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LTE and the 1800 MHz opportunity Northstream White Paper March 2012
Executive Summary
About this Paper
This Northstream white paper examines the take-‐up and status of LTE two years after the first commercial launch and analyses the key aspects that will determine its future success. It is widely recognised that mobile data usage growth, whether on smartphones, laptops or tablets, will continue. In such a market situation, there are a number of challenges for the main stakeholders to cope with, operators, equipment suppliers and regulators alike. Mobile networks will need to accommodate significantly different volumes and types of traffic than today, adopt continuously evolving technologies and make more flexible use of the scarce resource of radio spectrum. Previous Northstream white papers have discussed the generic opportunities and challenges LTE technology brings to operators and how to adopt a suitable migration strategy. Two of the major concerns have been how and when voice services could be offered and the availability of ample device portfolios. Voice over LTE will indeed happen soon, and could bring a boost to operators’ dwindling voice business, but that is a topic for another white paper. In this paper we instead put our focus on analysing the critical availability of suitable and plentiful LTE spectrum and how that can enable, or inversely prohibit, a continued strong growth of mobile communication.
Highlights
LTE is recognised as the future mobile technology in all regions of the world, offering high enough data speeds and spectrum efficiency to satisfy the rising data traffic needs of demanding end users
The two key enablers for the adoption and growth of LTE are: 1) the coordinated availability of spectrum, network solutions, devices and end-‐user services, and 2) spectrum refarming flexibility
There are several spectral options for LTE, and in addition to the earlier recognised 700/800 and 2600 MHz bands, one trend today is to refarm the large spectrum resources in the 1800 MHz band for LTE
The 1800 MHz band is widely used today for GSM but carries several advantages that make it suitable for LTE, among them its ready availability in many regions and its balanced capabilities to provide both capacity and coverage
There are no technological barriers preventing deployment of LTE in 1800 MHz, and today already 15 operators have commercially launched LTE in 1800 MHz, with several other operators conducting on-‐going trials, studies or consultations. Concurrently, the number of available LTE devices is rapidly increasing, including also support for 1800 MHz.
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1. Introduction
1.1. Growth in data traffic
The telecom industry has an agreed understanding that the forecasts of massive growth in mobile data traffic are materializing. Mobile data traffic is expected to grow to 10.8 exabytes per month by 2016, an 18-‐fold increase from 20111.
The major driving forces behind the growth in data traffic, besides the increasing number of mobile connections, are the increased availability of higher speed mobile networks and the proliferation of smartphones. And importantly, data usage per connection is rising as a result of data-‐intense applications and content, cloud services and the evolution of data price plans.
Satisfying the rising data traffic needs of demanding consumer and business users by providing high quality mobile broadband offers great business opportunities for the telecommunications industry. However, to cater for and monetize on this need while keeping competitive advantages and profitability at reasonable levels, is challenging. In order to deliver the fast and high quality mobile experience to all users, technologies such as LTE and later on LTE Advanced are needed, together with efficient and maximised spectrum usage.
1.2. LTE spectrum
Most people in the industry agree that LTE is the next step in the network evolution. LTE provides advantages such as higher capacity, data rates as high as 100Mbps (DL)/50 Mbps (UL), lower latency and improved system design. The data rates can theoretically be even higher if MIMO is also applied.
Compared to 2G/3G standards, LTE is designed to be deployed in a variety of spectrum ranges in different frequency bands. For the initial LTE launches, outside US and Japan, the 2.6 GHz band has been the most popular as this band is available for mobile services in most regions of the world and hence internationally identified as the primary band for LTE2. However, LTE can and will be deployed in existing 2G and 3G bands, in the digital dividend bands3 (700 or 800 MHz depending on the region), as well as in the AWS band4 (1700/2100 MHz) in the US and Canada. NTT DoCoMo in Japan is also using the 2100 MHz band for LTE.
