Carrier Aggregation Is a Significant Highlight in the LTE-A Market, Heavy Reading Says

The 3GPP's Release 10 and 11 of its LTE standards are turning on, and operators are seeking the highest revenue possible, says Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider

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Heavy Reading

Jul 21, 2014, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As Release 10 and 11 of the 3GPP's Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards are being turned on, operators are seeking features that offer the biggest bang for their buck, and carrier aggregation is a favored highlight, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, a paid research service of Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com).

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LTE-A: State of the Market looks at the state of the market for LTE-A networks and services. It reviews those features of the 3GPP specifications for Release 10 and beyond, and examines why some of them are being deployed and trialed by operators around the world while others are likely to remain unrealized for some time. It also looks at the availability of chipsets and devices supporting LTE-A features. Finally, it gives the perspectives on LTE-A market development of eight leading vendors of LTE-A network infrastructure.

"LTE is a set of standards defined by the 3GPP, and most commercial LTE networks use equipment and devices built around Releases 8/9," notes Danny Dicks, research analyst with Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider and author of the report. "As of April 2014, the latest agreed release is Release 11; many NEP's LTE hardware and software can offer features complying with the relevant parts of the standards for Release 10 and above."

The set of features that will be deployed in LTE-A networks is starting to become clearer: they will be those features that enable efficient use of spectrum assets for maximum capacity and coverage, and those that improve the user experience of mobile data wherever they are in the network, Dicks says. "Operators are looking for those features that give them the biggest improvement at lowest cost and easiest deployment," he continues. "From the smorgasbord of technologies considered and standardized by 3GPP in Releases 10 and above of LTE, various forms of carrier aggregation will be the most significant over the next year or two."

Key findings of LTE-A: State of the Market include:

Networks and services using features defined in Releases 10 and onward of the 3GPP's LTE standards are being turned on around the world.
Carrier aggregation (CA) dominates the news about LTE-A, as operators try to make the most of their spectrum holdings.
Multimode CA (FDD + TDD), the aggregation of more than two carriers and the aggregation of broader carriers are all being demonstrated.
LTE-A features to help with network densification using small cells/HetNets are starting to be used, particularly eICIC/FeICIC and Uplink CoMP; high-order MIMO is a ways away.
Chipsets supporting LTE-A features are currently available, and the number of commercial devices is growing.

LTE-A: State of the Market is available as part of an annual single-user subscription (6 issues per year) to Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900 (single-user license).

To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/4glte. For more information on all Insider services, please visit www.heavyreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

David Williams
Global Director of Sales, Research
Heavy Reading
858-829-8612
[email protected]

Press/analyst contact:
Dennis Mendyk
Vice President of Research, Heavy Reading
201-587-2154
[email protected]

About Heavy Reading
Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com), the research division of Light Reading, offers deep analysis of emerging telecom trends to network operators, technology suppliers, and investors. Its product portfolio includes in-depth reports that address critical next-generation technology and service issues, market trackers that focus on the telecom industry's most critical technology sectors, exclusive worldwide surveys of network operator decision-makers that identify future purchasing and deployment plans, and a rich array of custom and consulting services that give clients the market intelligence needed to compete successfully in the global telecom industry.

About Light Reading
Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) combines its research-led online communities and targeted events portfolio to help those in the global communications industry make informed decisions. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for telecom analysis for more than 350,000 subscribers each month, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading produces targeted communications events and focused one-day conferences each year for cable, mobile, and wireline executives across five continents.

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SOURCE Heavy Reading