170424 Evolution From LTE to 5G

Evolution from LTE to 5G April 2017 Update

his report is the latest update in a series of studies published by GSA tracking the development of mobile technology markets worldwide. Previous editions of the reports were entitled “Evolution to LTE”. However, in recognition of the fact that many operators are now deploying enhancements to their

T

We summarize network trials, deployments,

LTE networks and working towards the future deployment of 5G networks, we have adjusted

used, where available. If you have additional information please contact [email protected]

the title to reect their new focus. We will of

course continue to track LTE deployments in markets where that still has to occur.

and the availability of services across a variety of technology innovations and spectrum bands. GSA welcomes additions to the database of information being maintained by GSA. The database also contains information about spectrum bands and bandwidth

We make no guarantees that the information is complete, but reasonable eorts have been

made to be comprehensive and accurate. The next update of this report will be in July 2017.

©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

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Introduction

LTE deployments

LTE is a global success, connecting over 1 in 4 mobile users worldwide and is the fastest developing mobile system technology ever.

The drive towards LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTEAdvanced Pro and increasingly 5G for operators is more capacity, enhanced performance and

LTE is specied by 3GPP as a single global

improved eciencies to lower delivery cost.

standard for paired and unpaired spectrum users. The vast majority of the standard is the same for FDD and TDD.

Compared with 3G, LTE oers a big step in

GSA’s Evolution from LTE in-depth to 5G reports provides an independent status view and analysis of the global 4G/LTE, LTEAdvanced, LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G markets,

the user experience, enhancing demanding apps such as interactive TV, video blogging, advanced gaming, and professional services. Deployment of LTE-Advanced technologies – and particularly carrier aggregation – takes performance to a new level, and is a major

supported by facts, and conrms the trends. Information is obtained, analysed and veried

by GSA. This report is quarterly and referenced by industry across the whole ecosystem. Key market facts By the end of March 2017 GSA reports there were: • 774 operators investing in LTE in 202 countries • 591 commercially launched LTE or LTEAdvanced networks in 189 countries, including 97 LTE-TDD (TD-LTE) launched in 56 countries • 106 commercial VoLTE networks in 55 countries, and 167 operators investing in VoLTE in 74 countries • 195 launched networks are LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pro, in 95 countries • GSA forecasts c. 646 commercially launched LTE networks by end-2017

774 Operators Investing in LTE in 202 Countries

current focus of the industry. Interest in LTEAdvanced Pro is high too, bringing with it new, globally standardised LPWA solutions:

LTE Cat-M1 (LTE-M, eMTC) and Cat-NB1 (NBIoT) with new business opportunities. And whilst LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro solutions have yet to be deployed by many operators, vendors and network operators are already looking towards 5G, and its potential to meet future capacity, connectivity and service requirements.

• 4 NB-IoT and 2 LTE-M networks are commercially launched, with 40 NB-IoT and 12 LTE-M networks planned or being trialled

LTE is a full IP network and harmonizes with

• 18 operators, at least, have now made public commitments to deployment of pre-

unifying global standard supporting TDD & FDD modes.

other radio access technologies and is the natural evolution choice for GSM/HSPA, CDMA and WiMAX operators, enabling a single

standards ‘5G’ networks in 13 countries. ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

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Spectrum for LTE deployments

Evolutions of LTE standards now completed

Pressure for spectrum is high and operators

enable the possibility to extend the benets

should deploy the most ecient technologies

dividend spectrum (700/800 MHz) for more

of LTE Advanced to unlicensed spectrum. Four main options for deploying LTE in unlicensed spectrum are available depending on the deployment scenario and the market or region: they are LTE-U, LAA (Licensed Assisted

geographical coverage and improved in-

Access), LWA (LTE-WiFi link Aggregation), and

building performance. 2.6 GHz is the capacity

MulteFire. The 4th option enables LTE to be

band in most regions. 1800 MHz (band 3) is

deployed only in unlicensed spectrum without needing a licensed anchor channel.

using paired spectrum where available. LTE can be deployed in existing 2G or 3G bands and/or new bands e.g. 2.6 GHz or digital

the mainstream choice for LTE in the majority of regions. 700 MHz (bands 12, 13, 14 and 17) and 800 MHz (band 20 and regional variations)

LTE technology evolution

are rmly established as the main LTE bands

LTE radio network products incorporate several features to simplify building and management of next- generation networks.

for extended coverage and deepest building penetration.