1 Cisco, Feb 2012, ”Cisco VNI: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2011 – 2016” 2 Dotecon, Jun 2010, ”Fixed or flexible? A survey of 2.6GHz spectrum awards” 3 Europe – 800 MHz band (790 – 862 MHz); US -‐ 700 MHz band (698 – 806 MHz, discontinuous); APAC – 700 MHz band, Source: GSMA 4 Known as UMTS band IV (UL: 1710-‐1755 MHz, DL: 2110-‐2155 MHz)
In many European countries, the 900 MHz band has been made technology agnostic, and while it is still widely used for GSM in Europe, operators are slowly starting to reuse the band to address the needs of the 3G market and to complement the main 2100 MHz band. However, there is little evidence of operators investing into deploying LTE in the 900 MHz band in short to mid term.
A recent trend is to use the 1800 MHz band for LTE deployments. One reason is that the 1800 MHz band is wider (has more capacity) than 700/800 or 900 MHz and offers a more cost efficient way to cover large areas than the higher LTE dedicated 2.6 GHz band. There are operators from all regions of the world, except the Americas, implementing or trialling LTE in 1800MHz. In North America the 1800/1900 MHz band is dedicated for GSM, similarly to the 900 MHz band in Europe and until GSM usage decreases significantly, these two bands will not be the short term preferred options for LTE deployments.
Figure 1: Key LTE spectrum bands by region
1.3. LTE technology adoption
When comparing the number of operator commitments, LTE is the fastest developing mobile technology ever. By the end of 2011 there were a total of 48 commercial LTE launches worldwide. 301 operators are investing in LTE in 95 countries, forecasted to result in a cumulative total of 128 commercial LTE networks by the end of 20125 (and by the time you are reading this paper, all those numbers have likely multiplied).
5 GSA, Mar. 2012, ”Evolution to LTE report”
NA ! 700 MHz ! AWS
Europe ! 800 MHz ! 1800 MHz ! 2600 MHz
APAC ! 700 MHz ! 800 MHz ! 1800 MHz ! 2100 MHz ! 2600 MHz
Lat. Am. ! 700 MHz ! AWS ! 2600 MHz
Middle East ! 900 MHz ! 1800 MHz ! 2300 MHz ! 2600 MHz
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Figure 2: Commercial LTE launches globally (GSA)
2. Key enablers for LTE take-‐up
Learning from 2G and 3G (and the sub-‐steps of each generation), Northstream sees two key enablers that are critical to a successful take-‐up of LTE:
1) Coordinated availability of eco-‐system components; and
2) Spectrum refarming flexibility
In order to avoid the relatively slow initial adoption experienced with 3G, coordinated availability of spectrum, network solutions, devices and end-‐user services needs to be achieved (see Figure 3). The scarcity of the radio spectrum often leads to high prices in spectrum auctions, and to justify large spectrum investments, operators need to be sure that at the right point in time there are network components as well as devices available to offer commercial services.
Figure 3: Coordinated availability
With the rapid pace of market and technology development where 2G, 3G and now 4G networks are simultaneously in commercial use, operators’ spectrum needs change and evolve. The traditional practice of regulators locking spectrum for the use of a specific technology alone, no longer reflects market needs and prohibits efficient use of the spectrum. Regulators need to
ensure that operators have the spectrum they need for new technologies such as LTE and at the same time introduce the flexibility that secures a continuously optimal usage of the natural resource. These goals can only be achieved by making spectrum technology agnostic.
The two key enablers we address above are inter-‐dependent but with the difference that the coordinated availability of network equipment, devices and services is market and industry driven, whereas the spectrum is controlled by the governments, making them key gatekeepers for the success of LTE. As all cellular technologies eventually face the end of their life cycles, an early refarming of spectrum is crucial to flexibly phase out the legacy technologies.
