A Free reign over 4G? How the upstart's LTE gambit upended the mobile market in France

When France's enfant terrible Free Mobile announced in early December that it was adding LTE to its rolling monthly €15.99 and €19.99 price plans at no extra cost with 20GB of mobile data to boot, it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall in the offices of rivals Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Vivendi-owned SFR.
More interesting still would have been observing the reactions to Free Mobile's subsequent announcement that LTE was being added to its €2-a-month plan with 50MB of data.

When the mobile upstart arrived on the scene in 2012, it shook up the French mobile market. Now, by giving away 4G free with its low-cost tariffs, it looks to be doing the same all over again.
The three incumbent operators have certainly already suffered at the hands of Free Mobile following the introduction of the Iliad-owned operator's low-cost plans in January 2012: €19.99 for 3GB of data appeared incredibly cheap at the time, and users switched to Free Mobile in droves.
It sparked a lasting change on the French market and caused Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom to revamp their pricing, introducing low-cost secondary brands and embarking on new strategies to prop up ARPU.
These new strategies include introducing LTE, with fourth-generation services now in the process of being rolled out across France. SFR was the first French operator to launch commercial LTE services for consumers: it debuted LTE in the city of Lyon ahead of schedule in November 2012.
Orange was close behind, while Bouygues Telecom launched services in October this year after the operator was given the go-ahead to refarm its 1800MHz spectrum for LTE services. Bouygues Telecom and SFR have since embarked on talks to share parts of their mobile networks, and these talks are still ongoing.

Network sharing

Free Mobile, already facing criticism over its 3G coverage and still reliant on the Orange network under a 3G roaming agreement, is the last of the four French mobile operators to launch LTE services and has also applied to join the network sharing talks between its two rivals.
Whether they will be sympathetic to Free's wishes remains to be seen: the upstart has already forced Bouygues Telecom's hand on LTE pricing, for example: the operator is extending LTE to all of its mobile plans at no extra cost and plans to add LTE to the low-cost plans offered under its B&YOU secondary brand this year. Orange has done similarly, announcing that it's adding LTE to Sosh, its low-cost brand, from 9 January, on its €24.99 plan with 5GB of data included.
How far Free's LTE challenge will continue to affect existing prices also remains to be seen. Emma Mohr-McClune, services director at Current Analysis, noted that Free's 'Free 4G' campaign is an approach that is "now commonplace in Europe, particularly from price aggressors launching LTE late in a market, and we've seen recent examples of this from TDC in Sweden, Three in the UK, and Base in Belgium."
Orange has criticised Free's inclusion of LTE in its current offers as "an exercise in communication timed to coincide with the start of the Christmas sales period," and has previously maintained that it will continue with its plan to increase LTE prices next year. Nevertheless, Mohr-McClune questions whether operators will now be able to raise prices, thanks to Free.
"First-to-market LTE providers were in a position to exact a premium, but that window has now closed," she said. "From the outset, it was clear that the opportunity to market LTE as a premium service would expire the moment the market challengers launched their own LTE networks."

LTE coverage

As well as attractive prices, operators will need to meet their promises to continually improve coverage and capacity across the entire country. Orange, Bouygues Telecom, and SFR have been providing regular updates on their coverage statistics since they first launched services, and it is here that they currently have the edge over Free Mobile's offers.
For example, Free Mobile said it is offering a service based on 700 LTE masts in 1,000 areas. This to compares to 3,800 LTE masts in service at Orange, which said it offers coverage in 866 towns and cities across France. "By the end of the year, we will provide coverage for 50 percent of the French population and aim to reach one million 4G customers," an Orange spokesperson said.
Bouygues said it now has 63 percent coverage and offers LTE in more than 2,100 cities with over 5,300 masts in service. It has 500,000 active clients on its LTE network.  SFR says its LTE network is present in 567 towns, and the company said it aims to cover 70 percent of the population by the end of 2013.
According to France's spectrum watchdog ANFR (Agence Nationale des Frequences), as of 1 December Orange had 3,879 LTE masts in service, SFR 1,013, Bouygues Telecom 5,392 and Free Mobile 700. ANFR said 12,069 sites are now authorised for LTE and the number rises on average by 6.4 per month a month.
Operators have already come in for criticism over network coverage claims, with Free Mobile in particular provoking a sharp response from the French government for launching its LTE services without the necessary coverage:
"As Iliad builds out its mobile network, its launch seems to be a risky and audacious bet," Arnaud Montebourg, industry minister, and Fleur Pellerin, junior minister for telecom and digital issues, said in a statement.
Despite their superior number of masts, the incumbent operators have not escaped criticism over making promises they are currently unable to meet. For example, in early November consumer watchdog UFC Que Choisir filed a legal complaint against Orange and SFR over the claims they have been making about their respective LTE services.
According to UFC Que Choisir, tests conducted between 3 and 17 October in Paris showed a discrepancy between the LTE coverage that Orange and SFR claim to have in the capital and the access consumers really get.
The consumer group also asked French telecoms regulator Arcep to set up a special body to monitor the rollout of LTE networks and guarantee operator claims on coverage and speed.
If 2013 was the year that remade France's LTE market, then 2014 looks set to bring more of the same. In the coming year, expect to see a continuation of network rollouts and possible reactions to new low-cost plans along with new efforts to entice users to the higher-speed offerings. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose?

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/a-free-reign-over-4g-how-the-upstarts-lte-gambit-upended-the-mobile-market-in-france-7000024407/

Bouygues, Orange respond to Iliad’s 4G challenge

French telcos Bouygues Telecom and Orange France have hit back at Iliad (Free) in the ongoing price war within the French mobile market, by offering free 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) services with their respective low-cost packages. Local newspaper Le Figaro reports that Bouygues Telecom has added 4G access to its budget B&You subscriptions, starting at EUR9.99 (USD13.76). For its part, Orange France has announced that it will offer access to its 4G network for Sosh subscribers from January 2014, although no further details regarding the pricing have been revealed.

