LTE keywords

LTE (both radio and core network evolution) is now on the market. Release 8 was frozen in December 2008 and this has been the basis for the first wave of LTE equipment. LTE specifications are very stable, with the added benefit of small enhancements having been introduced in 3GPP Release 9.

The motivation for LTE

• Need to ensure the continuity of competitiveness of the 3G system for the future
• User demand for higher data rates and quality of service
• Packet Switch optimised system
• Continued demand for cost reduction (CAPEX and OPEX)
• Low complexity
• Avoid unnecessary fragmentation of technologies for paired and unpaired band operation

LTE Release 8 Key Features

• High spectral efficiency
  — OFDM in Downlink, Robust against multipath interference & High affinity to advanced techniques such as Frequency domain channel-dependent scheduling & MIMO
  — DFTS-OFDM (“Single-Carrier FDMA”) in Uplink, Low PAPR, User orthogonality in frequency domain
  — Multi-antenna application
• Very low latency
  — Short setup time & Short transfer delay
  — Short HO latency and interruption time; Short TTI, RRC procedure, Simple RRC states
• Support of variable bandwidth
  — 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz
• Simple protocol architecture
  — Shared channel based
  — PS mode only with VoIP capability
• Simple Architecture
  — eNodeB as the only E-UTRAN node
  — Smaller number of RAN interfaces, eNodeB « MME/SAE-Gateway (S1), eNodeB « eNodeB (X2)
• Compatibility and inter-working with earlier 3GPP Releases
• Inter-working with other systems, e.g. cdma2000
• FDD and TDD within a single radio access technology
• Efficient Multicast/Broadcast
  — Single frequency network by OFDM
• Support of Self-Organising Network (SON) operation

LTE Release 8 Major Parameters

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LTE-Release 8 User Equipment Categories

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LTE Release 8 Specifications

• LTE is specified in 36 series technical specifications
• The latest version of the LTE Release 8 specifications (September 2009 version) can be found in On-line in the 36 series

Release 9 Completion

Enhancements to LTE were frozen in to release 9 in December of 2009. Important work on improvements to HSPA and LTE – such as location, emergency and broadcast services, support of Circuit Switch calls over LTE, Home NodeB/eNodeB and IMS evolution all completed the feature set for LTE systems.

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LTE Historical Information

The technical paper UTRA-UTRAN Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 3GPP System Architecture Evolution (SAE) is a good starting point.

Initiated in 2004, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) project focused on enhancing the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) and optimizing 3GPP’s radio access architecture.

Targets were to have average user throughput of three- to four-times the Release 6 HSDPA levels in the Downlink (100Mbps), and two to three times the HSUPA levels in the Uplink (50Mbps).

In 2007, the LTE of the 3rd generation radio access technology – “E UTRA” – progressed from the feasibility study stage to the first issue of approved Technical Specifications. By the end of 2008, the specifications were sufficiently stable for commercial implementation.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) was selected for the Downlink and Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) for the Uplink. The Downlink supporting data modulation schemes QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM and the Uplink BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM.

LTE’s E UTRA uses a number of defined channel bandwidths between 1.25 and 20 MHz (contrasted with UTRA’s fixed 5 MHz channels).

4 x Increased Spectral Efficiency, 10 x Users Per Cell

Spectral efficiency is increased by up to four-fold compared with UTRA, and improvements in architecture and signalling reduce round-trip latency. Multiple Input / Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology should enable 10 times as many users per cell as 3GPP’s original W CDMA radio access technology.

To suit as many frequency band allocation arrangements as possible, both paired (FDD) and unpaired (TDD) band operation is supported. LTE can co-exist with earlier 3GPP radio technologies, even in adjacent channels, and calls can be handed over to and from all 3GPP’s previous radio access technologies.

In the same time frame as the development of LTE, 3GPP’s core network has been undergoing System Architecture Evolution (SAE), optimizing it for packet mode and in particular for the IP-Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) which supports all access technologies.

In the specification:

Start with the 36 series of the 3GPP specifications.

See also – the technologies page on LTE-Advanced, which describes the work beyond LTE’

 http://www.3gpp.org/LTE

Future of 4G Technologies

 

This report defines 4G and provides an overview of the trends and drivers behind the

shift towards the new technologies. It explains how regulatory factors and industry

actions are shaping the deployment and adoption of the technology. It examines different

4G technology candidates and identifies the threats and opportunities for ICT players.

