Turning TD-LTE, I really think so

Mobile Platforms - The center of mobile networks

07/06/2011 | 18 pages
Price: $695.00

TD-LTE technology and market update from Shanghai, China.

In this issue of Signals Ahead we provide our thoughts on TD-LTE following our participation at the NGMN event in Shanghai, China earlier this month.

• Is it ready? Demonstration and trial TD-LTE networks are alive and well, but that doesn’t mean the technology is commercial viable. We discuss the work that remains and how long it will be before commercial TD-LTE services can become a reality.
• The Network Trials. China Mobile has 3-4 large (>100 eNodeB) trials planned for later this year and another ‘overseas trial” which we believe is with Softbank in Japan. We discuss who we think will get these initial contracts and why, as well as the long term prospects for some of the leading infrastructure suppliers in China.
• What went wrong? We discuss five reasons why the Mobile WiMAX community is in its current predicament and why all of the attention has turned to TD-LTE. We provide a similar commentary on TD-SCDMA.
• India. With Reliance Industries and to a lesser extent Qualcomm walking away as big winners in the BWA auction in India, we discuss the prospects for the two competing technologies in the country and how BSNL/MTNL must respond IF Reliance, Qualcomm and their yet-to-be named operator partners do what they could do with their technology of choice.
• The Event. From China Mobile’s exclusion of a major infrastructure supplier to the active presence of a leading Western mobile operator with TD-LTE aspirations, the NGMN event offered a few surprises that have seemingly gone unnoticed.
• The Decision. Operators with TDD spectrum now have an option when it comes to picking a technology. For operators in emerging markets or operators who are already offering commercial services using 802.16d/e, the switch to TD-LTE may not be easy or prudent in the near-term. For other operators, going TD-LTE is vital to their long-term competitiveness. We discuss.
• 802.16m. Given recent events and ongoing trends the future prospects for 802.16m are not promising, even if the standard has a time to market advantage over LTE-Advanced. We offer our opinion and provide some industry insights on the topic.