As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, earlier this month Iliad revealed that subscribers to its Free Mobile Plan, currently priced at EUR19.99 per month, would benefit from download speeds of up to 150Mbps, at no additional cost. Further, the price plan would provide a 20GB data allowance. Further, on 9 December Free Mobile revealed that current subscribers to its EUR2 (USD2.75) plan would automatically benefit from access to its 3G/4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, with MMS messaging and 50MB of data allowance also included in the subscription plan; ‘FreeBox’ users can access the 4G network for free. Iliad’s move was widely perceived as a direct response to rival Bouygues Telecom’s prior announcement that it would provide its subscribers with access to its LTE network at no extra cost.

Meanwhile, Orange France CEO Stephane Richard has addressed the escalating price battle by threatening to end its roaming agreement with Free Mobile, by stating: ‘Orange may very well do without the roaming agreement, but is the [opposite] certain?’ The executive clarified: ‘Free Mobile has only a few frequencies and antennas, when compared to its competitors. Even accelerating its deployment, it can in no way claim to have national coverage 4G on its own, which means that to get coverage worthy of the name in the coming weeks, it will necessarily press for a roaming agreement or [network] sharing with one of its competitors.’

source: http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2013/12/17/bouygues-orange-respond-to-iliads-4g-challenge/

Consumer Survey: Sprint = Biggest Loser

Sprint is scraping the bottom of the barrel among US carriers in terms of overall satisfaction. The results come from Consumer Reports, which polled more than 58,000 subscribers about their opinions. Sprint received poor marks all around, with consumers dinging its value, voice and text quality, and 4G reliability. Sprint ranked second last year.

Sprint has certainly struggled throughout much of 2013. It fought a contentious battle to acquire Clearwire earlier this year. It wrestled with its own shareholders as well as the shareholders of Clearwire over the value of the company. It also had to stave off an aggressive offer from Dish Networks -- all while being acquired by Japan's SoftBank. Sprint also shut down its iDEN network in June and has been re-farming its spectrum to improve its LTE network. The company had a full plate. That didn't stop consumers from rating it poorly.

Verizon Wireless earned consumers' highest ratings as far as the top four are concerned. Its customers were generally pleased with Verizon's LTE 4G network and some aspects of its customer support organization. Consumer Reports said that AT&T ranked second and T-Mobile ranked third, with "ho-hum" marks. AT&T managed to beat Verizon Wireless in at least one category, though: reliability of its 4G service.

[ Sprint is building its LTE coverage, but it still badly lags AT&T and Verizon. See Sprint LTE Network Slowly Expands. ]

Verizon Wireless recently admitted that it is struggling to handle all the traffic on its LTE network in major markets across the country, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Its network has reached capacity in many markets, and it is forcing some data connections back down to its CDMA 3G network. Verizon is preparing to offer LTE on the 1700 MHz spectrum in some markets to supplement its 700 MHz spectrum, but is a long way from making the additional spectrum widely available.

AT&T's LTE network has fared better in large cities, and that is likely why consumers rated it above Verizon's.

Consumer Reports said Consumer Cellular, a prepaid provider, was the overall leader among wireless networks in the US.

"Our latest cell service satisfaction survey revealed a somewhat precipitous decline by Sprint that shuffled the rankings of the major standard service providers," said Glenn Derene, electronics content development team leader for Consumer Reports, in the press release. "And smaller, no-frills, no-contract, and prepaid service providers continue to do a better job of satisfying customers, and provide an increasingly viable alternative to some of the expensive, long-term contracts that many consumers find themselves locked into."

Many of the prepaid networks run on those of their larger rivals. For example, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA both use Sprint's network, while Consumer Cellular runs on AT&T's network. Cricket, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular run their own networks, but offer no-contract service plans that often dramatically undercut those of the country's biggest wireless providers.

source: http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-business/consumer-survey-sprint---biggest-loser/d/d-id/1112728

China Mobile To Release 4G Service With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones; Sprint Customers Declining

Mizuho Securities Analyst Marvin Lo in Hong Kong said that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s deal with China Mobile Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CHL) would give it a big increase in the China market as the largest local carrier has the largest number of users. He added that at least 10% or 70 million wealthier ones would be potential customers for iPhones among China Mobile’s more than 700 million mobile subscribers.

By using the nation’s home grown flavor of LTE called TD-LTE, China Mobile will unveil its 4G network. With existing 4G LTE, the carrier technology is unsuited, an attempt by China to avoid paying patent royalities to Qualcomm, much as it former did with its version of 3G service “TD-SCDMA”.

For TD-LTE, Apple (AAPL)’s iPhone 5s and 5c specifically include support and in early September, China’s Telecom Equipment Certification Center approved the two models. Addition of the two new iPhones is a small minority of devices competent of working on China Mobile’s 4G network and licensed by the state.

According to Consumer Reports’ survey released on Thursday, Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) attained “dreary marks” in voice, text messaging, 4G reliability and value. However, last year, Sprint ranked No. 2 behind Verizon Wireless. The company is in the middle of upgrading its network to offer improved and faster service to customers, but the transformation has been bumpy for users. That’s why in the last few years, many have left the carrier.

A Sprint representative commented on the Consumer Reports’ survey by saying that they’re not necessarily surprising but disappointing. The company is hopeful that declining rate of customers will get better with improvement in the network. Last month, the company demonstrated Sprint Spark, its enhanced LTE network, to stimulate interest for its next-generation network.