Finally, it examines how leading ICT players are exploiting 4G.

 

Features and Benefits

 

• Review the current technologies, regulatory factors and industry support impacting

the adoption of 4G technologies.

• Identify key changes in consumer usage behavior that drive the need for the greater

speed and spectral efficiency afforded by 4G.

• Review the current technologies, regulatory factors and industry support impacting

the adoption of 4G technologies.

• Identify the technology family best suited to a chosen 4G strategy based on each

technology’s characteristics and individual corporate circumstances.

• Identify the various initiatives in support of each technology candidate in order to

revise considered.

 

Highlights

 

Consumers are generating increasingly high volumes of mobile data traffic, which is

leading to congestion and network performance issues. 2G still accounts for most mobile

connections worldwide but increasingly high pockets of data traffic in some markets,

combined with changing user needs, are rendering current mobile technologies

inadequate.

Industry and consumers have a strong interest in pre-4G technologies such as Mobile

WiMAX and LTE that can increase data rates and capacity dramatically. Both

technologies are marketed as 4G despite not meeting the IMT Advanced requirements.

While Mobile WiMAX is already available in places, deployment of LTE is only just

starting.

A number of established network operators, handset manufacturers and infrastructure

providers have opted for a flexible 4G strategy tailored to their different markets. Real

4G is still at least 2-3 years away from full commercial deployment but when it hits full

swing 4G will have a lasting impact on the ICT environment.

 

Your key questions answered

 

• What are the major trends and drivers behind the adoption of 4G, what are the

main 4G protocols and what is their appeal?

• What technologies, products and services will influence the rollout of 4G, who are

the key players and how do they position themselves?

• What are the main threats posed by the deployment of 4G and how can companies

protect themselves?

• How can ICT vendors and consumer electronics companies exploit the

opportunities afforded by 4G?

• How will 4G impact the ICT market in the next 3-5 years?

http://www.vpgmarketresearch.com/Future-of-4G-Technologies.html?goback=%2Egde_136744_member_103843167#dialog

 

LTE Market Trends

1) Telecom operators opting for network sharing

2) Growing capital expenditure of telecom operators

3) Introduction of LTE Mobile Handsets

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=103927420&gid=136744&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn&ut=1-ss6_XdWZ-R81

Huawei claims 30Gbps “Beyond LTE”

As LTE goes commercial and operators start to plan for LTE-Advanced, some players are inevitably pushing towards yet another generation of wireless performance.

 

Huawei says it has run internal demonstrations of what it calls “Beyond LTE,” which can deliver more than 20 times the speeds of current 4G networks.

 

The Chinese vendor – which is seeking to position itself in the forefront of technology innovation, and is building major patent holdings in emerging standards – says the prototype system can reach peak data rates of up to 30Gbps.

 

It achieves this using a combination of advanced techniques including antenna structure and MIMO arrays, plus changes to the RF architecture and intermediate frequency algorithms.

 

David Wang, president of the firm’s wireless network business unit, said in a statement: “Mobile networks are developing at an unprecedented rate. Future technologies will bring revolutionary advances in network evolution – higher spectrum efficiency, wider spectrum aggregation, and faster access rates. Our Beyond LTE technology signifies the future of mobile broadband.”

 

Huawei was keen to point to its growing power in standards-essential patents, and imply that some of its current breakthroughs would also find their way into future 3GPP specifications.

 

According to the 3GPP, Huawei has had 265 core specs for LTE or LTE-Advanced approved over the past two years, 20% of the total approvals. That would give the Chinese giant the kind of influence over the next generation of 4G standards to which Ericsson and Qualcomm were accustomed in 3G.

 

http://www.telecomasia.net/content/huawei-claims-30gbps-beyond-lte?section=COMMENTARY&utm_source=silverpop&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=&utm_campaign=telecomasia&goback=%2Egde_136744_member_103986644

LTE Operator Strategies: Key Drivers, Deployment Strategies, CAPEX, OPEX, Price Plans, ARPUs and Service Revenues 2012 – 2016

Skyrocketing mobile broadband demand is driving an ever increasing number of commercial LTE network deployments. This surge has seen the number of LTE subscriptions already surpass 7 Million subscriptions worldwide, and over 300+ commercial LTE user device launches. As Mobile Network MNOs (MNOs) remain committed to deliver mobile broadband services over their LTE networks, a number of critical questions remain unanswered:

 

• How much revenue can an MNO generate with an LTE deployment ?
• What is the typical ARPU for an LTE subscription worldwide or in particular regional market and how will it fluctuate in the next 5 years ?
• What is the relative Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of an LTE network in comparison to competing technologies such as HSPA + and WiMAX ?
• What is the market outlook for VoLTE (Voice over LTE) and wholesale LTE networks, and when would the first VoLTE deployments take place ?
• How much CAPEX and OPEX would an MNO require to deploy at LTE network, and what strategies can be adopted to minimize both CAPEX and OPEX ?

