When it comes to mobile network infrastructure discussions, LTE is the name on everyone's lips. Yet the very meaning of the acronym—"Long-Term Evolution"—is a hint that it is not going to happen overnight. LTE's deployment as the mainstay 4G technology will take place gradually, and will not even begin to gather real steam until 2013. Nonetheless, LTE is forecast by ABI Research to generate more than $11 B in service revenue in the US in 2015, with nearly a further $650 M to come from Western Europe.
The LTE service revenue growth curve for Western Europe is practically a straight line. That contrasts sharply with constantly accelerating revenue growth in the US, and is largely due to the sometimes exorbitant amounts European network operators paid for their 3G spectrum; many of those operators want to squeeze every drop of value from their 3G investments before migrating to 4G.
- How many subscribers will LTE have in the long term?
- How fast will LTE grow until 2015?
- How much will be spent on LTE infrastructure and/or user equipment?
ABI Research's "LTE and LTE-Advanced" study gives an LTE and LTE-Advanced standards overview and update, considering trends, network architecture, and the elements that make up that architecture, as well as approaches and strategies. Forecasts include device and equipment shipments broken down by region, as well as subscribers, service revenue and ARPU. It is part of the 4G Research Service.