Once again, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is on top of the list, although Verizon recently admitted that it was facing pressures in big cities like San Francisco and New York. Consumer Reports said that T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) attained “ho-hum” results but for 4G reliability, AT&T was the lone carrier to get a top rating. About offering both the fastest and most reliable network in the nation, AT&T has been advertising a lot while to pair with HSPA+ network, T-Mobile has built out its 4G LTE network.

According to survey, many customers are overpaying for their data, with 38 percent of users surveyed using half or less than half of their monthly data plans.

source: http://www.consensuspress.com/china-mobile-to-release-4g-service-with-apple-inc-nasdaqaapls-iphones-sprint-customers-declining/252602/

Sprint dead last in Consumer Reports' phone service survey

The nation's third-largest wireless carrier by subscriber base sank to the bottom of a survey conducted by Consumer Reports over cell phone service. Sprint scored "dismal marks" in value, voice, text messaging, and 4G reliability, according to Consumer Reports' survey released Thursday. Sprint ranked No. 2 behind Verizon Wireless a year ago.

t's the latest headache for a carrier that is going through a long and painful transformation of its network. Sprint is in the middle of upgrading its network to allow for better and faster service, but the transition has been rough on customers. As a result, many have left the carrier in the last few years.

"While the findings in the Consumer Reports' survey are disappointing, they're not necessarily surprising," said a Sprint representative. "We've asked customers during the past year to 'pardon our dust' as we build out and upgrade our network."

Sprint is hoping the rate of customer attrition will fade once the network improves. To drum up interest for its next-generation network, the company last month demonstrated Sprint Spark, its enhanced LTE network. The company said in areas where the coverage has improved, the customer satisfaction has moved up accordingly.

Verizon Wireless was once again the top-rated carrier, though Verizon recently conceded that it was facing pressures in big cities such as New York and San Francisco.

AT&T and T-Mobile scored "ho-hum" results, Consumer Reports said, but AT&T was the lone carrier to get a top rating for 4G reliability.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57613261-94/sprint-dead-last-in-consumer-reports-phone-service-survey/

RIL poised for big bang cellphone debut

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-run RIL's telecom arm, Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJI) has asked the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to release four crore new series of phone numbers for all 22 telecom circles as it plans for an aggressive pan-India launch of mobile phone services on 4G (Fourth-Generation) spectrum sometime soon.

The ambitious move is expected to generate fierce competition in the telecom sector and comes at a time when the debt- ridden telcos had started firming up call rates to shore up their bottomlines.

RJI has submitted an application to the telecommunication ministry stating that the company immediately needs 40 lakh phone numbers for each metro city, 20 lakh for A and B telecom circles and 10 lakh for category C circles, which comprises small towns and rural areas of the country.

DoT secretary M. F. Farooqui told Mail Today on Friday that the department has received a letter from RJI for the new series of phone numbers as they plan to launch their telecom services. "I don't recall the quantum of phone numbers they have asked for but we have received their application in this regard," said Farooqui.

"RJI has asked for the same series of numbers for its nationwide operations like the ones given to BSNL. We have to work it out if it is feasible or not. As the quantum of numbers to be released is very high, it could take about 2- 3 weeks for us to clear it. Our team will soon start working on it," said another DoT official.

RJI has already completed trial runs for Voice over LTE (Long Term Evolution also called VoLTE) technology that would enable it to provide voice call services on its wireless broadband network. RIL plans to offer 4G broadband data services with voice.

It is the only telecom operator to have a pan-India license for 4G broadband services and has ambitious plans that could erode the market share of large players like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone.

Cash-rich RIL also plans to sell tablets at a much cheaper price of less than Rs  3,000 with much- much cheaper voice rates which could spell trouble for its competitors.

Although Bharti Airtel is already providing 4G data services in Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata and Chandigarh, it has not been able to attract many subscribers ow- ing to the high tariffs.

Some other 4G operators like Tikona are also planning to launch highspeed Internet services at much lower rates which would make the data market much more competitive.

Videocon Mobile Services has also expressed its interest to launch 4G services at rates that are less than the present 2G and 3G data tariffs, indicating that the 4G race will heat up in the coming months.

RJI has aggressively been pursuing its pre-launch strategy. It has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to fix the reserve price of the 4G spectrum at 7 to 8 times higher than that for 3G radio waves, which has rattled its rivals. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone want the reserve price at a much lower level. While Bharti Airtel has 4G spectrum in 8 circles, Vodafone does not have 4G airwaves. A senior official with a leading telecom company said RJI has excess of 4G airwaves, which offers data transmission almost four times the speed of 3G and 16 times the speed of 2G.

source: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/ril-mukesh-ambani-poised-for-big-bang-cellphone-debut/1/200437.html

4G play: It’s GSM biggies vs Reliance Jio once again Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/business/4g-play-its-gsm-biggies-vs-reliance-jio-once-again-1243593.html?utm_source=ref_article

New Delhi: Reliance Jio Infocomm’s ambitious plans on 4G or fourth generation telephony launch could well upset the applecart of established GSM operators. Reliance Jio is reportedly planning an aggressive 4G launch – it can now also offer voice besides data – and recent media reports suggest it has sought a new number series with four crore new numbers from the Department of Telecom to begin services in each of the country’s 22 telecom circles. A story in Mail Today newspaper on November 10 says these numbers have been sought – 40 lakh phone numbers for each metro city, 20 lakh each for A and B telecom circles and 10 lakh for every C circle. A Reliance spokesperson did not offer any comment on the quantum of numbers sought. These numbers mean Reliance Jio has an exclusive series all to itself and once these numbers are allotted, the company could well be in a position to offer a very well differentiated voice cum data offering at low prices and shake up competition. Reliance Jio is the only operator which bagged 4G spectrum in all the 22 circles and the only other company which has any 4G presence is Bharti, which is operating in four circles (Maharashtra, Kolkata, Punjab and Haryana).

No wonder then that GSM companies are worried. On November 15th, Cellular Operators Association of India, which is the GSM industry lobby group, wrote a letter to the Telecom Secretary M F Farooqui where it sought two things: 1) As per the existing guideline, only one million numbers can be allotted per circle to any operator initially and this should be followed for Reliance Jio too. Additional codes should be allotted based on minimum VLR criteria of 40% later on only. 2) There is already a severe number crunch and Reliance Jio should not be allotted any exclusive number series COAI’s members comprise GSM biggies like Bharti, Vodafone and Idea and the letter was written based on media reports about Reliance Jio seeking four crore numbers in an exlcusive number series. The letter has been reviewed by Firstpost. A telecom industry veteran pointed out that if Reliance Jio is indeed allotted so many numbers in an exclusive series, it will get a platform to offer disruptive pricing and could well shake up the nascent 4G market. COAI’s Rajan Mathews pointed out that the request for such a large set of numbers “is just another way of Reliance Jio to get backdoor entry to offer voice services when they had originally opted for ISP license only”. He was referring to COAI’s long standing demand that Reliance Jio not be allowed to offer voice services since it had initially opted for only an ISP license and later came forward to get the Unified License without having to pay as much license fee as COAI’s own members. Now, the ball is in DoT’s court – if it does decide to allot a large quantum of numbers to Reliance Jio, the company will certainly get a huge leg up in offering high speed data services to begin with, and perhaps voice later. Firstpost has pointed out earlier as well that the debate over whether Reliance Jio will bring a tsunami to the voice market is a bit premature. What it could immediately do though is revolutionise the data market. Kunal Bajaj of Analysis Mason had told Firstpost earlier that a Unified License will allow Reliance Jio to offer ‘fixed voice’ services which are like shared telephones similar to the ‘Tata walkies’ some years back. “This service will not use the traditional mobile phone but shared phones and will be similar to what Airtel is using for its 4G services.” So in effect, Reliance Jio could be looking to revolutionlise the data market for now, not so much voice telephony. Bajaj had pointed out that no where in the world have voice services been offered on 2300 mhz spectrum band with LTE technology (this is what Reliance Jio has at present) and it is difficult to offer voice services continuously on this spectrum band. If the company were to indeed try offering voice, it will not be compatible with current handsets and newer devices will be needed. Voice business will only make sense if Reliance Jio were to tie up with existing voice operators to offer intra circle roaming etc.


source: Firstpost has pointed out earlier as well that the debate over whether Reliance Jio will bring a tsunami to the voice market is a bit premature. What it could immediately do though is revolutionise the data market. Kunal Bajaj of Analysis Mason had told Firstpost earlier that a Unified License will allow Reliance Jio to offer ‘fixed voice’ services which are like shared telephones similar to the ‘Tata walkies’ some years back. “This service will not use the traditional mobile phone but shared phones and will be similar to what Airtel is using for its 4G services.” So in effect, Reliance Jio could be looking to revolutionlise the data market for now, not so much voice telephony. Bajaj had pointed out that no where in the world have voice services been offered

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/business/4g-play-its-gsm-biggies-vs-reliance-jio-once-again-1243593.html?utm_source=ref_article

CTU awards 4G spectrum to Czech incumbents, but newcomers miss out

National regulator the Czech Telecommunication Office (CTU) yesterday issued a press release confirming that the country’s three incumbent mobile network operators – Telefonica O2 CR, T-Mobile Czech Republic and Vodafone Czech Republic – each secured frequencies allowing them to offer fourth-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) services in the country. However, the tender failed in its primary task of bringing new competition to the market as two would-be newcomers – Revolution Mobile, previously a subsidiary of the financial groupPPF, and Sazka Communications (formerly known as Tasciane), which is understood to be controlled by local entrepreneur Karel Komarek’s KKCG Group – failed to take frequencies, despite taking part.

The industry watchdog had seen the auction as the ideal vehicle to bring in much needed competition to a sector long dominated by the three big hitters. In its statement yesterday though, it noted that: ‘Despite the fact the fact that CTU created ideal conditions for a third operator to enter the market, both new interested parties, in the end, decided not to join the Czech mobile market’. TeleGeography notes that in the run-up to the auction,PPF agreed a deal to acquire control of one of the mobile incumbents, Telefonica O2 CR, subject to European Commission (EC) approval.

The CTU confirmed that Telefonica O2 CR and T-Mobile CR each purchased two 800MHz blocks of spectrum, with the former paying CZK2.386 billion (USD119.2 million) for two ‘A2’ blocks, and T-Mobile paying CZK2.231 billion for blocks in ‘A1’ and ‘A2’. Meanwhile, Vodafone CR bought one 800MHz block of ‘A3’ spectrum forCZK2.664 billion, in a tender that yielded a total of CZK8.529 billion for state coffers to support the 2014 budget. Each of the three companies also acquired part of the so-called ‘B2’ block of spectrum in the 1,800MHz band, and four blocks in the 2,600MHz FDD band, the watchdog added.

source: http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2013/11/20/ctu-awards-4g-spectrum-to-czech-incumbents-but-newcomers-miss-out/

Shift to 4G networks faster than previous generations

The rapid take-up means that more than one in eight mobile connections will use superfast 4G networks within the next four years, up from just 176m connections at the end of 2013.

The technology, also known as LTE, offers rapid internet speeds rivalling fixed-line broadband networks, opening up a host of new applications and services for smartphone providers.

Almost 500 LTE networks are forecast to be in service across 128 countries by 2017, roughly double the number of LTE networks today.

The GSMA said the shift to 4G networks will be faster than the corresponding move from 2G to 3G technology over the past decade. Networks using 3G technology were initially slow to be adopted, in part owing to the expense of the spectrum acquired to use the networks in regions such as Europe and lack of smartphones and other connected devices.

