LTE deployments in various countries

This is compiled from various sources. Readers may cross check for data consistencies.

Singapore - SingTel launched commercial  LTE service on December 22, 2011 in 1800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum

StarHub has completed LTE testing in 2.6 GHz and 1800 MHz and an LTE1800 network in refarmed 1800 MHz  is being deployed for commercial launch in Q4 2012

Malaysia - Celcom is trialling LTE  in 1800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum. DiGi plans to  launch LTE  in 2.6 GHz  by 2013. U 

Mobile announced on March 15, 2011 plans to launch a commercial LTE network in 2.6 GHz.

Japan - Softbank Mobile,  a member of the Global TD-LTE Initiative,  commercially launched  XGP/LTE TDD services  on February 24, 2012 following a  precommercial pilot service  which began  November 1, 2011. The network is deployed in 20 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum  bought from Willcom (PHS operator).

China - China Mobile HK launched commercial LTE FDD services in 2.6 GHz on April 25, 2012 and is evolving the network to also support LTE TDD this year. In  an announcement on December 29, 2011  OFCA launched a consultation on auctioning spectrum in the 2.5/2.6GHz range, offering five blocks of 2 x 5 MHz, by  auction  which would be held  in Q1 2013 at the earliest.

China Mobile plans to have  20,000  LTE TDD base sites  covering 500 million people by end 2012, increasing to 200,000 by end 2013. Commercial service launch is anticipated in 2013-2014. China Mobile has 1.9 GHz, 2.0 GHz,
2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands (classified as  F, A, E and D bands). The trials use the D and F bands.

Honk Kong - 2 x 15 MHz blocks of 2.6 GHz spectrum  were obtained  via auction each by China Mobile  HK  (Peoples Phone), Genius Brand (Hutchison Telecom/PCCW JV) and CSL Limited.

Australia - ACMA announced the first formal steps toward a joint auction of new licences in 700 MHz DD and 2.6 GHz.

Mexico -Telefónica and Telcel have conducted tests of LTE. Telcel is preparing for commercial launch  to consumers  during April 2012.  Telefónica  plans to launch LTE by 2013.  The  government  plans to auction new spectrum in 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz. 

Brazil -Sky Brasil commercially launched LTE TDD services (2.6 GHz - Band 38) on December 13, 2011 in Brasilia. 

More cities will be covered in 2012.

Claro has been testing LTE in 2.6 GHz since Q4 2011

Canada -The 2.6 GHz trial  was enabled by  a development license from regulator Industry Canada. Industry Canada is preparing to auction 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum in 2012 and will hold a 6-hour  information session on May 30, 2012

Sri-Lanka Mobitel announced on May 6, 2011 completion of an LTE trial, which achieved 96 Mbps downlink speed in 

2.6 GHz. More trials are planned in other bands.

Taiwan -Chunghwa Telecom has been trialling LTE  in 2.6 GHz and 700 MHz spectrum.  The company  has 

completed LTE tests on the high-speed rail system in TDD  and FDD modes using 2.6 GHz. 

Vietnam -RusViet Telecom  (an Alltech company) trialled an LTE network in 2010 in Hanoi.  The company plans 

expanding coverage  of  its 2.6 GHz LTE network in 2012, including to Hi Chi Minh.

Armenia -VivaCell-MTS announced commercial launch of LTE services on December 28, 2011, initially in Yerevan, 

using 2.6 GHz spectrum.

Austria -Regulator  TKK completed the auction of 2.6 GHz spectrum on September 20, 2010, raising €39.5m from  A1  Telekom Austria, Hutchison 3, T-Mobile and Orange. 14 paired and 9 unpaired frequency blocks were  sold. License conditions require coverage of at least 25% of the population by 2013. A1  Telekom  commercially  launched LTE in Vienna and St. Pölten on November 5, 2010. T-Mobile Austria launched a 60-cell site pilot LTE network in Innsbruck in July 2009 and entered a soft launch phase on October 19, 2010. In May 2011, the first LTE base station in Vienna went live. On July 28 the company  commercially  launched LTE and its Internet All Inclusive LTE tariff. 

Orange Austria has tested LTE technology and acquired 2 x 10 MHz of 2.6 GHz spectrum in the 2010 auction.

Belgium -Regulator  BIPT  auctioned  4G licenses  for a total of US$ 103.7 million, comprising  45 MHz of  2.6 GHz 

TDD spectrum and 3 x 20 MHz paired blocks in 2.6 GHz for FDD systems.

Denmark -Telia  launched the first commercial LTE system in Denmark on December  9,  2010 in Copenhagen, 

Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg in the 2.6 GHz band (20 MHz). On October 10, 2011 LTE commercial service
was introduced using 10 MHz of 1800 MHz spectrum (LTE1800) as a complement to the 2.6 GHz service.
Tri-band (800/1800/2600)  LTE  dongles and routers have been available since the summer.

Finland -20-year 2.6 GHz licenses were auctioned by regulator FICORA on 23 November 2009: TeliaSonera launched the first commercial  LTE service in Finland on November 30, 2010  in Turku and Helsinki. LTE1800 was commercially launched as a complement to 2.6 GHz on August 31, 2011. Elisa commercially  launched its  2.6 GHz  LTE network  for corporate users on December 8, 2010, and announced its first client.

France -SFR trialled LTE in Marseille in 2011 and is deploying its commercial network  in 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz.

ARCEP  auctioned 2.6 GHz spectrum and confirmed the successful bidders and allocations:
 Bouygues: 2535-2550 MHz/2655-2670 MHz·
 Free Mobile: 2550-2570 MHz/2670-2690 MHz·
 FT/Orange: 2515-2535 MHz/2635-2655 MHz·
 SFR: 2500-2515 MHz/2620-2635 MHz·

Germany -A multiband spectrum auction was completed in May 2010, covering 360 MHz in 4 bands: 800 MHz (digital 

dividend), 1800 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz.  All 4 incumbents acquired 2.6 GHz  to be used  for LTE.

Italy -3 Italia is deploying LTE1800 and from 2013 intends to offer multicarrier aggregation (an LTE-A feature) 

allowing LTE1800 and LTE2600 to be used together.

Netherlands -2.6 GHz FDD spectrum was auctioned in April 2010 and awarded to incumbents  KPN,  Vodafone,  TMobile, and newcomers Ziggo 4 (currently an MVNO on KPN’s network)  and  Tele2. The TDD spectrum 

was not bought. Ziggo launched its commercial LTE service on May 3, 2012 for its Internet Plus business customers in Breda, Oss and Zwolle.

Norway -Norway held Europe’s first 2.6 GHz auction in 2007 which  was awarded to incumbents TeleNor and 

TeliaSonera (NetCom); total allocation 2 x 90 MHz. TeliaSonera launched the world’s first LTE networks
in Oslo and Sweden in December 2009.

Russia -On February 2, 2012 MTS announced the company had been awarded the first license to provide  LTE 

services in Moscow and the Moscow region. The license granted is for  LTE TDD  deployment  in the 2595 – 2620 MHz range. 

Spain - In June 2010  Ministerio de Industria, Turismo Comercio (MITYC) launched a consultation on reallocation of  2.6 GHz  and  re-farming of 900/1800 MHz. An auction  began on  June 29, 2011  for 58 blocks of 800, 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz  frequencies, with licences valid to 2030. The auction  ended on July 29, 2011  raising  €1.65bn for 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz licenses. Spectrum  was  won by  Vodafone, Telefónica  and  FT-Orange. 

Sweden - Tele2 Sweden  and TeleNor Sweden deployed an LTE network  through a jointly-owned company 

(Net4Mobility), which  includes spectrum sharing in 900 MHz and 2.6 GHz. 

