The first LTE
network made its debut in the U.S. in September 2010 when MetroPCS launched its
first market. Fast forward 20 months and we now have a thriving LTE ecosystem
with Verizon Wireless expected to cover 400 markets and 260 million POPs with
LTE by year-end and AT&T expected to double its LTE coverage to around 150
million POPs by year-end.
Aside from the
top two Tier 1 operators, many other carriers are also in the midst of deploying
LTE, including U.S. Cellular, Sprint Nextel, C Spire Wireless and Leap
Wireless. Even T-Mobile USA is planning to deploy LTE Release 10 in its AWS
spectrum in 2013. The company is hoping to regain its competitive edge in the
wake of AT&T’s failed $39 billion acquisition of the carrier. With all
these U.S. operators deploying LTE, one might be tempted to call the technology
a success. However, the initial uptake of LTE hasn’t been overwhelming.
After nearly
18 months of offering LTE service, Verizon Wireless in February reported that
about 5 percent of its subscriber base is using LTE devices. Likewise, in April
MetroPCS reported that it had about 500,000 LTE subscribers, or approximately
5.35 percent of its customer base. Is a 5 percent LTE adoption rate at this
point in the deployment race high enough to indicate a success? GET FURTHER INSIGHTS FROM THE WHITEPAPER BELOW;
Making 4G Profitable & Success ful