Plug-and-play, self-conguration and self-

1800 MHz (band 20) continues to be the

optimization simplify and reduce network

mainstream for LTEchoice

and transport networks that are easier to build,

roll-out and management cost. LTE is being deployed alongside simplied, IP-based core maintain and introduce services on. The 3GPP

core network has also undergone System Adoption of the APT700 MHz band plan for

Architecture Evolution, optimized for packet

LTE network deployments in markets across the APAC and Latin America regions and in Europe represents a major opportunity for

mode and the IP-Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to support all access technologies, including xed access. This allows:

near-global spectrum harmonization, paving

• Improvements in latency, capacity, and the way for ensuring the greatest economies throughput of scale for devices and capacity for mobile broadband services, and for roaming. The FDD • Simplication of the core network, and plan conguration (band 28) has attracted

unanimous support. Meanwhile the global success of mobile broadband enabled by LTE has led to additional frequency bands being allocated and standardised. In some regions

optimization for IP trac, services, and

growth

• Simplied support and handover to non3GPP access technologies

The resulting evolved packet system comprises the core network, evolved packet core (EPC) rural coverage and M2M service applications. and radio network. The whole system is often LTE450 is launched in several markets. called LTE. 450 MHz spectrum is attracting interest for


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Deployment of LTE-Advanced technology is the key trend globally. Carrier aggregation was the rst feature to be commercialized,

facilitating higher data throughput rates in both directions, more ecient use of

spectrum assets for network operators, and an enhanced user experience of mobile broadband. LTE-Advanced Pro (Release 13 and later)

emergency services, public safety and railway communications. Most LTE-Advanced systems today support Category-6 (300 Mbps downlink) user devices.

The ecosystems of networks and devices for Category-9 (450 Mbps) and higher are rapidly developing and 256QAM, high-order MIMO, more carrier aggregation and LTEAdvanced Pro features are supporting this move. The introduction of HD voice services for LTE users enabled by VoLTE is entering the mainstream. The market for ViLTE (video over

features enable the era of Gigabit LTE for enhanced mobile broadband service (though devices meeting UE Cat-16 are still some way from commercialisation). It also opens new LTE) is developing. Commercialization of LTE markets: importantly it delivers new globally Broadcast, enabled by eMBMS technology, is standardised solutions LTE Cat-M1 (eMTC, set to develop in 2017. LTE-M) and Cat-NB1 (NB-IoT) for the vast IoT LTE global status Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) market. These

narrowband solutions complement existing LTE Cat-1 IoT technology. LTE-Advanced Pro also meets the needs of the mission and

Previous versions of this report have provided a full list of LTE deployments. This is still available as a separate document. This report

business critical push-to-talk sectors e.g.

summarizes the overall status of the market

and covers recent developments.

Figure 1: Commercial LTE networks 2009 to end-March 2017


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The start of 2017 saw the continued introduction of LTE to new markets and regions around the world. Although already widely deployed, it is still being introduced and several countries announced LTE services. By the end of March 2017 there were 591 LTE

VoLTE global status 167 operators are investing in VoLTE in

74 countries including 106 operators with commercially launched VoLTE-HD voice service in 55 countries.

networks in service worldwide. Figure 2: Number of commercial VoLTE networks, by country

Recent months have seen LTE/4G services introduced by operators in eleven regions/ countries including Antarctica, Barbados, Congo, Cook Islands, Guyana, Libya, Madagascar, Somalia, Sudan, Tahiti, and Trinidad & Tobago. Future launches can be expected too. By the end of 2017 GSA forecasts 646 LTE networks will be in service. Recent

Operators introducing VoLTE services in the

announcements aboutcome plansfrom to operators introduce LTE/4G services have in El Salvador, Georgia, Tahiti, Tuvalu, and Vietnam; and new trials have been announced in Kenya. In total, 774 operators worldwide

LTE TDD (TD-LTE) global status

rst three months of 2017 include Proximus (Belgium), Telekom Slovenije (Slovenia), 3

(Sweden), and O2 (UK); with deployment announced in the Netherlands by T-Mobile and trials of, or plans for, VoLTE revealed by three operators in India (Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone).