UK -O2 has tested LTE in 2.6 GHz spectrum  and  has trialled LTE800 in  Carlisle  since mid 2010. In November 2011 the company began  a large-scale LTE trial in central London, to run until June 2012. O2 has 20 MHz of test spectrum  in  the 2.6 GHz band. 

Saudi Arabia -Etisalat (Mobily)  commercially launched LTE TDD on September 14, 2011 via its Bayanat subsidiary, in 

Najran, Jazan, Al Kharj, Ras tanoura, Algurayat and Aldudam in band 38 (2.6 GHz).

South Africa -MTN  is  deploying LTE1800 as  2.6 GHz is not available.  In the longer term 2.6 GHz and 800 MHz are sought.

UAE - Etisalat launched commercial LTE  service on September 25, 2011. LTE USB modems were widely
introduced at Etisalat outlets on December 18, 2011. Etisalat uses 2.6 GHz spectrum indoors and 1800
MHz spectrum outdoors, and is seeking an allocation of  800 MHz for nationwide  coverage.

Romania 4G Auction Rusults:
Slice 2: Bands / Block Won (each block is of 15 Mhz)
800 - Cosmote (1), Orange (2), Vodaphone (2)
900 - Cosmote (2), Orange (2), RCS&RDS (1), Vodaphone (2)
1800 - Cosmote (5), Orange (4), Vodaphone (6)
2600 - Cosmote (2), Orange (4), 2K Telecom (2), Vodaphone (1)

BRICI countries to have 1.2 billion Internet users by 2015 - BCG

According to a new report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Internet users in BRICI countries will nearly double by 2015, hitting around 1.2 billion users. In 2009, the BRICI countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and Indonesia - had some 610 million Internet users.

 Although there are only 440 million PCs in the BRICI countries at present, this number should more than double by 2015 - and Internet cafés and mobile devices will also act as important means of digital access. The study says that the habits exhibited in the BRICI countries differ markedly from those in the developed markets - for instance, instant messaging is vastly more popular, as are online music and games. There are remarkable variations among the BRICI countries as well. Social networking is more popular in Indonesia and Brazil than in any of the other BRICI countries - or even in the developed markets. And while an extremely high percentage of Indian digital consumers use e-mail, Chinese Internet users have gravitated toward instant messaging.

Among the most prominent trends is that BRICI digital consumers are far more likely to be meeting their digital needs through mobile phones than through personal computers. With PC penetration still quite low, mobile phones are cheaper and more convenient tools for both communicating and seeking out entertainment - already, the BRICI countries have around 1.8 billion mobile-phone SIM card subscriptions, more than four times the combined total of those in the United States and Japan. In fact, as sophisticated handsets become available in the BRICI markets, millions of BRICI digital consumers are leapfrogging over PC usage and going online via their mobile phones, a trend that has significant implications for their Internet-usage habits.

In addition, BRICI Internet users are unusually young - more than 60 percent of digital consumers are under the age of 35 - which means that although the online habits of BRICI consumers are still being formed, these behavior patterns will have broad implications for future online activity.  

Download speed of 28 Mbps offered by Singapore's Mobileone - Wired-line broadband's fag end begins?

Singapore's MobileOne (M1) has announced a further upgrade of its HSPA+ network to support mobile broadband download speed of up to 28 Mbps in selected areas. The increased speed has been achieved with the installation of MIMO (Multiple-input-multiple-output), making M1 HSPA+ network the first in the Asia Pacific to adopt this technology. MIMO is expected to be rolled out to the entire network progressively. Huawei has provided the upgrade.

Meanwhile, M1 will be offering mobile broadband service with download speed of up to 21Mbps island-wide from this Saturday. The M1 HSPA+ network has been capable of delivering download speed of 21 Mbps since July this year, although the company says it held back its commercial launch pending the arrival of customer terminals.

In a year or so the same can be expected in other major telecom markets of world - India & China. Does that indicate that the fag end of wired-line broadband has just begun.

