been developing a single-mode LTE chip which will be the core of the new technology developed through the partnership. Until recently the need to be able to switch between legacy and LTE networks has necessitated dual-mode functionality but with LTE networks solidifying the single-mode function will extend battery life and provide consistent high-speed connection. The first products to ship from the Pinyon/Sequans development will head to India in early 2014 with other global markets following.




Edited by Alisen Downey


FOLLOW MobilityTechzone

Subscribe to MobilityTechzone eNews

MobilityTechzone eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the Wireless industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter