LTE Innovations Ignite Mobile Broadband: Provide Foundation for 5G

BELLEVUE, WA--(Marketwired - August 18, 2015) - 4G Americas, a wireless trade association representing LTE technology and its evolution beyond to 5G, today announced the publication of a new report by Rysavy Research titled, LTE and 5G Innovation: Igniting Mobile Broadband. The report outlines the latest developments of mobile broadband technology on the path to 5G.

"Rapid technology advancements are igniting mobile broadband for computing, networking, and application development, with users, and now machines, consuming a staggering amount of wireless data," stated Peter Rysavy, President of Rysavy Research and author of this new report for 4G Americas. "To streamline these challenges, the industry is responding with more efficient, faster and higher-capacity networks, with LTE being at the cornerstone of continual enhancements, which will eventually lead to the integration of 5G in the next decade."

LTE will provide the mobile broadband foundation as the industry moves into the next generation (5G). Globally, LTE has more than doubled in mobile connections from 313 million at 2Q 2014 to 758 million at 2Q 2015, and the number of deployments has grown from 373 to 425 commercial networks during the same timeframe. LTE-Advanced, first launched in 2013, encompasses multiple technology innovations in 3GPP standards, and there are now 88 commercial LTE-Advanced networks in 45 countries.

Highlights from the paper include:

• LTE-Advanced innovations such as Carrier Aggregation, Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC), Self-Organizing Networks (SON), and Coordinated Multi-Point Transmission and Reception (CoMP), are all capabilities soon to be unleashed that will improve performance, efficiency, and capacity. Carriers are also beginning to deploy Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) to reduce network costs and simplify deployment of new services. Such improvements also facilitate cloud Radio Access Networks (RANs) that promise further efficiency gains.

• Small cells could play an ever-more-important role in boosting capacity, benefiting from a number of developments, including SON, eICIC, improved backhaul options, LTE Wi-Fi Aggregation (LWA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U), and LTE Licensed Assisted Access (LTE-LAA).

• More spectrum remains a critical global priority. In U.S. markets, a number of initiatives hold promise -- television incentive auctions for 600 MHz spectrum, the 3.5 GHz small-cell band, more unlicensed spectrum at 5GHz -- but only if the government implements appropriate policy measures.

• 5G research and development efforts have accelerated, and deployment could commence close to 2020 and continue through 2030. However, a great deal of work needs to be done before 5G becomes a reality. By harnessing new spectrum, such as mmWave bands above 30 GHz, 5G might be able to access ten times as much spectrum as is currently available for cellular operation. Many 5G features may be implemented as LTE-Advanced innovations prior to full 5G availability.

Chris Pearson, President of 4G Americas, noted, "From an evolutionary standpoint, LTE and LTE-Advanced have a robust technology roadmap for improved performance that will lend a significant hand in constructing the foundation of 5G in 2020 and beyond. This Rysavy report comprehensively outlines the transformation that LTE mobile broadband will undergo in the coming years as it approaches 5G, requiring technology, development, and forward-thinking regulatory initiatives to lead us to the next generation of wireless technology."

The white paper, LTE and 5G Innovation: Igniting Mobile Broadband, and its accompanying slide presentation, was created in collaboration with Rysavy Research by the member companies of 4G Americas and is available for free download at www.4gamericas.org. The paper is highly recommended for those actively engaged in the mobile industry such as government and regulatory officials, industry analysts and media, mobile ecosystem professionals, and research and academic stakeholders.

About 4G Americas: Unifying the Americas Through Mobile Broadband Technology
4G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of leading telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's mission is to advocate for and foster the advancement and full capabilities of the LTE mobile broadband technology and its evolution beyond to 5G, throughout the ecosystem's networks, services, applications and wirelessly connected devices in the Americas. 4G Americas, the voice of 5G for the Americas, is invested in leading 5G development for the Americas and maintaining the current global innovation lead in North America with LTE technology. 4G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. More information is available at www.4gamericas.org or www.twitter.com/4gamericas and www.facebook.com/4gamericas.

4G Americas' Board of Governors members include: Alcatel-Lucent, América Móvil, AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Cisco, CommScope, Entel, Ericsson, HP, Intel, Mitel, Nokia, Qualcomm, Sprint, T-Mobile US, Inc. and Telefónica.