LTE is an open standard developed by 3GPP.

The advanced technological performance of LTE came with in-built exibility to operate

in either paired (FDD, or Frequency Division Duplexing, mode) or unpaired (TDD, or Time A signicant trend is the discontinuation of 2G Division Duplexing mode) spectrum and networks, which are being switched o so that various channel bandwidths – all with a single capacity can be re-farmed for LTE services. have made commitments to LTE.


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technology. Companies from around the globe contributed to the LTE standard and its evolution. The emphasis was always to leverage synergies between the two duplex modes to the largest extent possible. This allows operators to best utilize their current network assets, spectrum

allocations and various bandwidth needs, while securing support, choice and economies of scale from the global vendor ecosystem, and limit potential market fragmentation.

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LTE-TDD

(TD-LTE)

systems

are

commercially launched in 56 countries. Launches were conrmed in the last quarter

by Tiscali (Italy) and Telecom Namibia, both of which are deploying LTE TDD for xed wireless access as a WiMAX replacement. 32

operators have deployed converged FDD & TDD networks.

Figure 38-43 3: Number of commercial networks using TDD bands

The result is major commonality of the LTE specications for the FDD

and TDD modes – in fact the vast majority of the LTE standard is identical for both modes and the huge global success of LTE. Most LTE deployments use paired spectrum (FDD). The LTE TDD mode is complementary and the perfect choice for providing high-speed mobile broadband access in unpaired spectrum. Many operators have deployed both FDD and TDD modes in their networks. LTE TDD also provides a future-proof evolutionary path for TD-SCDMA, another 3GPP standard. LTE TDD is an integral part of the 3GPP standard, implementing a

maximum of commonalities with LTE FDD and oering comparable performance and similar high spectral eciency.

Figure 3 shows the dierent spectrum bands

in use in 96 networks (the band used for one commercially launched network has yet to be conrmed). Band 40 is the most popular TDD

band. Eight networks are using multiple TDD bands. LTE-Advanced global status As of 31 March 2017, there were 194 LTEAdvanced or LTE-Advanced Pro networks in 95 countries. There are 11 new networks

since the last edition of the GSA’s LTE report at the end of January 2017. The newly launched LTE-A networks are shown in Figure 4. ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

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Figure 4: New LTE-Advanced commercial network launches since the last GSA ‘Evolution to LTE’ report - 31 January 2017 Country

Operator

Date Announced

Notes

Tanzania

TTCL

November 2016 No further details

British Virgin Islands Montenegro

Flow BVI

November 2016 No further details

Crnogorski

January 2017

Speeds of 435 Mbit/s; 3CA; 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz bands

Iran

Irancell

February 2017

Cat-6 modem launched to work in ‘4.5G’ network

Hungary

Vodafone

February 2017

that 152 2 CA;covers 10 MHz in cities 800 MHz band + 10 MHz in 1800

Samoa

Bluesky

March2017

MHz band; deployed in Budapest CA in 700 MHz and 1800 MHz bands; around 40

Zambia

Zamtel

March 2017

base stations; 50% population coverage Covers Kitwe, Kalulushi, Chambishi, Chingola,

Canada

Ice Wireless

March 2017

Chililabombwe, Mufulira and Solwezi

Mobile broadband package launched using newly upgraded network No further details

Cook Islands

Bluesky

March 2017

Philippines

Globe

March 2017

4 CA in 2.6GHz band (LTE-Advanced Pro)

Kazakhstan

Altel

April 2017

LTE-A services in 12 cities; speeds up to 225Mbit/s; 2CA. Four more cities planned to be added

By region, the largest number of LTE-Advanced network launches are in EMEA, followed by APAC (see Figure 5). 13 existing LTE-Advanced networks are being extended, or are trialling or adding new features. Among the most interesting are TIM Brazil (planning to use 700 MHz spectrum

to further increase coverage); MTN South Africa (trialling 4x4 MIMO); China Unicom (trialling massive MIMO); and Cosmote Greece

enhancement), WBS and iBurst in South Africa

(roll-out announced – with plans to launch ‘after March 2017), Ultravision (partnering with Nokia to roll out services in the 2.5 GHz

band in 2H2017), and ALTAN Redes in Mexico (a new wholesale network to be built with Figure 5: LTE-Advanced commercial networks by region

(demonstrating 3x20 MHz carrier aggregation

for 1.2 Gbit/s downstream throughput).