Mobile broadband expected to reach 418m Worldwide by 2017

­Newly released forecasts from Coda Research Consultancy's report show that portable laptop and netbook users accessing the internet via mobile broadband will produce US$48bn in operator revenues in 2017, will number 418m worldwide, and will generate and consume an immense 1.8 exabytes of traffic per month - a forty fold increase over 2009.

The most significant growth will occur in the Asia-Pacific region, where users will amount to 162m by 2017. Europe will account for 94m users, and North America for 58m users. Impacts of Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be dramatic, with half of all mobile broadband via netbook and laptop users employing LTE worldwide in 2017. LTE users will hit 38m in 2013 after a ramp up in LTE production in 2012, and will rise to 209m by 2017, a 1100% increase over 2012. Three quarters of users in Europe and nearly two thirds of users in North America will employ LTE in 2017. This contrasts with just over half of users in Asia Pacific, and 12% in Central and South America. LTE take up will be greatly skewed toward European and North American markets in the short to medium term, where ARPU will be highest. However, report envisage significant take up in China, and see countries like India bypass 3G altogether, and move straight to LTE.

More generally, mobile broadband user growth will not correspond with operator revenue growth, particularly in less wealthy regions of Asia-Pacific, thus significantly impacting mobile broadband ARPU. For example, operator revenues from Asia Pacific will grow at only 50% of the rate of users, which contrasts with 63% for Europe. The silver lining however, is that LTE ARPU will be 17% higher than for mobile broadband in general.

LTE operator revenues will be greatest in Europe, where they will rise by a CAGR of 47% from 2012 to 2017, and will form 83% of all mobile broadband revenues in that region. LTE revenues from North America will grow significantly more, at a CAGR of 59% between 2012 and 2017, and LTE will form 72% of its mobile broadband revenues. In contrast, LTE revenues will form only 13% of all mobile broadband revenues in Middle East and Africa.

LTE usage via portables will lead to more traffic per user than for mobile broadband in general. This will further increase pressure upon network capacity, and will hit 1.1 exabytes per month in 2017. Asia Pacific alone will take up 45% of this, whilst Europe will take up a third, and North America 17%.

Video will dominate mobile broadband traffic to and from portables, and will account for over half (53%) of traffic by 2017. The bad news for rights' holders is that one fifth of all traffic will be P2P. Nearly half of video traffic (47%) and nearly two thirds of P2P traffic will be consumed in Asia Pacific. This reflects the dominant position this region will play in mobile broadband usage and how mobile broadband will continue to be the sole vehicle for many people to gain broadband connectivity in developing countries such as India and China.

In summing up the report's forecasts, Steve Smith said, "Clearly, tremendous opportunities for both operators and device and component vendors exist, but the risks are significant. With enormous growth in traffic and considerable decline in ARPU, operators will need to be ruthlessly efficient. Asia Pacific is going to be the hotbed for growth, but it is a complex picture of emerging markets, developed markets and even markets that will leapfrog 3G altogether. LTE is going to be an important cushion for operators, but our research shows they will need to take into account the very different factors impacting 3G and 3G+ growth across regions and decide carefully how, when and where to market LTE."

China 3 G tender - 5 firms to divide the pie

­Huawe­i, Motorola and Ericsson are reported to have been the biggest winners in the latest WCDMA infrastructure tender from China Unicom. The firm believed to have issued a tender to cover 55 cities in 30 provinces - the first stage in a rollout to cover 282 cities with a total CAPEX of around US$11 billion during 2009. Huawei is understood to have won 30.6% of the tender - and will carry out the work in cooperation with Motorola, which outsourced manufacturing parts to Huawei. Ericsson and its partners (New Postcom and FiberHome) secured a 25.6 per cent share.

In a move which surprised industry watchers, ZTE managed to take 21.5% of the tender - despite being weaker in the WCDMA market than its rivals. Nokia Siemens Networks took 11.1% of the tender, followed by Alcatel-Lucent which picked up 10.2 percent.

