Due to widespread mobile network operator (MNO) adoption, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) will have more than nine times as many subscribers as its main rival in the 4G network by 2014, according to IHS iSuppli. LTE is expected to surpass WiMAX, the current leading 4G standard, by 2012. In 2014, LTE subscribers will reach 303.1 million, compared to 33.4 million WiMAX subscribers (see the figure).

In 2011, LTE subscribers worldwide are expected to reach 14.9 million, up from 6.8 million in 2010. In comparison, global subscribers in 2011 on LTE—championed by most tier-one MNOs globally, such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless in the United States, as well as Vodafone and TeliaSonera in Europe—are projected to reach 10.4 million. But while that total is smaller than WiMAX numbers, it reflects an astonishing leap from just 702,000 users in 2010 and virtually zero in 2009, iSuppli says.

Although the International Telecommunications Union has announced that neither LTE nor WiMAX are officially 4G technologies, industry vernacular has adopted the designation for both. Regardless of how they are categorized, this set of next-generation mobile wireless standards is characterized by very high data-transmission speeds, flexible width channelization and perhaps, most importantly, low-latency packet transfers.

As is normal for the industry, while older wireless technologies such as 2G and 3G continue to be in use in every part of the world, the transition to higher-speed broadband networks is under way, and the race is on to determine which 4G technology will provide the expected performance and enhancements from day one.

Verizon Wireless introduced 10 LTE devices from four different original equipment manufacturers at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. These devices utilized 4 different core-chipset partners, and included three media tablets, four smart phones, two notebooks, and one mobile hotspot. These new entries added to Verizon’s prior LTE lineup of two UBS dongles introduced last quarter.

An estimated 10 LTE subscribers worldwide have launched to date, and more than 30 new operators will start LTE services this year. For WiMAX, the majority of operators are in Europe, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa, and then the Americas.

IHS iSuppli

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