Seven further operators have announced trials, plans or contracts for LTE-Advanced networks: Batelco Bahrain (contract with Ericsson), Telefonica Germany (tests in the lab and outdoors), Wi-Tribe Pakistan (plans to launch in ve cities), Telefonica O2 in the

UK (contract with Nokia for ‘4.5G Pro’ network ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

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Nokia and others, and using the 700 MHz

LTE-Advanced Pro only if they also exhibit

band).

additional Rel-13 features such as those

The LTE-Advanced network launched by Globe Telecoms in the Philippines also includes features making it LTE-Advanced Pro; a new commercial LTE-Advanced Pro network was launched by Oredoo Qatar, bringing the number of commercial LTE-Advanced Pro networks to 19. New plans for LTE-Advanced

related to carrier aggregation, modulation scheme, MIMO, latency and MCPTT (missioncritical push-to-talk). Analysing the stated maximum downlink speeds of the commercial LTE-Advanced networks by the fastest network per country (see Figure 6) shows a wide variation.

Pro networks were announced by Zain in Figure 6: Stated maximum downlink speed of the fastest LTE-Advanced & LTE-Advanced Pro network per country

[Note: 174 operators analysed where maximum speed of commercial network has been stated]

Saudi Arabia, STC (Saudi Arabia) and SingTel in Singapore. Telefonica O2’s LTE-Advanced network will also include Pro features. Vodafone in Romania has demonstrated 5-carrier aggregation (TDD-FDD), with 4x4 MIMO and 256QAM, which we count as LTEAdvanced Pro. At least 26 operators are trialling, deploying or planning LTE-Advanced Pro networks (based on a combination of multiple Rel-13 features). Many operators are launching, or planning, 3GPP Rel-13-based

NB-IoT and LTE-M networks (see elsewhere in this report). We count such networks as

This is unsurprising, as operators around the world have dierent amounts of spectrum

(numbers of carriers and bandwidth of those carriers) that they can aggregate to increase maximum throughput. They also vary in terms of their deployment of additional features such as use of 256QAM modulation and 4x4 MIMO. Note also that some operators report theoretical downlink speeds; other report livenetwork tested speeds. Also, coverage of the very fast networks varies within countries and by operator: in Australia, Telstra’s network demonstrated just under 1Gbit/s maximum speed but is widely deployed, while Optus’


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network demonstrated just over 1Gbit/s downlink speed, but is deployed only in one suburb of Sydney. Carrier aggregation has been the dominant feature of LTE Advanced networks. Varying numbers of carriers, and varying amounts of total bandwidth, have been aggregated in trials and demos, but in commercial networks, the greatest number of carriers aggregated

Figures 7 & 8 show the distribution across commercial networks where the values are known. Note that operators with commercial networks may use dierent carrier and band combinations in dierent parts of

their networks, or have run several trials, so individual operators may have multiple entries in the charts. Note also that the charts include FDD, TDD and mixed-mode CA deployments.

(where we have data) is four. Some trials and demos have aggregated up to 10 carriers. Figure 7: Percentage of relevant trials, demos and deployments using specic numbers of aggregated carriers where details known (n=152 for all, and n=71 for commercial deployments)

Figure 8: Total aggregated bandwidth in relevant CA trials, demos and deployments where details known (n=104 for all, and n=72 for commercial deployments)


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LTE1800 global status LTE network deployment in 1800 MHz (band 3) is mainstream. The motivations are clear:

• Coverage area approx. 2 times compared to deploying in 2.6 GHz band

276 operators have commercially launched LTE1800 (band 3) systems in 119 countries/

territories either as a single band or as part of a multi-band deployment. Launches have recently been announced by Bluesky in Samoa, which is using 1800 MHz alongside

• Possibility to re-use assets including

700 MHz to underpin its LTE-Advanced

antenna cables of GSM1800 or WCDMA-

service, and Vodafone in Hungary, which has used the spectrum to increase its capacity in

