14 DAY TRIAL // Long Time Evolution, also known as LTE, is the 4G standard expected to see the highest traction on the market as soon as the first networks based on it begin to roll out commercially. It won't be too long before the technology reaches consumers, as the first 4G networks based on LTE are expected to be deployed as soon as next year, yet the standard will also have some competition to face, in the form of WiMAX, which is another 4G standard currently used by Clearwire for the rollout of its network in the US.
Calling it “Another 4G standard” seems to be a bit too much for infrastructure vendor Ericsson CTO Hakan Eriksson, who stated in a recent interview with gigaOM that “They are four years late so they have to call it 4G.” In other words, Eriksson does not believe that WiMAX is a 4G technology. On the other hand, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) hasn't yet defined the 4G apparently, which means that there are no actual standards for it at the moment.
As such, Ericsson seems to bet more on LTE, especially due to its adoption among major carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Vodafone. “There are 400 million people using 3G (HSDPA/WCDMA) technologies today,” Eriksson stated, adding that “there will be 70 million people using WiMAX in five years.” Considering the large number of companies that already announced their support for LTE, it is expected for this technology to gain the most subscribers in the future, and not WiMAX.
Moreover, Eriksson also noted that LTE would come with a price advantage over WiMAX, as it happens today in India, where GSM phones are more advantageous when compared to CDMA ones. As for the future devices that will come with support for the technology, Ericsson's CTO says that they will be focused mainly on data. Basically, this would open the door for Internet Tablets or devices that will bear features both from smartphones and netbooks.