China Unicom is pushing to launch its 3G network by the middle of May this year - in an effort to catch up with China Mobile which has been building its own trial 3G network for over a y

China ready to go 3G finally !

China's government has finally issued the 3G network licenses after years of waiting. The announcement is excepted to trigger hot competition for among the network equipment companies. Chinese carriers are expected to spend 280 billion yuan on base stations, switching gear, transmission networks and other infrastructure.

The government will issue licenses for three different 3G standards: WCDMA, CDMA200 and a homegrown Chinese standard, TD-SCDMA. They all fulfill the ITU requirements for 3G standards. By developing its own standard, Chinese telecommunications companies will be able to reduce high royalty and patent payments for the use of foreign technologies. The announcement did not say which companies would receive licenses. But earlier it has been reported that China Mobile Ltd., the dominant carrier, would be assigned the TD-SCDMA standard. The WCDMA will go to China Unicom Ltd. and the TD-SCDMA to China Telecom Ltd.

Beijing repeatedly postponed issuing licenses while it tried to develop its own standard to compete with the global systems. At the same time the operators have been setting up large test networks for at least three years.

The issuance of licenses means some of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies could profit from huge spending on network and mobile phone upgrades, including phone towers and switches. China now has more than 600 million mobile subscribers, and there is fierce competition among international companies to capture market share.

By some estimates, China could have 150 million 3G cellphone subscribers by 2010.

Saudi Telecom Co. makes back door entry into Indian Telecom market

In a deal that gives it indirect entrance into the high-growth Indian Telecom market, Saudi Arabia's largest carrier Saudi Telecom Co. has bought a 25-percent piece of Malaysia's Maxis Communications for $3 billion.
As a result of this purchase, Saudi Telecom Co. will own 18.5 percent of GSM carrier Aircel, which is 74-percent owned by Aircel. Aircel provides services in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and the North-East. It has a subscriber base of 5.5 million.
Saudi Telecom reportedly had been considering India for some time, this purchase is the first major investment outside Saudi Arabia for the government-owned carrier. "
Officials in the Middle Eastern country apparently have the same concerns over a national telco having ties with foreign carriers, but it looks like those concerns weren't enough to kill the deal. The deal may raise eyebrows of security concerns in India. I will be posting the developments on the blog

Indian telco's inrease oversea activities - Airtel enters European market; Reliance communication signs roaming pact with PBTL

Indian leading private telco, Airtel launched its first foray in telecom in the European market on Thursday, with the launch of its services in Jersey, Channel Islands. Jersey Airtel, a subsidiary of the Bharti Group, on Thursday announced the launch of its mobile services on the Island. The company will offer products and services under the Airtel-Vodafone brand to customers on the Island, over its full 2G, 3G and HSDPA enhanced network. Jersey, along with Guernsey, is a crown property off the coast of France, is one of the world’s leading offshore financial centres with an exclusive focus on financial services, and a playground for the rich and financially famous. Jersey’s GDP and per capital are among the highest in the world, topping most developed nations. The services are being launched under the Airtel-Vodafone brand name.
Customers are being offered significant discounts if they choose to keep their existing handset. Pre-paid customers will get flat rates across all networks in Jersey and another flat rate to all networks across the EU including UK. All of these are still unheard of in Europe, where customers mostly have to pay higher rates for calls from mobiles, to other networks, and so on.

In another move, Indian private telco, Reliance Communications, on Thursday announced a tie up with Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited (PBTL) to provide its customers seamless roaming in Bangladesh on CDMA handsets. Following the alliance with PBTL, which runs CDMA service under the name CityCell, Reliance CDMA users would now be able to roam in 200 countries, an RCom spokesperson said. For local and national calls, charges would be Rs 18 per minute while calls into India would cost Rs 29 per minute and incoming calls Rs 18 per minute. PBTL is a joint venture between Singapore Telecom and was the largest operator in Bangladesh. The tie-up will generate revenues from lot of user in West Bengal, Assam and the northeastern part of India who regularly visit Bangladesh.