HSPA2100 • Possibility to deploy multi-RAN with simultaneous LTE and GSM capabilities • 1800 MHz band widely available throughout Europe, APAC, MEA, regions of South America – thus having the potential to be a core - and global - band for LTE deployments • Operators often have sucient bandwidth in 1800 MHz to secure the full benets of

Budapest. Meanwhile other operators have been expanding their 1800 MHz coverage: for

instance Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have all introduced LTE services at 1800 MHz

to new service areas in India. 1800 MHz is the most widely used and prime band for LTE globally, deployed in 46.7% of

LTE networks, greatly assisting international roaming for mobile broadband services. More LTE1800 deployments are in progress. 1800

LTE • Often easier to re-farm than 900 MHz MHz mobile licences have been awarded to • Has the largest user device ecosystem • Can be a transition strategy between HSPA 350+ operators in nearly 150 countries. and availability of new (e.g. 2.6 GHz, digital

dividend) spectrum Figure 9: Countries with commercial services at 1800 MHz


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APT700 global status Industry support for the APT700 band plan is strong. Whereas APT700 provides both FDD

Taiwan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam • MEA:

UAE conrmed adoption of the

and TDD arrangements, it is the FDD plan that has gained global support from industry and regulators in markets addressing nearly

APT700 lower 2 x 30 MHz duplexer. This is

4 billion people. The FDD conguration is

throughout ITU Region 1.

standardised by 3GPP (band 28) for a 2 x 45 MHz arrangement, with 10 MHz guard band

between downlink and uplink. The APT700 FDD band plan (3GPP Band 28) uses 703-748 MHz for the uplink with 10 MHz guard band and 758-803 MHz for the downlink. 700 MHz is excellent for wide area coverage

in regional and rural environments, and for in-building coverage, and is an important digital dividend arising from the shift by TV broadcasters to digital transmissions. Adoption of the APT700 FDD band plan by many countries has created a major opportunity for near global spectrum harmonization for LTE,

ensuring the greatest economies of scale for user devices, capacity for mobile broadband, and roaming. Over 50 countries and territories have

allocated, committed to, or recommend APT700 FDD (Band 28) for LTE system deployments: • LAC region: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominican

also the preferred frequency arrangement for 700 MHz allocations in Europe and

• Africa: Zimbabwe • Europe: Compatibility with the APT700 band in Europe will be high. In December 2016 the EU adopted a Decision that Member states must reassign the 700 MHz band (694-790 MHz) to wireless broadband

services under harmonised technical conditions by 30 June 2020 (if any are

unable to do so they may decide, for duly justied reasons, to delay availability of the

band by up to 2 years). Member states must also adopt and make public a national plan by 30 June 2018, describing how each will

implement the decision. Licensing actions are committed, completed, underway or planned in many countries including Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Romania, Slovenia, and the UK. APT700 Band 28 is already licensed to mobile operators in many countries, including: Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile,

Ecuador, Fiji, Finland*, France*, Germany*,

Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela Panama, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, • APAC/Oceania: Afghanistan, Australia, Suriname, Taiwan, Tokelau and Vanuatu. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Those marked * have compatibility with the Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, lower duplexer arrangement of APT700 (703Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, 733 / 758-788 MHz). Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, St. Maarten, ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

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Figure 10: Commercial networks using APT700 band 28 (or compatible European bands)

40 operators have now launched commercial services using APT700 band 28 , or services in

compatible European bands (CEPT 700). New launches in 2017 include three Finnish operators (DNA, Elisa and Sonera), Bluesky in Samoa, and Digicel and Flow in the British Virgin Islands. New deployments have also been announced in Mexico (where ALTÁN Redes will deploy a wholesale mobile network at 700 MHz for use by other mobile operators and service providers) and in Chile, where Telefonica is deploying an NB-IoT network operating at 700 MHz that will be

used to connect smart water meters.

