An update to the ‘Status of the LTE Ecosystem’ report published today by the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) confirms almost 100 LTE-enabled user devices have been announced by 35 suppliers. Recent product announcements at the Mobile World Congress and CeBit trade shows are included. The report lists 98 products by manufacturer, model and form factor, and operating frequencies.
The number of LTE devices now confirmed represents an increase of 55% compared to the number reported by GSA in its first report into the LTE ecosystem published just 5 weeks ago.
Most devices are designed to ensure ubiquitous mobile broadband coverage by supporting existing mobile network technologies – i.e. dual mode working. The report also confirms where additional modes are supported, indicating HSPA, HSPA+ and/or EV-DO and TD-SCDMA as appropriate in addition to the LTE mode.
The breakdown of LTE devices by form factor is as follows:
Modules = 22
M-Tablets = 7
Notebooks/netbooks = 6
PC Cards = 1
Smartphones = 6
Routers (including personal hotspots) = 28
USB modems/dongles = 28
GSA says that LTE is the fastest developing mobile system technology ever. According to GSA there are 180 operators in 70 countries currently investing in LTE. 128 operators are firmly committed to deploy commercial LTE systems in 52 countries, and there are a further 52 “pre-commitment” trials or pilots in an additional 18 countries. A total of 17 operators have commercially launched LTE networks, in Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, USA, and Uzbekistan. (Source: Evolution to LTE report, published by GSA on January 12, 2011)