Covering over 325 global MNOs in 120 countries, this report answers the aforementioned questions by quantifying LTE service revenues, subscriptions, ARPUs, CAPEX and OPEX. In addition, the report reviews key trends in LTE deployment strategies such as VoLTE and SMS over LTE, the wholesale deployment model, Self-Organizing Networks (SONs) and the emergence of the data off-load (small cells, HetNets, Wi-Fi offload) equipment market.

The report further provides a global review of LTE price plans and key MNO strategies for LTE pricing and marketing. The report is supplement by an excel based interactive forecasting suite that can be used to forecast LTE service revenue, ARPUs, and subscriptions for particular regional markets, countries or MNOs from 2011 till 2016.

Target Audience: 

• Mobile Network Operators (MNOs): Will make well-informed decisions about deployment strategies, CAPEX/OPEX reduction and price plans. Furthermore, “Greenfield” operators will understand how to capitalize on LTE technology by assessing the strategies of well established CSPs and MNOs.
• Mobile Network Infrastructure Vendors and Handset Manufacturer: Will assess particular issues faced by MNOs investing in LTE and align their product offerings accordingly.
• Application Developers: Will evaluate opportunities to invest in developing applications and services that run on LTE networks by understanding the market dynamics of LTE.
• Investors: Will better understand the LTE technology and its market potential, its value chain and potential. This report will help investors evaluate the investment prospects in the promising LTE ecosystem.

 

Key Findings: 

• ARPUs and Operator Service Revenues • Driven by early adoption among the enterprise users, LTE ARPUs will peak in 2012 reaching 88 USD per month, and drop down by a YoY decline of 16 % over the next five years as the consumer market segment gains a higher market share. • Having already surpassed 7 Million subscriptions, LTE subscriptions are set to grow at a CAGR of 150 % over the next five year period. • Growing at a CAGR of 80 % global LTE service revenues will reach 291 Billion, representing a lucrative market for worldwide MNOs. LTE service revenues presently account for 15 Billion USD. • While the Asia Pacific region will attain the highest number of subscriptions by 2016, the North America and Western Europe region will retain market leadership in terms of service revenues accounting for almost 60 % of all LTE service revenues worldwide.
• Deployment Strategies • Mind Commerce estimates the first VoLTE deployments will take place in Q4’2012, with US and Korean MNOs the first to enter the market. • While early market prospects in the US appear to be deteriorated, the wholesale LTE model will increasingly gain momentum over the next 5 years, and we expect to see the first commercial launch by UK Broadband in 1H 2012.
• CAPEX and OPEX Strategies • By 2016, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for LTE will remain 44 % lower than HSPA+ and 50 % than WiMAX. • If used to full potential, SON technology has the potential to reduce worldwide LTE deployment CAPEX $ 55 Billion, and $ 15 Billion in OPEX by 2016
• Pricing Strategies • Most MNOs are adopting tiered based price plans based on volume and speed in order to maximize revenue while managing capacity. Unlimited plans may gain momentum as MNOs learn to divert revenues with OTT (Over-The-Top) players with technologies such as VoLTE, and as they attain cheaper network TCO by deploying small cells and WiFi offload equipment.

Report Benefits: 

• A Global review of LTE price plans and pricing and marketing strategies for MNOs worldwide
• LTE service revenues, ARPUs and subscriptions by region, country and operator for 2011, and forecasts till 2016
• LTE deployment strategies and key trends including VoLTE, Wholesale deployment model and FDD/TD-LTE integration
• CAPEX and OPEX requirements and strategies for LTE MNOs, including a review of CAPEX commitments by major MNOs worldwide
• Overview of the LTE market including key market drivers, commercial network deployments, subscriptions and device launches (as of March 2012) and frequency spectrum selection and fragmentation

Source: http://mindcommerce.com/Publications/LTE_MobileOperatorStrategies_2012-2016.php

AT&T service in the works to let app developers pay for users’ data use

AT&T has been making news all over MWC in the past couple of days. The most recent report from The Wall Street Journal says that Ma Bell is planning a service that will enable app devs and other content providers to pay the carrier for subscriber’s data usage. AT&T’s head of network and technology said today that “A feature that we’re hoping to have out sometime next year is the equivalent of 800 numbers that would say, if you take this app, this app will come without any network usage.” Donovan goes on to say that interest is swirling from companies that offer services like streaming music and video that feed on a steady diet of data and that the carrier’s rollout of LTE would make the new service possible. Imagine if your Spotify habit didn’t eat up a chunk of your precious monthly allotment. Sounds pretty good, eh? We’re going to withhold judgment to see what mobile services adopt the new plan and continue to keep our Yacht Rock playlist(s) to a minimum.

 

 By Billy Steele  posted Feb 27th 2012 2:27PM

Verizon Innovation Center Showcases Future 4G LTE Products

Verizon Wireless on July 12 officially opened its Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass. The two-building facility is designed to enable partners and companies to create, test and showcase wireless products that leverage Verizon’s 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. For those vendors with products, the Innovation Center gives them access to Verizon’s 4G wireless network as well as hundreds of engineers ready to work with them to develop their ideas. For Verizon, working with these companies not only lets the carrier test and improve its network, but also will lead to an increasing number of products hitting the market that run on the Verizon network, hopefully growing the adoption of Verizon’s LTE platform. Currently, more than 30 products have been developed and displayed at the Innovation Center, with about 20 percent ready to hit the market, 60 percent close to launching and the last 20 percent in the visionary phase, according to Verizon officials. Here is a look at some of the products on display during the opening-day event at the Innovation Center.

Powered Car

Verizon officials showed of an ONStar-powered Buick that is being used as a test-bed for the carrier’s LTE telematics. The car’s on-board computer system—with information fed via Verizon’s 4G network—can give the driver directions, Web browsing capabilities, real-time traffic updates and cameras showing traffic at certain spots on the route, updated video instruction manuals, and video recordings that start up when an impact to the car is felt.

Vgo Robotic Telepresence

A new company, Vgo Communications, is working on a robot sporting immersive video collaboration capabilities that can be remotely operated and offers two-way video and audio communications via Verizon’s LTE platform. The company is eyeing the enterprise, health care and education sectors as key potential growth areas.

Office in a Box

Ericsson and Verizon are working on what the companies are calling an “Office in a Box,” a device that offers SMBs the 4G LTE voice and data connectivity they need, with the ability to expand the offering when needed.

LiveEdge.tv

LiveEdge.tv is developing a product that will enable television news stations to replace their expensive news vehicles that send video via microwaves with a 1.5-pound unit that attaches to the back of the TV camera. The device sends the video from the scene to another LiveEdge.tv device at the station through the LTE network. The technology promises to cut a station’s capital costs from as much as $250,000 for a van to $45,000 for the device, plus reduce operating expenses by 75 percent.

TouchTunes

TouchTunes Interactive Networks offers a fleet of digital jukeboxes that leverage Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The company currently has more than 48,000 devices in bars and restaurants across the United States that run on the 4G network where available, and local WiFi where Verizon’s service has yet to reach.

Online Gaming

Verizon Wireless President and CEO David Mead said he sees 4G technology playing a key role in a number of areas, such as connected homes, health care, distance learning, telematics and—as seen here—cloud-based, multiplayer, 3D games.

Connected Home

Verizon officials see a significant role for 4G-powered products in the home, from wide-screen televisions to a device that keeps track of a user’s health status.

Connected Devices

The carrier’s 4G LTE network also will power connected household devices, such as this refrigerator, one of several devices controlled by the user via the connected laptop.

Connected Bicycle

This 4G LTE-connected bike is a prototype that has everything from a camera next to its front wheel to a display on the handlebars that relays information about the bike and rider back to a central place via the Verizon network. A company official said there are no plans to release this kind of bike right now, but that the data gathered from it can help shape technology used in such devices as the LTE-connected car.

Network Backbone

Verizon officials put on display the various LTE equipment that forms the backbone of the carrier’s 4G network.

Source: Eweek – By Jeffrey Burt on 2011-07-13

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Verizon-Innovation-Center-Showcases-Future-4G-LTE-Products-799023/