ABI Research reports that mobile operators around the world are jumping on the next generation of superfast 4G Mobile Broadband technology - Long Term Evolution ( LTE ). So far 132 networks have reported trials or plans to launch LTE commercially, 32 more than at the end of 2009.

Verizon in the USA and DoCoMo in Japan will begin wide-scale roll-outs by the end of 2010, while O2 in the UK is running on a similar 2010/11 timescale (here). Verizon has also hinted at the availability of LTE-based handsets by May 2011.

LTE is able to offer download speeds of 100Mbps to 1000Mbps (1Gbps), with the latter being the point at which it is allowed to be termed a true 4th Generation ( 4G ) mobile technology. However this bandwidth must be shared between many users and cannot overcome all of an operators existing core capacity woes; top real-world speeds of 8-36Mbps are more realistic.

Existing HSPA (3.5G / Super 3G) based UK Mobile Broadband services often claim speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, while the initial HSPA standard they use can deliver up to 14.4Mbps. However real-world speeds are often closer to 1-2Mbps, they also suffer from latency spikes and connection problems. LTE will improve upon all of these aspects, especially local node congestion.


Mobile WiMAX is already somewhat of a dead duck in the UK. It is also possible that some network operators may not skip from HSPA to LTE and will instead seek to save cash by upgrading their legacy 3G networks to HSPA+, which offers data rates of 'up to' 42Mbps (22Mbps upstream) and can also improve latency times.

Sadly LTE services will require new hardware, meaning customers will need to buy a new USB Modem (Dongle) if they want the faster speeds. Mobile operators could also use the new technology as a catalyst for revising their packages, potentially kicking the prices up a notch or two.