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While discussions about 5G continue, the immediate goal for carriers and vendors is to expand LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) coverage as widely as possible. According to ABI Research, LTE-A now reaches an estimated 100 million people worldwide, just four years after the technology’s introduction.
ABI Research reports that by the end of 2014 there were 49 commercially available LTE-A networks globally. Western Europe had around 20 operators offering LTE-A, with another 13 in the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of population coverage, however, North America leads the pack.
In the United States, all four major carriers have deployed or are actively deploying LTE-A networks. That rollout has produced roughly 7.8% coverage so far, and coverage is expected to expand significantly in the coming years. One driving factor is the release of additional spectrum, such as the recent FCC auction for AWS-3 frequencies.
At that auction, AT&T was the largest spender, securing J Block paired spectrum (1770–1780 MHz and 2170–2180 MHz) in major metropolitan areas — including New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, and San Antonio — with 251 licenses purchased for approximately $18.2 billion. Verizon spent about $10.4 billion to acquire 181 licenses across the J Block as well as the H Block (1760–1765 MHz and 2160–2165 MHz) and I Block (1765–1770 MHz and 2165–2170 MHz). T‑Mobile won 157 licenses in 5×5 MHz paired spectrum across several blocks to aggregate with its existing AWS‑1 holdings, spending roughly $1.8 billion.
Additional spectrum auctions are underway elsewhere. India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority confirmed an LTE spectrum auction scheduled for February 25, and the French government has repurposed the 700 MHz band for mobile telecom services.
“As heavy subscribers’ data traffic growth has exploded, ABI Research anticipates fierce competition for more spectrum, as well as an active migration to VoLTE and higher data modulation schemes such as LTE and LTE‑Advanced, which have higher spectral efficiency,” said Jake Saunders, VP and Practice Director of Core Forecasting.
These spectrum releases and network upgrades are key to supporting ABI Research’s forecast that LTE‑Advanced will reach 1 billion users by 2018 — a roughly 900% increase from current levels.
Do you think LTE‑A coverage will reach one billion people by 2018? Let us know in the comments.