October 2012 - Teletimes

The incredible growth of the Asian LTE MarketAsia-Pacific will increase its subscriber share from 26% in 2011to 41% to reach 375 million LTE subscriptions in 2016The DigiWorld Institute byIDATE regularly publishesmarket insights, data & forecastsfor the World LTE Market.On the occasion of the LTE Asia2012 conference in Singaporeon 18-19 September, theInstitute shares the results ofa recent research on the AsianLTE market.Asia-Pacific – recent LTE industrymoves● Japan: NTT DOCOMO plansto provide LTE services to50% of the population by 2014using 20,000 base stations.Earlier this year, their competitorseMobile and Softbanklaunched LTE services.● South Korea: the two leadingoperators in South Korea, SKTelecom and LG U+, launchedLTE in 2011. Their peer, KT,was barred by a class actionrelated to the switch-off of its2G network in the 1800 MHzband. We have adjusted ourend-2012 forecasts upwards,with rollout and take-up ofLTE services being quickerthan expected.● India: The first TD-LTE servicewas launched by Bharti Airtelin April 2012. The auction ofthe 700 MHz band, however,has not yet been confirmedby the Department of Telecommunications(DoT).Administrative issues linkedto spectrum and availabilityof TDLTE devices will be keyto the take-up of LTE technologyin India.● China: whilst there is a likelihoodthat the Governmentmight award LTE licenses in2014, the same deep cloud ofuncertainty lingers above itsgreen light for TD-LTE deployment.The Government isstill obliging China Mobileto continue its TD-SCDMAdeployment; the operator isheavily committed to TDLTEand building its TD-SCDMAnetwork so that cell sitesand other network elementsmay be re-used for the LTEnetwork.● Hong Kong: CSL launchedits dual-band LTE network(1800 MHz/2.6 GHz) in March2011, with dongles providedby ZTE. Take-up has been inline with expectations withNokia expands Asha Touch rangeNokia recently unveiled theNokia Asha 308 and NokiaAsha 309, the latest additionsto the Asha Touch family ofmobile devices. The dual SIMNokia Asha 308 and single SIMNokia Asha 309 give consumersfast web access at low cost.To create this smarter Internetexperience, Nokia released a60,000 subscribers by theend of Q3 2011. China Mobilelaunched its LTE service inHong Kong in April 2012 usingFDD spectrum in the 2.6 GHzband.The DigiWorld Institute byIDATE predicts 375 million LTEsubscriptions at the end of 2016in Asia-Pacific.Founded in 1977, the DigiWorldInstitute by IDATE has gained areputation as a leader in trackingtelecom, internet and mediamarkets, thanks to the skills ofour teams of specialized analysts.Now, with the support ofclose to 40 member companies– who include many of the digitaleconomy’s most influentialplayers – the newly rebrandedDigiWorld Institute has enteredinto a new stage of its development,structured around threemain areas of activity:●●IDATE Research – An independentobservatory whosetask is to keep a close andnew version of Nokia XpressBrowser, which enables upto 90% more efficient mobilebrowsing and faster accessto rich web applicationscompared to conventionalbrowsers.The new devices offer a fluid‘swipe’ user interface and anopen environment for thirdpartyapplication development,characteristics that haveearned the complete AshaTouch range full smartphoneclassification from global marketresearch companies andanalysts such as GfK and IDC.“Our innovative Asha Touchfamily of devices is designedfor people who want a greatcontinual watch on digitalworld industries, collectrelevant data and providebenchmark analyses onmarket developments andinnovations in the telecom,internet and media sectors– through its comprehensivecollection of market reportsand market watch services.●●IDATE Consulting, time-testedanalysis and consultancysolutions. Our teams of economistsand engineers haveestablished their credibilityand independence throughthe hundreds of researchand consulting assignmentsthey perform every year, onbehalf of top industry playersand public authorities.●●DigiWorld Institute – AEuropean forum open onthe world. The DigiworldInstitute will take existingIDATE initiatives, suchas DigiWorld Summit, andthe monthly clubs in Paris,London and Brussels, to thenext level. Members have theopportunity to participatein think tanks on the coreissues that will shape theindustry’s future, drawingon the knowledge of outsideexperts and the Institute’sown teams.smartphone experience withlower running costs,” said TimoToikkanen, executive vice president,Mobile Phones, Nokia.“By introducing the NokiaAsha 308 and Nokia Asha 309,we’re expanding our affordablesmartphone lineup and bringingnew mobile experiences tomore people.”34 October 2012www.teletimesinternational.com