3. Technology and spectrum analysis
3.1. 2.6 GHz and 700/800 MHz bands
As mentioned in the previous chapter, LTE can be deployed in various frequency bands – 3GPP has identified over 20 paired (FDD) and 11 unpaired (TDD) bands for the use of LTE worldwide. National and regional differences of what can be used do indeed exist. But given the expected traffic growth no band alone can provide sufficient amount of spectrum, so combining different bands will be critical.
The 2.6 GHz band (2500-‐2690 MHz) is particularly suitable to provide capacity in traffic-‐intense urban hotspots, but its limitations on wide area coverage and indoor penetration often necessitate this band to be used in combination with a lower spectrum band for more cost efficient network build out. The widespread support of 2.6 GHz naturally provides opportunities for economies of scale, ease of roaming and interoperability of devices and services. Spectrum in this band has already been licensed in many countries in western Europe and Asia Pacific, and although auctions are still pending in many other countries, 2.6 GHz is going to be the globally recognized LTE band.
The transition from analogue to digital TV has freed spectrum in the 700/800 MHz to be allocated for alternative use, such as deployment of LTE. Spectrum in these lower bands is highly valuable due to superior coverage capabilities (especially useful for suburban and rural areas) and the ability to penetrate well into buildings. But the regulatory process of freeing up and licensing spectrum in 700/800 MHz is slow and complex, and in many countries these bands are not an option for LTE deployment for many years to come. In addition, these bands are not particularly wide and may not be enough to satisfy the capacity needs. In the US, this spectrum was released early and today there is a large-‐
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scale deployment of LTE in the 700 MHz band. In Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa many of the 700/800 MHz band auctions6 are not taking place until 2012 – 2015. In Europe, the situation is split as few countries in northern and western Europe have already licensed both 800 and 2600 MHz while other parts of Europe are yet to start the process.
3.2. 1800 MHz band The fact that 2.6 GHz and 700/800 MHz bands are not available in all regions creates a higher demand for LTE-‐suitable spectrum than there is supply. Even in countries where spectrum in these bands has been licensed, there is ambition to deploy LTE also in other frequency bands. Re-‐use of existing 2G and 3G bands such as 900, 1800 or 2100 MHz for LTE is already reality in some markets and under consideration in others. The 1800 MHz spectrum band, in particular, has come into focus and makes a strong case worth evaluating.
1800 MHz is one of the largest available cellular blocks with a significant amount of spectrum in many regions. Even though it may take time before this band is exploited to its full potential for LTE7, Northstream believes 1800 MHz will be an important LTE band in particular in Europe and Asia Pacific, but likely also elsewhere, as it offers a balanced combination of coverage and capacity.
Today, the 1800 MHz spectrum band is widely used for GSM and nearly half of the world’s 800+ operators (351 mobile operators in 148 countries) already have licenses for this band8. Operators’ spectrum portfolios vary of course; for some operators, 1800 MHz is their only asset while others use it to complement GSM in 900 MHz. As 3G gradually replaces GSM traffic, it is logical that the GSM spectrum is freed up for use of either 3G or LTE, or both.
3.3. Characteristics and key properties of LTE 1800 MHz
One of the specific advantages of the 1800 MHz band (see Table 1) is its size -‐ 2 x 75 MHz in most markets. The spectrum is often in slots of 10 MHz or wider, typically not fragmented and often only partially utilized9. For example, in the six key European markets10, 85% of the operators who have assets in the 1800MHz band, have them in slots of 10 MHz or wider11. The better coverage capabilities of 1800 MHz make this band a good complement to LTE 2.6 GHz particularly for a cost-‐efficient deployment of LTE in rural and suburban 6 GSMA, 2011, “GSMA: Digital Dividend” 7 It is predicted by Informa (2011) that 7% of global LTE subscriptions will be in the 1800 MHz band in 2016 8 GSMA, Jul 2011, “Mobile Broadband in the 1800MHz Band” 9 Ericsson, Jul 2011, ”Mobile Broadband in 1800 MHz Spectrum” 10 France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and UK 11 ECO, Jan 2012, “The licensing of Mobile bands in CEPT”
areas. LTE in 1800 MHz allows to re-‐use optimally located existing GSM sites, thus reducing CAPEX due to savings in resources otherwise spent on building new sites. According to GSA12, it can be as much as 60% less expensive to cover the same area with LTE 1800 MHz than with 2.6 GHz. Fewer sites naturally also result in lower electricity, maintenance, rental and other operational costs.
