Present Status of LTE & WiMAX in Global Communications

Developed by 3GPP Built on GSM using OFDM based air interface Downlink: pure OFDMA Uplink: Single carrier OFDMA Band required 1.25 to 20 MHz Data rate 250 Mbps Supported by WiMAX Forum Based on IEEE 802.16 with existing OFDMA technology Data Rate: Mobile 100 Mbps

Stationary 1Gbps

LTE by 3GPP

WiMAX by WiMAX Forum

Long Term Evolution

LTE is a 4G wireless broadband technology developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),an industry trade group. 3GPP engineers named the technology "Long Term Evolution" because it represents the next step (4G) in a progression from GSM, a 2G standard, to UMTS, the 3G technologies based upon GSM.

Downlink peak rates of at least 100 Mbps Uplink of at least 50 Mbps RAN round-trip times of less than 10 ms. Supports scalable carrier bandwidths, from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz Supports both frequency division duplexing(FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD).

Advantages
Increased Spectral Efficiency High throughput Low latency Plug and play FDD and TDD in the same platform An improved end-user experience Simple architecture resulting in low operating costs. Scalable bandwidth (1.25 to 20 MHz) High speed mobile broadband Good support for MOBILITY.

LTE Global
At present LTE service is completely available in 2 Scandinavian Capitals- Stockholm & Oslo. LTE spectrum, deployments & adoption is spread in 82 markets & on 189 networks(TeleAnalytics LTE research report). Launched by TeliaSonera on 14th Dec,2009. According to recent report by ABI Research:16mn Subscribers worldwide by the end of 2011. Currently there are 12 countries with LTE service. A large scale adoption of LTE in several parts of world can be expected by the end of 2012.

 By 2014,
50% of LTE networks in North America will have last mile backhaul capacity. Japan will have major chunk of LTE subscribers in Asia Pacific. LTE will draw 115mn subscribers. US will lead the world in LTE adoption.
In 2010, Vodafone has purchased 1500 base stations from Huawei & Ericsson in Germany. The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) recently confirmed there are 51 LTE network commitments in 24 countries.

LTE- Indian Scenario

India has always been a late entrant in the technology front. This statement holds good for LTE deployment. Indian industry is in sort of dilemma that weather to opt for LTE or Wimax. Reliance Industries had already announced to offer TD-LTE Technology. But expert believes that it takes 2-5 years time for the TD-LTE adoption to takes place. At present, Reliance, Bharti, QualComm & Aircel are carrying out LTE trials.

WiMAX
WiMAX is a digital wireless data communication system that can deliver high-speed broadband services up to a large distance of 50KMs. WiMAX was created by WiMAX forum. WiMAX is derived from the phrase Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Efficient alternative to Wi-Fi. WiMAX uses two spectrums of frequencies to provide two kinds of wireless broadband access services. (Mobile WiMAX & Fixed WiMAX) WiMAX uses radio waves to transfer data. WiMAX uses higher frequency range to deliver more data to a larger distance.

Low Frequency Operation Mobile WiMAX WiMAX tower works more like an efficient & powerful wi-fi access point. Frequency range 2GHz 11GHz(similar to Wi-Fi frequencies). The data transfer occurs between WiMAX tower and the internal mobile receivers. This type of WiMAX can only deliver up to 6-7 KMs. High Frequency Operation Fixed WiMAX The receiver requires dedicated antennae properly installed in the line-ofsight of WiMAX tower. These types of connections are stronger and stable as it uses 66GHz frequency spectrum to carry more data. This mode of operation can deliver broadband services to about 50KM radius.

ADVANTAGES: Large Area of Coverage Scalability In Built QoS Multi-User Connectivity

DISADVANTAGES: Specialized Equipment Required Limited Date Rate Bandwidth Shared Among Users Speed Decrease over Large Distance Interference May Affect Connectivity Rain can affect Connectivity

LTE & WiMAX Speed Comparisons

Impact of Technology on Telecom Business

Indian telecom industry is going through phenomenal growth in the past five years. Many trends that shaped the direction of this industry have emerged during this period. Some of these trends that has a major impact on Operators, Vendors & Customers are as follows:1. People go wireless 2. Telecom equipment manufacturing 3. Managed Services 4. More revenues from copper base 5. Drastic tariff reduction 6. Increased Internet usage 7. Enterprise communication through Internet

Conclusion.
The trends in telecom industry have positive impacts on the operators, vendors and the end customers so far. However, with more technological changes and aggressive competition from other industries like cable TV, new trends having the potential to change the direction of telecom industry in either way could emerge in the future