The GSMA highlighted a number of factors driving the growth of 4G, such as the more efficient allocation of spectrum to mobile operators, the availability of affordable suitable devices and the implementation of tariffs designed to encourage adoption of high-speed data services.

The study calculates that about a fifth of the global population is within 4G network coverage range, which will rise to about half of the world’s population by 2017. In the US, LTE networks already cover more than 90 per cent of the population and account for almost half of global connections.

However, Asia will grow to account for almost half of all LTE connections by 2017 as networks are rolled out in major markets such as China and India.

China, the world’s largest mobile telecoms market, will be officially open to superfast mobile services next month when China Mobile begins selling 4G tariffs in Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing.

China Mobile, the country’s largest mobile group with about 750m mobile subscribers, is expected to be granted a 4G licence in December. The state-backed group has been running trial services in cities in China.

China’s government wants to catch up with the advances seen in countries such as South Korea, which is the most advanced mobile market in the world given half of total mobile connections are running on LTE networks.

The GSMA study also found that LTE users consume 1.5GB of data a month on average, almost twice the average amount consumed by non-LTE users. In developed markets, operators have found that LTE can generate an average revenue per user uplift of between 10 and 40 per cent.

“Since the launch of the first commercial 4G-LTE networks in late 2009 we are seeing deployments accelerate across the globe,” said Hyunmi Yang, chief strategy officer at the GSMA. “Our findings show that the global LTE market is at a tipping point.”

The shift to fourth-generation networks will be faster than the take-up of previous generations of mobile technology in most parts of the world, marking an unprecedented shift in mobile communications.

The number of superfast mobile internet connections worldwide is forecast to pass 1bn by 2017, according to the GSMA, the organisation that represents the interest of mobile operators worldwide.

source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/955141e4-55e0-11e3-b6e7-00144feabdc0.html

BTRC won’t allow WiMax firms to give voice services

WiMax operators that have received the long-term evolution (LTE) licences will not be able to provide exclusive voice services like mobile operators, the telecom regulator said yesterday.
The WiMax operators working with broadband wireless access (BWA) are responsible for data services, not voice, said Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
“The BWA and cellular licences are meant for different services and have different courses of action,” he said.
The WiMax operators are allowed to offer their services through laptops or personal computers, not through mobiles, he said.
But if they set up LTE equipment, they will be able to offer internet protocol calls such as Skype or Viber with the mobility facility, he added.
Recently, the government amended the BWA licensing guideline offering LTE services for the WiMax operators.
The government also gave a new licence to Bangladesh Internet Exchange Ltd (BIEL) that operates as an internet service provider under the brand name of OLLO.
However, the mobile operators raised concerns about the amendment, as WiMax operators would get the opportunity to provide voice services as well.
The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh also wrote to the government and the regulator on the matter.
“It will be noted that OLLO won’t be able to provide cellular voice services,” Bose said.
BTRC has already asked OLLO to deposit its license and spectrum fee.
After paying 50 percent of the total spectrum charge of Tk 245 crore, OLLO will get its licence, Bose said.
Last month, BTRC permitted two existing BWA licensees—Banglalion and Qubee—to roll out their network with LTE technology.
BTRC allowed the BWA licensees to upgrade their network with LTE technology as the WiMax technology is going to become extinct in the next few years.

source: http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/btrc-wont-allow-wimax-firms-to-give-voice-services/

WiMax licence for Ollo

The Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob) on Sunday protested the spectrum allocation process and pricing for WiMax licensee Ollo, and demanded an immediate review of recent changes in the BWA (broadband wireless access) guideline. At a press conference in Dhaka on Sunday, the association also called for a thorough consultation with industry stakeholders on spectrum allocation policies and procedure. On November 4, the government decided to award a WiMax licence with LTE (long-term evolution) to the Ollo brand for only Tk2.45bn and allocate it the most valuable 20MHz spectrum on 2600 bands. LTE, a fourth generation telephone and mobile broadband communication standard, will enable Ollo to handle both voice and data services, making it the most influential operator in the country despite spending much less than other operators. Industry experts claimed that the deal with Ollo would cost the country nearly Tk32bn, as the present market price of 20MHz spectrum was more than Tk34bn. TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of Amtob, said the controversial government decision might disrupt the level-playing field in the telecommunications sector and create discrimination among operators. “In the 3G spectrum auction, we acquired per megahertz spectrum for Tk1.55bn. But now we find that the government is allocating spectrum for a certain operator for only Tk60m per MHz _ which will incur a huge loss for the country,” Nurul Kabir told journalists. He said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) had arranged an auction in 2008 for awarding WiMax licences, but it did not do so this time. “As a regulator, BTRC has a duty to protect our interests,” a senior official from a mobile operator said. “BTRC should arrange an open auction as we also want to participate.” Amtob also noted that 2600 bands were specifically allocated for mobile spectrum from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). However, the association was yet to decide about challenging the government decision in court, Nurul Kabir said in reply to a question from the Dhaka Tribune. Another source said, “As the guideline is not finalised yet, we cannot challenge it. As the big player in the industry, we are seeking a spectrum road map from the regulator.” Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer of Grameenphone, Ashraf H Chowdhury, head of corporate affairs of Airtel, Mahmudur Rahman, executive vice president of Robi, and Zakiul Islam, senior director of regulatory and legal affairs of Banglalink, also answered questions from journalists. Earlier, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose said the telecom regulator was planning to formulate a spectrum road map. Ollo, a co-brand of Bangladesh Internet Exchange Ltd (BIEL) and New Generation Graphics Ltd (NGGL) applied for a WiMax licence in April this year. Both companies are now owned by the Russian company, Multinet. NGGL already got 20MHz spectrum worth more than Tk30bn free of cost on 800 bands in 2011. In 2008, BIEL had participated in an auction for WiMax licencing, but it came in fifth position and withdrew its earnest money. Legal experts said BIEL was not eligible for a WiMax licence, unless a new auction takes place. - See more at: http://www.dhakatribune.com/regulation/2013/nov/11/wimax-licence-ollo#sthash.uWUY6G4L.dpuf

source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/regulation/2013/nov/11/wimax-licence-ollo

Telrad Networks Introduces CPE7000 Family of WiMAX/TD-LTE, Dual-Mode CPEs

Unique Customer Premises Equipment Solution Designed to Help WiMAX Operators Make Smooth Transition to TD-LTE

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwired - November 11, 2013) - AfricaCom 2013 and WiMAX Forum Africa Operators Summit --  Telrad Networks, a global provider of innovative 4G wireless and telecom solutions, today announced the launch of its new Dual Mode CPE7000 Series, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) that is designed to support operators and Internet Service Providers in the deployment of future-proof, 4G wireless broadband networks.

Telrad's new dual-mode CPEs continue a long-standing tradition of bringing high-quality, multi-platform CPEs to market. The CPE7000 family provides extended coverage to support a wide range of connectivity needs, for virtually any deployment scenario.  The high throughput and transmit power of the devices, combined with the small tower footprint and high capacity of Telrad's flagship BreezeCOMPACT base stations, present an effective and optimized solution for operators targeting LTE as a next step for their deployments.

The new family addresses service providers' need to manage an ever-increasing demand for broadband data, while facilitating a network evolution path across multiple 4G technologies. The new Dual Mode CPE, in conjunction with Telrad's BreezeCOMPACT and TelCORE solution, is aligned with the latest WiMAX Advanced roadmap, which defines the coexistence of WiMAX and LTE in a broad ecosystem of devices and radio access technologies.

By deploying Telrad's LTE Advanced ready infrastructure, operators have the convenience of evolving to a fully mature LTE network, at their own pace, ensuring an affordable and practical path. Offering Quality of Service (QoS) management, flexible voice, data and WiFi configurations, and high-power transmission, the CPE7000 family is ideal for achieving the best investment protection for the operator, avoiding extra expenses and ensuring service continuity when moving to LTE technology.

"As the wireless industry evolves, operators are seeking ways to become relevant players in future converged LTE mobile and fixed markets," said Mark Altshuller, Telrad's Chief Technology Officer.  "Leveraging Telrad's dual-mode devices, operators can upgrade their whole WiMAX network to TD-LTE, with a simple software installation -- eliminating service interruption required with hardware swapping."

source: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/telrad-networks-introduces-cpe7000-family-of-wimax-td-lte-dual-mode-cpes-1850451.htm

China Telecom’s LTE spending to pass USD7bn in 2014

China Telecom’s spending on Long Term Evolution (LTE) network construction will rise to CNY45.7 billion (USD7.45 billion) in 2014 from approximately CNY10 billion this year, Marbridge Daily cites an industry insider as saying. Telecom’s total CAPEX was CNY53.73 billion in 2012, and is expected to reach CNY75 billion for 2013 and CNY85 billion in 2014.

The telco has also reportedly issued a notice to 4G device manufactures saying that it will concentrate its product procurement on handset, data card and MiFi devices, alongside customer premises equipment (CPE). MiFi and data card devices must support both Time Division Duplex (TDD) and Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) LTE platforms as well as CDMA2000, whilst handsets must be compatible with FDD-LTE, CDMA2000and GSM technologies.

source: http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2013/11/26/china-telecoms-lte-spending-to-pass-usd7bn-in-2014/

Ericsson continues strategic partnership with China Mobile for LTE

 Ericsson will deploy LTE TDD (TD-LTE) in 15 provinces in mainland China -

these cover some 63 percent of China's population
* Ericsson selected to provide radio access network, Evolved Packet Core and
to upgrade and expand the installed base of core networks
* In the absence of a 3G installed base with China Mobile, this deal
represents recognition of Ericsson's technology leadership in LTE
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) today announces that it has been selected by China Mobile
(CMCC) to deploy LTE TDD in 15 key provinces in China. These provinces are home
to 63 percent of China's population and include the top three provinces in terms
of GDP.
This is the first phase of the world's largest LTE TDD network deployment.
Ericsson will deploy radio access networks based on its multi-standard RBS
6000. For the core network - which will be used for China Mobile's nationwide
mobile network covering 2G, 3G and 4G - Ericsson has been selected to upgrade
its installed base, equal to a market share of 40 percent in User Data
Management (HLR/HSS). In addition, Ericsson has been awarded 20 percent market
share in Evolved Packet Core. This makes Ericsson China Mobile's main supplier
in Core.
The scope of the contract also includes network design and optimization
services.
Ericsson had no 3G footprint with China Mobile, and this technology shift has
strengthened Ericsson's market position.
Jan Signell, Head of Ericsson Region North East Asia says: "We are pleased that
our LTE TDD technology and services leadership are recognized by China Mobile.
Our leading LTE TDD networks will bring unparalleled network performance to
users and create new opportunities for innovations with connected devices and
applications. We have been a trusted partner to China Mobile since its
introduction of 2G and are committed to supporting the world's largest LTE
deployment."
The deal is aligned with the 11 percent market share in radio access networks
awarded earlier in the China Mobile central purchasing process in September. The
deployment has begun.
Ericsson has been present in mainland China since 1892 and is strongly committed
to this market with one of the largest R&D bases and supply and manufacturing
sites in the world. In addition, Ericsson was a pioneering developer of the TDD
mode of the LTE standard and has made many significant contributions to the
advancement of LTE TDD. Ericsson's LTE TDD and FDD solutions share the same
hardware platform, with commonly applicable software and features, ensuring that
LTE TDD will deliver the same high performance and reliability
Ericsson is the market leader in LTE. Today, 50 percent of the world's LTE
smartphone traffic is served by Ericsson networks, which is more than double the
traffic of our closest competitor. More than 180 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core
networks have been delivered worldwide, of which more than 110 have gone live
commercially. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets
including the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada, and has been
selected by nine of the top 10 LTE operators as ranked by LTE subscriptions
worldwide. We expect to hold 25 percent of all essential patents in LTE, both
for TDD and FDD mode, and we support common hardware and software for FDD and
TDD systems, giving operators maximum flexibility in their FDD and TDD
deployment.

source: http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20131119-907023.html

Wireless Infrastructure: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2013 to 2019

WinterGreen Research announces that it has published a new study Wireless Infrastructure: Market Shares, Strategy, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2013 to 2019. Next generation mission critical systems are leveraging new technology. The 2013 study has 554 pages, 245 tables and figures. Worldwide Wireless Infrastructure markets are poised to achieve significant growth as Building out core networks and backhaul for smart phones.

A smart phone is not very smart if the infrastructure can't support its applications. In response to the high growth smart phone markets, wireless infrastructure promises to grow dramatically in the near term. Wireless Infrastructure technologies include WiMax, LTE, 4G and HSPA. These technologies are driving much higher capacity from the base station back to the fiber core. Fiber core is putting extreme pressure on provider's infrastructure and backhaul networks.

WinterGreen Research predicts that the dramatic growth of wireless infrastructure is based on the growth of smart phones to a one trillion market by 2019, serving an installed base of 8.5 billion, many people having more than one smart phone. Wireless infrastructure markets at $58 billion in 2012 will be $163 billion by 2019, new markets evolved because of the value that apps provide to smart phones, mobile devices, tablets, and the Internet of things.

According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, “Wireless Infrastructure is being installed to upgrade core networks and upgrade backhaul and base stations to make systems more modern. Infrastructure for the Internet and for smart mobile devices creates demand for more sophisticated web development and web applications that in turn depend on more sophisticated infrastructure. Everything is going mobile. This evolution is driven by mobile smart phones and tablets that provide universal connectivity. Modern systems represent a significant aspect of Internet market evolution.”

The proportions of wireless infrastructure market industry segments are expected to remain much as they are, with the small cells and femtocells achieving strong growth on the access side, the core infrastructure must be upgraded to support the added backhaul backbone infrastructure. Wireless apps are expected to achieve $37 trillion revenue by 2019. This unbelievable growth occurs as the Internet is expanded to implement the interconnection of everything.

Digital devices proliferate, machine to machine capabilities vastly expand instrumentation. The digital devices become the engine of a world economy, with apps collecting pennies a day for millions of apps from 8.5 billion people with smart phones by 2019.

source: http://www.newsday.com/business/press-releases/wireless-infrastructure-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2013-to-2019-1.6494509

Telstra tests Voice over LTE

Telstra has confirmed it is conducting lab tests of technology that would allow voice calls to be carried over its 4G LTE network.

Australia's largest mobile telecommunications provider Telstra is testing out technology that would allow voice calls to be delivered over its 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network, instead of falling back to the 2G or 3G networks as currently happens today.

When LTE was first launched in Australia by Telstra in 2011, it was solely a data network that was backed up by Telstra's existing 2G and 3G networks to deliver voice calls. Given Telstra has not yet indicated that it is planning on decommissioning its 3G network any time soon, there has been no rush to get Voice over LTE (VoLTE) working in Australia.

The company is already planning ahead, however, and confirmed to ZDNet that it was testing out the technology to deliver voice calls over its 4G network.

"Telstra is currently trailing VoLTE (Voice over LTE) in our lab environment but have no immediate rollout plans," a spokesperson told ZDNet. "However our customers already experience the benefits of a High Definition voice service on compatible devices across our entire network."

ZDNet understands that the company is looking to deploy VoLTE in 2014.

The company deployed HD voice services on its network in 2011.

Telstra was the first to market with 4G in Australia, and currently dominates the mobile market, with more than 15.1 million active services on its network, and 2.8 million 4G devices. The 4G network reached out to 66 percent of the Australian population at the end of June, and the company is currently aiming to reach 85 percent of the population by Christmas.

The first commercial deployments of Voice over LTE came through SK Telecom and LG U+ in South Korea, and MetroPCS in the US in August 2012. Other international telcos such as Softbank in Japan and Verizon in the US are looking to deploy VoLTE in the near future.

A Vodafone spokesperson said the company had not yet commenced any trials of VoLTE.

source: http://www.zdnet.com/au/telstra-tests-voice-over-lte-7000023464/

PICO cell introduced in 4G-LTE, overcoming the COVERAGE ISSUES

With the advancement in mobile technology and introduction of wide spectrum modulation 4G has open door with high through-put (data rate) over air interface. The one flaws which was faced initially while implementation of LTE was the coverage issues, this is because of the higher frequency band used in LTE.

Although the higher frequency band used in LTE, has reduced the RF antenna size and are also less prone to environmental interference but are with one drawback of- less coverage because of lower wavelength. This issue can be resolved by increasing the power at the BS (base station) feed to the antenna but this will be helpful only at the DL (down Link) end of the receiver (the user equipment) UE. But at UE end it’s really hard for the hardware to increase the power UL (up link). This way air-interface is limited in coverage. Many solutions were made to get higher coverage like: repeaters and more BS. Repeaters are cost- effective solution but are again BS dependent, More BS will increase coverage problem but RF-planning will become more complex and this solution is even not cost-effective.

Afterwards PICO-CELL concept was introduced, according to this in a particular area with lot of MICRO-CELL and MACRO-CELL BS if the coverage problem arises then PICO-CELL will be placed to add coverage. This technique has reduced number of MICRO-CELL BS and eventually reduced the network planning cost.