LTE Broadcast / Multicast (eMBMS) global status LTE Broadcast (also called LTE Multicast) enabled by eMBMS technology substantially reduces the bandwidth needed to deliver

simultaneously. LTE broadcast can deliver the same content to multiple users with the capability to support a virtually unlimited

multimedia

thus

number of users simultaneously, thereby

services over LTE to meet this demand. It

network investments. LTE Broadcast will open new business models for mobile network operators. Other reports on the GSA website examine the cases for eMBMS.

content

one-to-many

allowing operators to eciently launch media oers mobile-network operators a protable

business

proposition

through

service

dierentiation, new revenue opportunities, and more ecient distribution of live and

other digital media. LTE Broadcast enables multiple users to receive the same content

maintaining ecient use of spectrum and

Numerous network operators have been testing eMBMS. In a select few cases,


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commercial services have already been launched. Additionally, numerous TV broadcasters and content owners are engaged in LTE Broadcast trials e.g. BBC (UK), IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik, research institute of broadcasting companies in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, Bavarian

broadcast company, Bayerischer Rundfunk, and further research partners), TDF (France) and RAI (Italy).

Nokia is running a eld trial in Munich

with the “Institut für Rundfunktechnik”, the research institute of the public broadcasting corporations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and other research partners

with the support of Bayerischer Rundfunk, the Bavarian public broadcast corporation. The research project is funded by Bayerische Forschungsstiftung (BFS). The wide range of LTE Broadcast activities worldwide is summarised in the Figure 11.

Figure 11: LTE Broadcast (eMBMS) trials and deployments Country

Operator

eMBMSStatus

Australia

Telstra

Deploying – rst products expected to launch in 2017

Brazil

Claro and NET

Trialled

Brazil

Vivo

NoDetails

Canada

BellMobility

Nodetails

China

ChinaMobile

Trialled

China

China Telecom

Large scale user trial

France

Orange

Trialled

France

TDF

Trialling convergence potential of eMBMS with DVB

Germany

IRT

Trialling

Germany

T-Mobile

Nodetails

Germany

Vodafone

Trialled

Hong Kong

China Mobile

Demonstrated

Hong Kong

PCCW (CSL)

Internal Tests

India

RJIL

Trialled

Indonesia

Smartfren

Trialplanned

Italy Italy

RAI TIM

Trialling convergence potential of eMBMS with DVB

Japan

Softbank

Trialled

Netherlands

KPN

Trialled

Philippines

Globe

Deploying

Philippines

Smart

Trialled

Trialled


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Country

Operator

eMBMSStatus

Poland

PolkomtelPlus

Trialled

Portugal

Meo

Trialling

Portugal

Vodafone

Nodetails

Russia

Megafon

Labtests

Russia

MTS

Trialled

Singapore

SingTel

Trialling

South Korea

KT

COMMERCIAL

South Korea

SK Telecom

Spain

Vodafone

Trialled

Turkey

Turkcell

Demonstrated

UAE

Etisalat

Trialling

UK

EEwithBBC

UK

ThreeUK

USA

AT&T

Trials-Deploying

USA

Verizon

COMMERCIAL

Vietnam

MobiFone

MobiTVpilottrial

Development

Trialling Trialling

Telstra has rearmed its commitment to

deploy LTE Broadcast across its network. The rst enabled services will be introduced

in 2017, including support for Telstra Media Services and a new 24x7 linear streaming channel. These will initially be available on Samsung devices. Other products on the roadmap include live sports coverage beyond stadiums, pre-loading of popular content, news clips and games highlights. Telstra says 99% of its 4GX network sites are already LTE

February 2017, the three partners are currently engaged in interoperability testing for these features, with a production pilot planned, and a target introduction date of November 2017. In addition, Telstra and Ericsson launched a trial with Twentieth Century Fox to test LTE Broadcast for delivery of the latter’s content. A one-month trial running from February to March 2017 enables a closed group of Telstra, Fox and Ericsson customers equipped with a trial app to receive personalised pre-loads of premium content – in this case enabling instant access to blockbuster titles in HD 1080p format.

Broadcast capable, and it is working with Ericsson to achieve 100% network coverage by 2018. Telstra is working with Ericsson and Expway to introduce Multicast Operation on Demand (MOOD), as well as Service Continuity Separately, Telstra also announced that, between unicast and broadcast coverage working with Ericsson, Motorola and areas in its network. Following demonstrations Qualcomm, it has delivered LTE-Broadcastenabled push-to-talk (PTT) – based on 3GPP 14 ©Copyright 2017 Global mobile Suppliers Association

of MOOD by Telstra and Expway at MWC in

Release 13 standard MC-PTT over LTE. The

technology will in the future enhance Telstra’s already available LTE Advanced Network for Emergency Services (LANES) solution, providing prioritised access for emergency services communications. It can also be used for enterprise PTT services. Further testing of LTE Broadcast-enabled PTT is planned for 2017 with commercial service launch in 2018. The partners plan to continue to develop the full range of 3GPP Mission Critical Push to Talk Release 13 and 14 capabilities.