In countries where 2.6 GHz and/or the 700/800 MHz bands have not been licensed yet (or where one or more operators have no such license), 1800 MHz gives the opportunity to deploy LTE in line with market needs. Needless to say, delays in LTE deployment can hinder growth and hurt the interests of both operators and consumers.
Sites equipped with software to switch between technologies can be remotely controlled as end users’ needs evolve. This way the spectrum currently used for GSM, for example, can be flexibly and gradually moved to LTE as GSM usage decreases, even momentarily to cater for short term needs and specifics.
Table 1: Key properties of LTE 1800 MHz
3.4. Refarming of spectrum in 1800 MHz for LTE
Already in 2009, the EU issued a decision13 to allow the use of UMTS in 900 and 1800 MHz as a technology that can coexist with GSM. The decision was complemented in April 2011 to include 4G and specific technical guidelines on frequency separation between GSM and LTE, UMTS or WiMax when these networks are deployed in proximity. However, the regulatory landscape in Europe is very fragmented and although many EU countries have acknowledged this decision and allow technology neutrality in 900 and 1800 MHz, full Europe wide refarming will take some time.
12 GSA, Nov 2011, ”Embracing the 1800 MHz opportunity” 13 EU Commission Decision 2009/766/EC13
Key properties of LTE 1800 MHz ! Good availability of the spectrum
! In total 2 x 75 MHz available in most markets ! Mainly in slots of 10 MHz or more
! Offers balanced combination of coverage and capacity
! Increased coverage (2x the coverage of 2.6 GHz)
! Less regulatory barriers ! Accelerates the deployment of LTE (auctions
of 2.6 GHz and/or 700/800 MHz pending)
! Possibility to reuse optimally located BTS’s (optimal coverage)
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Potential setbacks can arise if refarming 1800 MHz impacts the national market and its competition landscape as spectrum is not always equally distributed among operators (e.g. Austria, the Netherlands, UK, etc.). This complexity, however, should not stop the process; merely delay deploying LTE in the 1800 MHz band in the short run. In Asia, many countries already allow or consider to permit refarming of 1800 MHz, though not yet China and India who seem not to have refarming of 1800 MHz on their agenda, likely due to continued GSM growth and the focus on 2300 and 2600 MHz bands for LTE. LTE has been commercially launched in 1800 MHz spectrum in 12 countries by 15 operators14 (See Table 2). Giant multi-‐country operators such as Deutsche Telekom have launched LTE 1800 MHz, thus paving the way for smaller operators and communicating to the device market that LTE 1800 MHz is a true and immediate option.
In addition to the commercially launched LTE 1800 MHz network deployments, trials, studies and consultations have been or are being conducted in over 25 countries, including Brazil, France, Sweden, and the UK.
Table 2: LTE 1800 MHz commercial launches
3.5. Potential challenges to deploying LTE in 1800 MHz
14 GSA, Mar. 2012, ”Evolution to LTE Report”; Northstream research
As for any refarming, using 1800 MHz for LTE poses potential technical and deployment related challenges. Their extent naturally depends on the situation in the particular country.
With LTE Advanced in sight, deploying LTE to its full potential would require ample spectrum resources -‐ with bandwidths of 10 to 20 MHz the benefits are best leveraged, at least when it comes to future bandwidth intensive services. However, the flexibility of LTE allows the technology to be implemented even in lesser bandwidths such as 1.4, 3 and 5 MHz. The smaller bandwidth naturally affects the capacity and speed, but on the other hand -‐ and herein lies a strong advantage -‐ it enables efficient spectrum usage and tailored frequency scenarios. Still, the capacity, or data speed is essentially proportional to the bandwidth in use. For example, if 20 MHz bandwidth gives 90 Mbps, 3 MHz would give an adequate 13 Mbps.
Another question regarding spectrum refarming for LTE in 1800 MHz (or refarming in general) is the potential degradation of existing GSM services. Wireless solutions are always affected by interference from other usage of the spectrum, and traditionally guardbands have been set in between adjacent spectrum bands to avoid interference of different radio technologies. Although technology advancements allow narrower guardbands, inter-‐ but more importantly intra-‐band interference becomes a non-‐negligable consideration when 1800 MHz is gradually transformed from GSM to LTE use.
However, GSM and LTE can well coexist in the same band, even in multi-‐operator uncoordinated operations 200 kHz separation between the channel edges is sufficient to prevent interference15. As discussed above LTE can be deployed with as little spectrum as 1.4 MHz allowing co-‐existence even in fairly narrow bands. When spectrum is used in coordinated operation no channel separation is needed15 as operators can minimise the network quality impact by careful network planning. Interference issues can also be mitigated with LTE specific interference filters in place. In either case, the ability to successfully manage the two technologies in the same band is important, as GSM traffic, will still be a significant technology for several years to come.
Albeit the challenges discussed above need to be addressed by operators, none of these constitutes a technological barrier, and the advantages of deploying LTE in 1800 MHz are significant and outweigh the potential drawbacks.
15 CEPT/ECC, Nov 2010, “Compatibility study for LTE and WiMAX operating within the bands 880-‐915 MHz / 925-‐960 MHz and 1710-‐1785 MHz / 1805-‐1880 MHz (900/1800 MHz bands)”
Operator Country Launch Coverage (at launch)
Aero2 / Mobyland
Poland Sep 2010 3 cities
Omnitel Lithuania April 2011 5 cities
M1 Singapore June 2011 Financial district
DT Germany July 2011 1 city
LMT Latvia May 2011 1 city
TeliaSonera Finland Aug 2011 2 cities
Zain Saudi Arabia Sep 2011 3 cities
Telstra Australia Sep 2011 Capital CBDs, +30 regional centres
Telia Denmark Oct 2011 -
Elisa Finland Nov 2011 -
CSL Hong Kong Nov 2011 -
DNA Finland Dec 2011 4 cities
SingTel Singapore Dec 2011 City centre
T-Mobile Hungary Jan 2012 10 districts in capital
KT South Korea Jan 2012 1 city
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3.6 Spectrum portfolio strategies
When reviewing the case for deploying LTE in 1800 MHz, it is important to evaluate it in the context of an operator’s overall spectrum portfolio and network technology strategy. One sample illustration on how to exploit spectrum efficiently can be seen in Figure 4 below.
Operators have two practical alternatives of how to use their 1800 MHz spectrum: Continue to use solely for GSM, or gradually deploy LTE in co-‐existence.
Provided the regulator permits technology neutrality, choosing between these alternatives is essentially a commercial decision. The route an operator selects is largely dependent upon the access to and amount of 2.6 GHz and 700/800 MHz spectrum.
In theory, there is a third option -‐ to deploy 3G, but in reality operators have not chosen to deploy 3G in the 1800 MHz band and the device ecosystem is currently not supporting such a choice.
In the long run, as 3G will eventually be phased out, operators can start to reuse the 900 MHz spectrum for LTE. The time frame is uncertain, but in the future LTE 900 MHz will catch up with LTE 1800 Mhz.
Operators may also re-‐allocate GSM traffic between 900 and 1800 MHz in order to continue serving existing GSM customers while reusing spectrum in these bands for new technologies.
These are of course simplified examples, and in reality the options are manifold, driven by spectrum assets. Operators’ choices will be based on a combination of the regulatory situation, the market needs, and the existing as well as potential spectrum allocations. But in the end, having the flexibility of choosing the optimal technology for any and all spectrum assets allows operators to focus on the commercial aspects and satisfying customer demand and growth.
Figure 4: Evolution of frequency band allocation16
16 Based on data from Ericsson, ”Mobile Broadband in 1800 MHz spectrum”, Jul 2011
4. Device and end-‐user services availability
4.1. LTE 1800 MHz devices and chipsets
The high spectrum flexibility and adaptability of LTE is not only an advantage -‐ the flipside is the challenge for device and chipset vendors. There is widespread industry acknowledgement that multi-‐band multi-‐mode devices that can seamlessly operate in various modes (such as LTE FDD, LTE TDD, GSM, HSPA/and or CDMA EV DO as well as Wi-‐Fi and GPS) and in multiple frequency bands are needed in order to ensure smooth services both in all situations in the home country and when roaming internationally. We are still at the early stages of LTE, and although more than half of the LTE mobile devices support only a single band, there’s still an encouraging (ca.) 20% which are dual band and over 25% support three bands or more.17 There are strong reasons to believe that devices will increasingly carry multi-‐band chipsets.
Technology development has allowed chipsets and devices to support greater ranges of both multi-‐mode and multi-‐band systems. Even though it is technically possible to include “everything”, in reality device vendors are facing the decision of how many combinations of technologies and frequency bands to incorporate in a single device. The trade-‐off is typically the physical size of the device, the BoM, the power consumption and possibly also performance degradations. Nevertheless, the advancements in chipsets and devices have been impressive and, it is expected that the 1800 MHz band will be widely supported in most LTE devices.
In fact, the availability of devices supporting LTE 1800 MHz is rapidly increasing. Even though most LTE network launches so far have been in the 2600 and 700 MHz bands, ca. 20%18 of all the LTE devices available on the market today are LTE 1800 MHz compatible19.
Figure 5: LTE 1800 device types (GSA)
17 Informa, Aug 2011, ”A global analysis of LTE spectrum requirements and business models” 18 If devices targeted for the US market (700 MHz band devices –mainly single band) are excluded, the percentage of LTE 1800 devices is much higher (ca. 40%) 19 GSA, Jan 2012, “Report: Status of the LTE Ecosystem”
LTE 700/800 MHz 900 MHz
1800 MHz 2100 MHz 2600 MHz LTE
3G
GSM/3G
Urban Suburban Rural
LTE/GSM
Router'32%'
Dongles'30%'
Module'26%'
Smartphone'8%'
Tablet'4%'
LTE$1800$MHz$Devices$
7
One challenge with respect to smartphones has been to merge 3G and 4G into a single chipset, which would overcome some of the shortcomings above. Manufacturers (e.g. HTC with Thunderbolt) have had to strike a balance between the design and size in order to allocate a separate space for an LTE chipset. In addition to the phone size, battery-‐life is also affected. Nevertheless, leading device vendors such as Samsung have launched smartphones supporting LTE and the volumes are increasing. Chipset vendors are already offering solutions that enable dual mode HSPA and LTE 1800 MHz (Qualcomm, for example).
In the past year the LTE device range has more than ten folded20. Given that the proportion of LTE 1800 MHz capable devices has increased within the overall growth in LTE devices, and given the operator interest, it is fair to assume that support for 1800MHz in LTE devices will become “standard”, thus supporting the adoption of 1800 MHz as a major band for LTE.
