14 DAY TRIAL // Long Term Evolution, one of the standards to be used for the deployment of 4G networks around the world, is seeing increased popularity among carriers. According to a recently published report from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), a number of 51 carriers already committed to deliver LTE networks in 24 countries. The figures also show that the technology has seen an increase in popularity of 96 percent during the past 8 months, the report notes.
Along with the increased popularity of LTE, the report also stresses on the fact that almost all wireless carriers around the world are currently offering mobile broadband services to their users. HSPA is the dominating standard in the area, with over 303 networks commercially available in 142 countries. Moreover, there is an additional number of 51 networks being developed or planned at the moment, it seems, with a number of over WCDMA systems having already deployed HSPA upgrades.
According to the report, a number of 66 carriers around the world already announced plans to move to HSPA+ (HSPA Evolution), something that will enable them to deliver data speed enhancements, as well as reduced latency and more capacity, improving this way the user experience on their airwaves. The first LTE networks are expected to be fired up in the very near future, and GSA says that 19 LTE networks should be commercially launched in 2010.
“HSPA operators throughout the world continue to report strong traffic and revenue growth with mobile broadband services. LTE is needed to accommodate the anticipated continuing huge traffic growth for data, and to fully address the mass market. LTE will further boost network throughputs significantly, reduce latency, improve spectrum and deliver operational efficiencies and performance, for the next step in the user experience,” GSA notes.
The markets in which carriers committed to LTE include: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, USA, and Uzbekistan. Those who would like to learn more on the Evolution to LTE Information Paper from GSA will find it available on the firm's website. A list of the said 19 networks is available at intomobile.