Mobile access
technology evolution has seen huge increases in the ability to carry
higher data rates
The inherent
value of mobility
to end users and the
cost
advantages over
fixed access have driven the tremendous growth of the mobile user base
and the near stagnation of the fixed user base. Will we see with mobile
broadband data what we saw with voice?
Rapid growth in mobile data services
is seen everywhere on
3G and 3.5G networks. The drivers are social networking, photo and video
sharing, navigation and online gaming. Usage in some instances has
reached levels where the mobile data performance is affected, in turn
affecting the user experience, especially in high user density urban
areas.
Is
4G the answer? Yes.
4G (LTE) promises
mobile data rates of over 100 Mbps and improved performance, especially
lower latency. 4G offers better spectral efficiency and lower costs for
providing data. But 4G will also attract new and unexpected usage.
Mobile broadband access may be the only way to offer broadband in some
developing country markets.
It may also displace some fixed broadband in mature markets, but the
availability of spectrum is a limiting factor. A fibre optic cable
�contains� the entire spectrum without interfering with adjacent fibres
or over-the-air radio transmission. It therefore seems likely that
offloading of the radio spectrum where possible will be driven by
expected usage increases.
Some
forecasts
indicate that the mobile broadband user base will grow globally at over
35% per annum through 2014 to reach some 1.8 billion users, resulting in
a mobile broadband user base of between 25 to 30% of all users. The
chart below is from �LTE and the Road to 4G (2010-2015)� (info.) Click
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to this report.
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