GSA confirms 222 LTE networks launched, will focus on APT700 at ITU Telecom World
October 22, 20 13: The latest update of the Evolution to LTE report from GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) confirms that 222 operators have commercially launched LTE services in 83 countries. 109 LTE networks were commercially launched in the past 12 months.
The report confirms that 474 operators are investing in LTE in 138 countries. This is made up of 421 firm operator commitments to build LTE networks in 128 countries, plus 53 additional operators engaged in various trials, studies, etc. in a further 10 countries.
From amongst the committed operators, 222 have commercially launched networks in 83 countries. GSA forecasts there will be 260 commercial LTE networks in 93 countries by end 2013.
The report includes an extended list of operators who have commercially launched, or are deploying or planning enhancements to their networks including multicarrier support for Category 4 operation (150 Mbps peak downlink throughput speed), and LTE-Advanced features , particularly carrier aggregation.
The majority of LTE operators have deployed the FDD mode of the standard. The most widely used band in network deployments continues to be 1800 MHz (band 3) which is used in 43% of commercially launched LTE networks. The next most popular contiguous bands are 2.6 GHz (band 7) used in 30% of networks, followed by 800 MHz (band 20) which is used in over 12% of networks today.
Interest in the TDD mode is strengthening and global. 23 LTE TDD systems are commercially launched in 18 countries, of which 11 that have been deployed in combined LTE FDD & TDD operations.
Alan Hadden, President of the GSA, will moderate a high-level industry panel at ITU Telecom World in Bangkok, Thailand next month on spectrum allocation for mobile broadband.
PSI2: The Impact of Spectrum Options on Device Availability Thursday, 21 November 2013, 14:15-15:45, Jupiter 9
Speaking ahead of the panel session, Hadden said: Havin g globally aligned spectrum bands is a great result for end consumers, as these make international roaming easier, and help drive early device availability. Adoption of the APT700 MHz band plan represents a major opportunity for regional and global spectrum harmonization that could deliver the benefits of economies of scale for end-user devices.
Further information about the APT700 band plan, ITU Telecom World 2013 and the panel session are included in the report.
The Evolution to LTE report (October 17, 2013) is a free download for registered site users. Log in to www.gsacom.com and follow the link.
Registration page for new users: http://www.gsacom.com/user/register
Numerous charts, maps etc. confirming the progress of mobile broadband developments including LTE are also available on the home page and at www.gsacom.com/news/statistics
ABOUT GSA
GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) represents GSM/EDGE, WCDMA-HSPA an d LTE suppliers, providing reports, facts, analysis and information explaining market developments and trends. Through its website GSA supports a global community which includes 60,000 registered users.
Website: www.gsacom.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gsacom
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Global-mobile-Suppliers-Association-GSA/123462771012551
GSA LinkedIN Group: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2313721
APT700 Zone: www.gsacom.com/apt700
Panel session: The Impact of Spectrum Options on Device Availability http://www.itu.int/tlc/WORLD2013/forum/entries/session.1251.html
INTERVIEW: Alan Hadden (Moderator) discusses how widespread deployment of the APT700 MHz band plan can drive economies of scale, low cost product and ensuing broadband adoption. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYbAzNsCwsc
