LTE-equipped smartphones will still
represent a relatively small percentage of the total market
LTE
phone shipments will grow tenfold to reach 67 million units in 2012, making it
a breakout year for the 4G technology, Strategy Analytics said on Friday.
Operators
such as Verizon Wireless, NTT Docomo, and SK Telecom in the United States,
Japan, and South Korea will drive the growth, according to Strategy Analytics' Neil
Shah.
[
Also on InfoWorld: LTE option poses data dilemma for iPad, smartphone users. |
Get expert advice about planning and implementing your BYOD strategy with
InfoWorld's 29-page "Mobile and BYOD Deep Dive" PDF special report. |
Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]
However,
even though 67 million is a lot more than the 6.8 million units sold last year,
LTE-equipped phones will still represent a relatively small percentage of the
total market. About 650 million smartphones will be sold during 2012, Strategy
Analytics expects, which means that about 10 percent will have LTE.
The
vendors that will dominate are Samsung Electronics, HTC, LG Electronics, Nokia,
Motorola Mobility, Pantech, Fujitsu, and Apple, which the market research
company assumes will include LTE in the next iteration of the iPhone. However,
it has not revealed its forecast for which vendor will come out on top.
LTE
is still a nascent market, and there will undoubtedly be growing pains,
including issues such as short battery life, excessive device weight and sudden
bill shock caused by high data consumption, according to Strategy Analytics.
Also,
many LTE phones and data plans will be relatively expensive, which means
operators have to invest in generous subsidies to make 4G more affordable for
subscribers, the market research company said.
While
LTE is growing quickly in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, commercial
networks are being introduced at a slower rate in Europe, according to Neil
Mawston, analyst at Strategy Analytics.
"But
the European mobile industry is finally getting its act together and realizing
how important LTE is," said Mawston.
For
example, earlier this month U.K. operator Everything Everywhere -- a joint
venture owned by Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom -- received provisional
approval from regulator Ofcom to reuse its 1800MHz spectrum for LTE services,
which it plans to launch during the fourth quarter. However, competing
operators are not very happy about it, and have complained to Ofcom on
antitrust grounds.
The
U.K. still hasn't auctioned off new 4G spectrum, but reusing existing spectrum
bands could make LTE services available earlier than previously expected.
As
operators in more European countries launch commercial networks, Europe will
become a more interesting market for the phone makers, and more devices will
become available, Bengt Olsson, head of communications at TeliaSonera, recently
said.
View
orginal artical here-Mobile
Technology
0 comments
Post a Comment