4.2. End-‐user data services As the final component in the key enablers, end-‐user services play an important part in driving the LTE ecosystem forward. As the digital lifestyle continues to evolve, devices become more sophisticated and the networks become capable of further increased data rates, the services get more advanced, faster and data-‐intense. Unlike the 2G to 3G transition, the 3G to LTE will be subtler for the end users and mainly – at least initially – visible in the form of improved versions of the services consumed over 3G networks. The key improvements end-‐users will experience with services on LTE networks will be the lower latency and greater data speeds, qualities that are especially beneficial to, for example, video based services and gaming. But the mere existence of LTE will also create momentum for new and innovative services that exploit the capabilities of LTE, to be introduced both by operators and OTT (Over-‐the-‐top) providers. As forecasted by Cisco21, already before LTE becomes widely available, mobile data traffic will predominantly come from mobile video oriented services. According to Cisco, mobile video will generate 71% of mobile data traffic by 2015, followed by mobile browsing at 20%. With an increased LTE penetration, there will be both a push and a pull effect on that trend. Informa surveys18 also confirm the forecast that the greatest traffic volumes on LTE networks will come from video (incl. streaming and downloads).
20 Pyramid Research, Jan 2012, ”LTE Devices and Applications” 21 Cisco, Feb 2012, ”Cisco VNI: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2011 – 2016”
Figure 6: Mobile Data services in 2016 (Cisco)
Even though today 3G can accommodate comparable data rates to LTE (when deployed in small bandwidth), going forward the greater efficiency of LTE networks will provide good opportunities for the evolution of a range of other services that exploit and benefit from the lower latency and increased data rates. Subsequently, LTE Advanced will be the real differentiator, bringing along tremendous opportunities for end-‐user services. Look out for a future white paper on this topic… 5. Future considerations and conclusions
While the industry has endorsed LTE as the next cellular technology, one of the biggest uncertainties lies in the spectrum availability and the potential fragmentation of LTE spectrum. The EU, as well as the FCC with their flexible refarming policy, have given their support to the technology agnostic use of spectrum. Operators need this in order to proceed with commercial LTE deployments – and even more to exploit LTE-‐A for that matter.
While 2.6 GHz has been the most popular spectrum band for the initial LTE launches, there are convincing indications that 1800 MHz will gain strong interest as it offers significant savings in network costs due to its better coverage capabilities. Nonetheless, most regions will need to use combinations of spectrum, whether due to economics, spectrum availability or legislation. 1800 MHz will be one of the key LTE bands in the future as almost half of the operators globally are already in possession of spectrum in this band. With flexible and speedy regulatory adaptations this resource can be very instrumental for an efficient LTE deployment and growth.
Operators are keen to deploy LTE as the current networks are struggling to cope with the increasing data usage. Smooth transitions from one technology generation to another have always been challenging for the industry.
Mobile'Video'70.6%'
Mobile'Web/Data'20.0%'
Mobile'File'Sharing'3.3%'
Mobile'M2M'4.7%'
Mobile'Gaming'1.1%' Mobile'VoIP'
0.3%'
Mobile'Data'Services'in'2016'
8
This time, having not only one but two generations of legacy technologies, whose services need to be maintained for quite an extended period, the complexity increases significantly. Regulators can remove a potential bottleneck by promptly and justly refarming and reallocating the spectrum resources. In the end, the flexibility of combining spectrum bands and technologies to satisfy market needs is principal to reap the growth opportunities. By speeding up the regulatory processes the telecommunications market as a whole could seize this opportunity and benefit from what LTE technology can offer.
About Northstream
Founded in 1998, Northstream is an experienced management consulting firm providing strategic business and technology advice to the global telecom and media industries. We help our clients through independent and objective analyses, advice, problem solving and support that are tailor-‐made to our client’s situation. Our work is based on a well-‐balanced combination of innovation, industry best practices and in-‐house methodologies. Northstream typically works with:
• Business strategy development and planning • Strategic sourcing of systems and services • Technology & product strategy evaluation • Operational review, optimization and support • Investment analysis and due diligences
Clients across the world include mobile operators, network and device suppliers, application providers, investment banks, regulators and industry fora. Contact us to learn more about how we can work together to ensure your success in the mobile voice and broadband business.
Strategy and Sourcing www.northstream.se
