The number of LTE next generation networks is set to grow significantly with the number of subscribers exceeding 100 million by 2014, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

The LTE report found that these market numbers will be buoyed by the embedding of broadband capabilities within consumer electronics devices such as MP3 players, Netbooks and digital cameras.

If you do not know what LTE (Long Term Evolution)is? Well it is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and is based on 3GPP standards.  LTE is a continued evolution of GSM/CDMA/WCDMA/TD-SCDMA (i.e. 2G and 3G). LTE provides downlink peak rates of at least 100Mbit/s, 50 Mbit/s in the uplink and RAN (Radio Access Network) round-trip times of less than 10ms. LTE supports flexible carrier bandwidths, from 1.4MHz up to 20MHz as well as both FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) and TDD (Time Division Duplex) according to Wikipedia.

Market Momentum

Juniper Research forecast that whilst subscribers will largely use handsets such as smart phones, and laptops, consumers will be motivated to connect devices in the home by LTE.

Report author Howard Wilcox commented: “There is intense activity in the LTE market right now, with in excess of 30 network operator commitments. Operators and vendors alike are moving rapidly to jump on the road to LTE, attracted by the connectivity-based opportunities that the technology offers. Sony, for example, announced that network connectivity is one of 3 top priority actions.”

Uncertainties Ahead

However, the report determined that there are still several open issues that need addressing before the market takes off. One of these is the issue of device convergence: what will a smart phone look like, and be capable of, in three years’ time?

Further report findings include:

•        Whilst early LTE adopters will be enterprise subscribers, consumers will begin to take up LTE based services towards 2012/2013.

•        There will be multiple millions of LTE subscribers as early as 2011.

•        Embedded LTE chipsets will become the second most popular means of access behind SIM cards by 2014.

LTE Whitepaper and further details of the study, “LTE Mobile Broadband Strategies: Consumer & Enterprise Markets; Devices & Chipsets 2009-2014” can be freely downloaded from the Juniper Research website.

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