BEIJING, May 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- CCID Consulting, China's leading research, consulting and IT outsourcing service provider, and the first Chinese consulting firm listed in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Stock Exchange: HK08235), recently released its article on LTE.
In Feb. 2008, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology once again became the focus of the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. International carriers, equipment manufacturers, communications test manufacturers declared to support LTE, and provide relevant LTE test service solutions. LTE is the evolution of 3G, and it improves and strengthens 3G air access technology, which adopts OFDM and MIMO as its unique standard of wireless network evolution. It could provide 100 Mbit/s and 50 Mbit/s peak rates under 20MHz spectral bandwidth, which improves district edge users' performances, improves district capacity and reduces system delay.
However, as a new mobile communications technical standard, LTE is not only a technical evolution, but also a standard with a great market. LTE's development is many manufacturers' game; meanwhile, it is also the progress of technical convergence.
LTE vs. WiMAX
Mobile wireless technology has three approaches to development. First of all, it evolves from HSPA into HSPA+, and finally into LTE. The advanced edition of TD-SCDMA, which is based on TDD, is called TD-LTE. The second approach is that CDMA2000 develops along EV-DO Rev.0/Rev.A/Rev.B, changes into UMB in the end. The third approach is WiMAX with a length of 802.16m. Among the above approaches, LTE has won the most upholders with WiMAX following.
Ericsson is one of the main supporters of WCDMA. Qualcomm has an overwhelming majority of knowledge property rights and it has become the biggest promoter of CDMA2000. The main adherents of TD-SCDMA include Datang and ZTE. While Intel, Samsung as well as Nortel support WiMAX.
Qualcomm has over 1000 key patents of OFDM, OFMDMA and MIMO technology. These patents will be the basic part of the new 4G technology and they are also indispensable for WiMAX, LTE and UMB. In the middle of February 2008, Qualcomm declared that it will expand the route map of terminals and fundamental chip groups, and LTE technology is included. The plan of LTE will be worked out in the second quarter of 2009. Along with these changes, the fight on the future norm will become a game of chess between LTE and WiMAX
WiMAX is also called 802.16. At first, Intel, Motorola and Samsung provide WiMAX technology. WiMAX gets the IEEE's support, and earned ITU's accreditation in October 2007, which insured WiMAX would become another feasible alternative, excluding LTE and UMB.
Generally speaking, there are three hundred WiMAX tests and applications; many of them are in emerging markets. 120 tests and applications serve mobile phones. This method could substitute DSL broadband connections through wireless connections.
Compared with LTE, WiMAX's advantage is its first mover advantage; it has made good preparation for operations. Currently, WiMAX equipments have been applied in eighty countries globally. In 2008, the number and scale of commercial networks will continue to increase.
Because of major support from manufacturers, LTE competes with WiMAX, despite this obvious advantage.
Support from International carries drives the development of LTE
At the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona in 2008, major international carriers such as Verizon, Vodafone, NTTDoCoMo and AT&T declared to support LTE technology. NTT DoCoMo has cooperated with NEC and Fujitsu to develop LTE since July 2006, and actively carries through with LTE experiments. It is forecast that it will finish R&D and put into commercial use before 2009.
After LTE instead of CDMA EV-DO, the users of Verizon and Vodafone could realize network roaming, and could reach a roaming agreement with America's largest carrier AT&T.
At the World Mobile Congress China Mobile declared to cooperate with Vodafone and Verizon Wireless to test LTE. As the mobile company with largest number of users and market value, China Mobile's action will promote the development of LTE technology. These three companies' tests focus on LTE FDD, TD-LTE and China's 3G. It is said that China Mobile cooperates with 27 overseas companies to put forward LTE/TDD, which tries to realize the convergence of two TDD editions and the compatibility of TDD and FDD.
Support from International carriers drives the development of LTE, and helps LTE to establish its mainstream as the next mobile communications standard.
Active participation from equipment manufacturers Speeds-up LTE commercialization
In October 2007, Ericsson made an LTE public demonstration at the Beijing International Communications Equipment Expo: the downstream rate reached 144Mbps and upstream rate reached 24Mbps. On Jan. 30, 2008, Ericsson declared to successfully present LTE technology with frequency division duplex FDD and TDD modes on the same base station.
