1,240 LTE user devices launched: GAS

Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has confirmed that 120 manufacturers have announced 1,240 LTE-enabled user devices, including frequency and carrier variants.

"680 new LTE user devices were announced in the past year. The number of manufacturers increased by 44% in this period. Smartphones continue to be the largest LTE device category with 455 products released, representing 36% share of all LTE device types," GSA published in its Status of the LTE Ecosystem report.

As per the report, 99% of LTE smartphones also operate on 3G networks (HSPA/HSPA+ or EV-DO or TD-SCDMA technologies).

The report embraced devices that operate on the FDD and/or TDD modes of the LTE system. The majority of products are designed for operation in the FDD mode. However, 274 devices can operate in the LTE TDD (TD-LTE) mode, and this figure is 159 higher than a year ago.

The largest LTE device ecosystems for the FDD bands are as follows:

2600 MHz band 7 = 448 devices
1800 MHz band 3 = 412 devices
800 MHz band 20 = 314 devices
2100 MHz band 1 = 305 devices
700 MHz bands 12, 17 = 289 devices
AWS band 4 = 279 devices
700 MHz band 13 = 250 devices
850 MHz band 5 = 189 devices
900 MHz band 8 = 174 devices
1900 MHz band 2 = 134 devices
TDD bands:

2600 MHz band 38 = 197 devices
2300 MHz band 40 = 184 devices
1900 MHz band 39 = 71 devices
2600 MHz band 41 = 63 devices
2500 MHz bands 42, 43 = 15 devices

"With several operators now deploying LTE-Advanced features, particularly carrier aggregation in the first phase, we identified a good choice of Cat 4 devices in the market including CPEs, personal hotspots, modules, smartphones, tablets and dongles," said Alan Hadden, President of the GSA.

Operators in around 20 countries have commercially launched LTE-Advanced networks that support Cat 4 devices, which have a peak downlink rate up to 150 Mbps. A total of 87 user devices support Cat 4. LTE-Advanced 300 Mbps systems (which support Cat 6 devices) will represent another step and are expected to enter commercial service around mid-2014. Two Cat 6 user terminals are confirmed in the report.

"Launch of the first terminal for use in networks using the APT700 FDD band plan is also confirmed. APT700 is already identified for use in markets covering more than two billion people. GSA together with Telstra and the GSM Association are jointly working together to highlight further the many socio-economic benefits of greater global alignment around this band. The importance of the APT700 band will be a major discussion topic at ITU Telecom World in Bangkok later this month," GSA mentioned in its eport.

GSA recently confirmed that 222 LTE networks have been commercially launched in 83 countries (Evolution to LTE report, October 17, 2013). That total is expected to rise to 260 commercial networks by end 2013.