The most misused term in the Wireless Industry

 4G is like as not the most misused term in the Wireless Industry. Really, any innovation that provides enhanced performance and capabilities compared with 3G is as a rule called 4G. As a matter of fact ITU recognises the lack of clarity in the term 4G and has determined LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology)-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced or WiMax 2 as “True” 4G. 4G technologies are expected to provide between 100Mbps and 1Gbps in stationary state.  More action on 4G is expected over the straightway couple of years.

 The popular LTE and WiMax are way ahead of 3G in terms of data rates and would fit in as a 3.9G Innovation. LTE, or more exactly LTE(FD), is a natural progression from 2G-GSM and 3G-WCDA and hence sure to be  more popular compared with  TD-LTE though TD-LTE is better in terms of spectral efficiency. TD-LTE is recognised by the ITU and is supported by China as an extension to its TDS-CDMA 3G innovation.

 The powerful GSMA, with over 800 telecom companies world-wide, is firmly backing LTE as the then major Mobile Broadband research. LTE was first deployed by TeliaSonera in Sweden. There are 18 live LTE networks nevertheless including Verizon, NTT DoCoMo and furthermore 184 deployments in the pipeline. Wireless Intelligence, a innovation firm, predicts that LTE, currently with over 3,50,000 connections, will cross 300 million connections world-wide by 2015. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be leader in LTE connections with 24 per cent by 2015. 

The talk time

 Global mobile trends indicate that minutes of usage for Internet access are twice as much as the talk time. A survey conducted by Comptel indicates that majority of mobile broadband users are willing to pay for a higher QoE. LTE is seen as an enabler of Mobile Cloud Computing. Examples just as RCS, multimedia streaming services just as TV, real-time high-resolution video conferencing can be achieved using LTE. LTE as well supports inter-operability across 2G and 3G networks.

 Voice over LTE, expected to hit the advanced countries some time in 2012, is an IP-based solution that ensures high-quality voice and video communication. US-based Verizon wireless successfully demonstrated a VoLTE call last month.

Few benefits

 During LTE provides quite a few benefits, the deployment is heavily dependent on the availability of spectrum and regulatory framework. There are three possible spectrum scenarios for LTE deployment - 2.5 to 2.6GHz, the digital dividend spectrum in the 700Mhz and re-farming of existing spectrum. As a matter of fact, due to the spectral efficiency, LTE can pack in 1.5 to 5 times more subscribers compared with 3G in a cell for voice calls.

Since 4G is far away right nevertheless, the only migration path for India is to take the LTE route. A recent McKinsey report states that only 1 per cent of India's subscribers are mobile-Internet users compared with 18 per cent in China. But, considering the demand for digital content, India's Internet users will increase fivefold by 2015 and more than 75 per cent of them will choose mobile access.  Airtel adding over 5 lakh 3G subscribers in less than a month is undoubtedly good news for 3G-based broadband access. All in all BWA WiMax uptake is nonetheless not clear.

 BWA's guideline being research-agnostic has helped Reliance-Infotel, which won pan-India licence to consider TD-LTE instead of the traditional WiMax route. This will intensify competition among the BWA providers in India.

Couple of years to mature

But TD-LTE may take a couple of years to mature. With enormous support for TD-LTE from China, it is very likely that we could see TD-LTE based devices just as mobile phones, tablets, etc, to put it more exactly than just data cards and USB dongles. Furthermore, availability of dual-mode devices, TD-LTE and LTE/3G, would be key. TD-LTE could pose a threat to WiMax and 3G.

For mobile broadband to pick up significantly, telecom companies/BWA operators need to come up with innovative pricing schemes to attract subscribers instead of the widely popular “sachet” pricing used for voice. Bundled devices with attractive contract terms through which the pre-paid segment can potentially be converted into post-paid.

The key challenge in India continues to be availability of a mobile-literate population that can make meaningful use of the Internet. It is not clear how the Government will handle the 700Mhz digital dividend spectrum, which is currently owned by Doordarshan. Interestingly, both I&B ministry and Telecom ministry are vying for this spectrum for Mobile TV and LTE, respectively. It is established that the 700MHz spectrum provides huge cost benefits compared with the 2.3 -2.5 GHz spectrum.

 As we've seen, 4G truly looks distant. But, India should rapidly increase mobile broadband clients using the current technologies in order to enable smooth transition to LTE over the at once couple of years.

As pointed out, the key challenge is availability of affordable devices, relevant content, attractive data plans and mobile data “aware” population. It is imperative that the Government involves all the stake holders in propelling India's then and there generation mobile broadband journey.

Keywords: 4G technologies, Mobile TV and LTE, Mobile Cloud Computing, WiMax, Teleca Software Solutions India, Voice over LTE