In December 2007, Nokia Siemens Networks declared it would accomplish LTE multi-user field tests in urban environments. The downstream rate reached 173Mbps, which proves that future LTE networks could run in present base stations, meaning operators don't need to erect new antennas.
Nortel plans to launch relevant LTE products in 2008, which could satisfy the LTE network demands after 2010. NEC forecasts it will launch relevant LTE services in 2009 or 2010.
In China's equipment manufacturers, Potevio has accomplished pre-research of LTE-TDD's key technology. Huawei plans to launch LTE commercial products in 2009, establishing the first experimental bureau, deploying LTE commercial networks worldwide and put into commercial use in 2010. At present, Datang are carrying through the test and verification of TD-LTE solutions and key technology, and accomplished the solutions at the end of 2007.
Many major equipment manufacturers show their latest development in their LTE field, which promotes the progress of LTE and drives LTE commercial progress.
International test manufacturers fast tracking, China's test manufacturers should take precautions
Facing the enormous business opportunities of LTE, overseas testing instrument manufactures are tracing quickly. Most manufactures pay great attention to next generation telecommunications testing instruments and new LTE testing solutions.
In the International Communications Exhibition, China, 2007, Rohde-Schwarz released the first LTE RF testing solution. TI planed to push out IP network based LTE equipments to enhance the process of bringing 3G equipment to market. Agilent released its leading 3GPP LTE testing solutions in the Global Mobile Communication Conference, and announced plans to join the LTE/SAE experiment alliance in March 2008. Agilent was the only company to provide LTE interoperation testing and field testing, including testing from radio interfaces in physical layers to protocol layers and networks. Agilent testing solution pushed further forward the commercialization process of LTE technology. Yokogawa also traced the development of LTE technology and actively focused on instrument developing. Anritsu released LTE based testing solutions recently.
Domestic testing and measuring manufactures paid more attention on LTE as well, having an optimistic attitude to the LTE testing market. Domestic carriers and equipment manufactures such as China Mobile, Huawei and ZTE have planed LTE R&D programs. National correlation departments were thinking and planning the merging of TD-SCDMA and LTE technology. Domestic testing instrument manufactures should seize the chance of LTE and increase the investment on LTE testing solutions. The technology gap could be made up through cooperation, while delays in strategies and planning would bring irrecoverable losses to domestic testing instrument manufactures.
CCID Consulting believes that LTE will develop quickly in the future five years, benefiting from the support of carriers, equipment manufactures and testing instrument manufactures, although WiMAX owns first-mover advantage. The development of LTE is not only a technology evolution, but also a game among manufactures and related standards during the competition in global mobile communication market.
Table. LTE Upstarters and Supporters
Manufacturers List
Upstarters Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, France Telecom/Orange,
Nokia, Nokia-Siemens, Nortel, T-Mobile, Vodafone
Supporters China Mobile, Huawei, LG Elextronics, NTT DoCoMo,
Samsung, Signalion, Telecom Italia, ZTE, Verizon
Wireless, Agilent, TI, Rohde-Schwarz, Anritsu,
Yokogawa
Source: CCID Consulting, March 2008
About CCID Consulting
CCID Consulting Co., Ltd (hereinafter known as CCID Consulting), the first Chinese consulting firm listed in the Growth Enterprise Market of the Stock Exchange (GEM) of Hong Kong (stock code: HK08235), is directly affiliate to China Center for Information Industry Development (hereinafter known as CCID Group). Headquartered in Beijing, CCID Consulting has so far set up branch offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Chengdu, with over 300 professional consultants after many years of development. The company's business scope has covered over 200 large and medium-sized cities in China.
Based on the major competitiveness of the powerful the industrial resources, information technology and data channels, CCID Consulting provides customers with public policy establishment, industry competitiveness upgrade, development strategy and planning, marketing strategy and research, HR management, IT programming and management. Her customers range from industrial users in electronics, telecommunications, energy, finance, automobile, to government departments at all levels and diversified industrial parks. CCID Consulting commits herself to become the No.1 advisor for enterprise management, the No.1 consultancy for government decision and the No.1 brand for informatization consulting.
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