New GSA Report Details LTE Uptake

LTE (News - Alert) in its various flavors is now widespread and LTE-Advanced in particular is mainstream according to a new report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GMSA).

Here is a snapshot of the statistics offered up in the report, by the number.

2.6GHz is the most popular LTE band, as it’s used in 121 networks, according to the GSA (News - Alert). 800MHz is the second most popular LTE band, and is in use by 119 LTE operators.

Nine is the number of LTE-Advanced Pro networks that are now live, the association says.  At least 28 percent LTE operators have commercially launched LTE-Advanced networks. Seventy-four cellular service providers launched LTE in the last year.

One hundred and ninety-two LTE operators are deploying LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pro technologies. Five hundred and twenty-one operators have launched various flavors of LTE in 170 countries. Five hundred and sixty LTE networks are expected to be live by the end of this year.

There are 738 operators investing in LTE across 194 countries.

LTE stands for long term evolution. It’s a 4G technology that can support a wide variety of legacy and rich media application. LTE-Advanced pushes that even further; a video on Qualcomm’s (News - Alert) website says it can take us to 600mbps and beyond. And LTE-Advanced Pro is a step beyond that, featuring advanced carrier aggregation, 4x4 or more MIMO systems, 256QAM downlink and 64QAM uplink modulation, license assisted access, and NB-IoT support.

Qualcomm suggests that LTE-Advanced Pro moves us closer to 5G. That’s the next major iteration of cellular network technology that’s expected to be coming soon.

According to industry analyst firm Ovum (News - Alert), 5G commercial services will launch in 2020, and there will be 24 million 5G subscriptions worldwide at the end of 2021 for mobile and fixed broadband services.

“The main use case for 5G through 2021will be enhanced mobile broadband services, although fixed broadband services will also be supported, especially in the U.S.,” said Mike Roberts, Ovum practice leader covering carrier strategy and technology. “Over time 5G will support a host of use cases including Internet of Things and mission-critical communications, but Ovum does not believe those use cases will be supported by standardized 5G services through 2021.”