and platforms supporting NB-IoT / LTE CatNB1 and LTE-M / Cat-M1, and emerging use cases. The latest numbers of service launches and trials as of end-March 2017 is • 4 commercial NB-IoT networks (Telus Canada, T-Mobile Netherlands, Telia Norway, and Vodafone Spain), with several more very close to commercial launch • A further 40 networks in 29 countries trialling,

demonstrating

or

planning

IoT global status

to deploy NB-IoT plus commitments to

2017 has so far seen signicant market

development by multi-country operator groups

development

of

standardised

cellular

networks to support IoT applications. While

• 2 commercial LTE-M networks (Verizon USA and AT&T USA)

nationwide or service launches are still relatively few in number, city-wide commercial • 12 other networks in 10 countries trialling, networks have launched, and the number demonstrating or planning to deploy of trials and commitments is growing fast. The GSA report “The Evolution to NB-IoT” LTE-M. published in February 2017 contains details of The distribution by country of these networks network launches and trials, modules, devices is shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: IoT network launches, trials, demos and plans by country


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5G global status An important milestone was reached in March 2017 when the 3GPP agreed on an intermediate

target for early completion of Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G NR mode for enhanced mobile broadband. NSA mode anchors connections in 3G, using 5G NR carriers to augment data

rates and reduce latency where needed. It was agreed to work towards nalisation of

the NSA standard by March 2018. At the same time, the group said it was still committed to completing the standard for Standalone (SA) 5G NR mode by September 2018. In February 2017, a large group of operators and vendors had lent their public support to this new approach, expressing the view that it will enable standards-based eld trials to begin in

2019.

Meanwhile, operators have started providing clarity about their intentions in terms of 5G, or at least pre-standards 5G launch timetables. Recent announcements have come from: • Sonera in Finland, which plans to launch a 5G network in Helsinki in 2018 • TIM, which plans to launch a network in Turin during 2017 • Etisalat, which has announced a 2019 launch • Verizon, which intends to start precommercial services with customers during the rst half of 2017 At least 18 operators have now made public commitments to deployment of prestandards ‘5G’ networks in 13 countries, with

the earliest launch dates currently planned by operators in Italy and the US. Figure 13

Testing and trialling of new pre-standard 5G technologies is already well underway. In the

shows the countries and current planned dates for the earliest 5G launches in those

past three months alone, we have identied

countries. We have only included countries

at least 25 operators from 15 countries that

where operators have announced their plans, not countries where governments have made general statements of intention (for instance in the UK).

have demonstrated 5G technologies, or announced 5G tests, or trials.

Figure 13: Countries where operators have announced pre-standards 5G deployment timetables (earliest launch date announced per country)


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About GSA GSA (the Global mobile Suppliers Association) is a not-for-prot industry organisation

representing companies across the worldwide mobile ecosystem engaged in the supply of infrastructure, semiconductors, test equipment, devices, applications and mobile support services. GSA actively promotes the 3GPP technology road-map – 3G; 4G; 5G – and is a single source

of information resource for industry reports and market intelligence. GSA Members drive the GSA agenda and dene the communications and development strategy for the Association. Membership of GSA is open to any supplier of products; systems or services related to the mobile industry and brings many benets including access to the GAMBoD database. The range of benets includes enhanced discussion, networking and inuencing opportunities on the key industry topics,

and unique promotional/visibility opportunities for your company name, capabilities, positioning and messages. More details can be found at https://gsacom.com/gsa-membership/ Website http://www.gsacom.com

News/updates RSS Feed: https://gsacom.com/rss-feeds/ GSA LinkedIN group: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2313721

LTE User Devices LinkedIN group: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4146472 LTE-Unlicensed https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8601576 Twitter: www.twitter.com/gsacom Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Global-mobile-Suppliers-Association-GSA/123462771012551

NOTES: Errors & Omissions Excepted

Contact Contact: GSA Secretariat Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 330 113 1572

GSA website: www.gsacom.com


17

170424 Evolution From LTE to 5G

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