TD-LTE and LTE-Advanced to Account for More Than Half of LTE Installed Macro Basestations by 2015

With the first service providers, such as SK Telecom, now upgrading their networks to LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and China Mobile deploying a TD-LTE network and issuing a huge tender for over 200,000 base stations, TD-LTE and LTE-Advanced are set to dominate the LTE installed base of macro basestations as early as 2015.

While FD-LTE will continue to represent a majority of LTE installations it is the rapid growth in LTE-A and TD-LTE subscriptions which will drive this change. By 2018, ABI Research forecasts that there will be 1.467 billion LTE subscriptions worldwide; of those, 34% will be on LTE-Advanced (Release 10+) networks, while 42% and 24% will be on the older Release 8/9 LTE-FDD and LTE-TDD networks, respectively.

“The rapid uptake in LTE-A comes as a result of the evolutionary nature of the LTE standards and the relative ease with which installed LTE basestations can be upgraded,” says Nick Marshall principal analyst at ABI Research. “LTE-Advanced will progress in a phased rollout with Carrier Aggregation implemented first, followed by the eICIC, CoMP, Enhanced MIMO, and HetNet support features which will all help operators address the upsurge in network traffic.”

Although Japan, South Korea, and China in the Asia-Pacific region will have the largest LTE macro basestation installed base in 2015, followed by Western Europe and North America, it is North America which will account for the majority of the LTE-Advanced installed base, driven by operators such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile/MetroPCS, and Softbank/Sprint which all have hinted at plans to introduce LTE-Advanced in the very near future.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s latest “Macro Base Stations” forecast database which is part of our Macro Basestations Research Service.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.