New-Tech Magazine - Europe | January Digital edition

LTE Global Overview and LTE for M2M Status

Carlos Dyk, Quectel Wireless Solutions

LTE Global Deployment Status The massive deployment of LTW by network operators worldwide has started. By the end of 2015, more than 440 operators had commercially launched LTE coverage in more than 150 countries. Around 90 percent of operators have deployed FDD mode, with 60 operators launching services in TDD mode in their networks. Eighteen operators have used both FDD and TDD. Ninety-seven LTE-Advanced systems were launched in 48 different countries, while more than 140 operators are investing in LTE- Advanced in more than 60 different countries. The following figure shows the LTE

Category per standard and the Peak Data Rate supported: The following figure shows the number of LTE-Advanced systems launched per category: What Is 3GPP Standard Status? 3GPP is the body in charge of defining the standard ruling for the development of cellular devices and network infrastructure. The body includes main companies and key players in the cellular world. All components, hardware and software of cellular infrastructure and devices must comply with the 3GPP standard. The following figure shows the main 3GPP releases and their main Data Rate Characteristics: The 3GPP body releases a new

updated version every three to six months, making major and minor improvements to the actual standards. The following figure shows the relationship between 3GPP releases, timeline and future features: Device-2-Device (D2D) An LTE Direct workshop organized by Qualcomm and Samsung in May 2013 brought together thought leaders from Deutsche Telekom, DOCOMO, KDDI, Orange, Placecast, Samsung, SAP, Sapient, SKT, Softbank, Tagged, and Verizon. Workshop goals included understanding the business opportunity for proximate services in the mobile retail and social discovery space, discussing how operators can

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