4G LTE headed to wireless carriers in China next month

Wireless carriers in China will begin offering 4G LTE service beginning next month, a potential boon to Apple, which is hoping to gain ground on Samsung's lead in the country.

The speedier wireless network will debut in China on December 18, according to a report Monday in Xinhua, China's official state news agency. China Mobile, the world's largest wireless carrier with nearly 760 million customers, will launch high-speed Internet and data services with new mobile brand partner Hé, a Mandarin word that translates to "all" in English.

There was some speculation that China Mobile's new partner might be Apple, which has been courting wireless carrier for years. The iPhone is currently offered by China Unicom and China Telecom, but support from China Mobile would open up a vast number of new customers for Apple.

While nothing has yet been announced, Monday's Xinhua report goes on to note ongoing negotiations between the two companies and states that the iPhone will "officially" launch on China Mobile's network on December 18,

Apple was granted a government license to operate on China Mobile's network in August, and an Apple job posting In October sought an engineer with extensive knowledge of TD-SCDMA, the communications protocol used exclusively by China Mobile, leading many to believe an iPhone launch was imminent.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has visited China twice this year, meeting with China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua as recently as July. During a press conference in August, Xi said discussions with Apple were "ongoing," focusing on "commercial details and technology issues."

A deal with the world's largest mobile telcom provider could go a long way toward chipping away at the smartphone market lead enjoyed by Samsung in China. The South Korean electronics giant sold 30 million smartphones in the country last year for a 17.7 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics figures, outpacing No. 2 Lenovo's 13 percent share and No. 3 Apple's 11 percent share.

source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57613740-94/4g-lte-headed-to-wireless-carriers-in-china-next-month/

SingTel announced has completed nationwide LTE (Long Term Evolution) coverage to support the high speed 4G mobile

SingTel announced on Tuesday that it has completed nationwide LTE (Long Term Evolution) coverage to support the high speed 4G mobile network.

In a statement to media, it said it had spent S$150 million to provide nationwide 4G coverage. LTE is the next evolution of mobile networks which is expected to offer higher speeds and lower latencies. Commonly referred as the fourth generation (4G) mobile network, the LTE network delivers theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps.

SingTel subscribers can now access nationwide street-level coverage of about 95 per cent. This includes indoor coverage in over 550 buildings, including shopping malls, hotels and other commercial properties but does not yet cover national parks, reservoirs and MRT tunnels.

Singtel's 3G network has also been upgraded from 21Mbps to 42Mbps. The telco added that it is the first to offer dual-band street-level coverage nationwide in Singapore. This dual-band capability doubles the data-handling capacity of the network, and helps relieve the strain during peak periods for multimedia applications such as video and music streaming, web surfing, file downloads and online games.

The telco is also the first in the country to deploy Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology in commercial buildings to boost maximum user download speeds from 75Mbps to 150 Mbps. This has already been installed in shopping malls including Nex, Jurong Point, Tampines Mall and Changi Airport. 

But customers are unlikely to be able to fully leverage the faster LTE network until the introduction of the next generation of 4G LTE devices which is being rolled out from the second half of the year.

M1 was the first telco to announce nationwide coverage for its LTE network last year. Starhub is scheduled to complete nationwide LTE coverage for its network by the end of 2013.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/singtel-completes-nationwide-lte-coverage-134528477.html

Simultaneous Operation of LTE and WCDMA on a Single Base Station Processor demonstrated by Freescale

Demonstrating the multimode capabilities of Freescale’s QorIQ Qonverge portfolio, Freescale Semiconductor announced today that integrated VortiQa Layer 1 (L1) software simultaneously supporting WCDMA and LTE is up and running on the QorIQ Qonverge BSC9132 SoC for small cell base station solutions.

According to analyst firm GSMA Intelligence, there are more than 1.5 billion WCDMA connections worldwide and LTE deployments are growing quickly, presenting challenges with frequency bands and getting infrastructure in place. Wireless network operators want multimode small cells that combine 3G, 4G/LTE and Wi-Fi into one small cell base station with the goal of increasing capacity in highly trafficked areas. Equipment manufacturers have struggled to provide solutions that meet those requirements.

Freescale is one of the first companies to bring both multimode-capable hardware and software to market. In production today, the QorIQ Qonverge BSC9132 SoC is a highly integrated device that targets evolving microcell/metrocell, outdoor picocell, enterprise picocell and femtocell base station applications. Availability of the BSC9132 multimode LTE and WCDMA L1 software enables small cell manufacturers to more quickly provide multimode solutions to wireless network operators, speeding industry small cell deployment.

The QorIQ Qonverge BSC9132 SoC integrates two e500 cores, built on Power Architecture® technology, and two StarCore SC3850 cores with the MAPLE-B2P baseband acceleration engine. The processor is a highly programmable device supporting a 20 MHz single sector LTE-FDD/TDD with 150 Mbps downlink and 75 Mbps uplink rates, and HSPA+ with 42 Mbps downlink and 11.5 Mbps uplink rates. The processor supports a range of air interfaces, including LTE (FDD/TDD), WCDMA (HSPA+ and UMTS) and WiMAX, and incorporates glueless RFIC communication and antennae interfaces, eliminating the need for additional chips and ultimately reducing board space and cost.

QorIQ Qonverge base station-on-chip products are based on a common architecture and integrate communications processing, digital signal processing and wireless acceleration technologies into a single system-on-chip in various configurations optimized for next-generation femtocell, picocell, metrocell and macrocell base stations. Advanced process technology and exceptional integration allow the convergence on a single device of multiple functions traditionally performed on separate FPGAs, ASICs, DSPs and processors. This integration reduces the part count, power consumption, cost and footprint for base stations. Having a common, scalable architecture spanning from femtocells to macrocells enables optimized R&D investments and software reuse.