4G future
Over half a million new 4G subscriptions have been added in 2010, but the take-up of the new mobile phone network standard is concentrated regionally.
4G technology deployment and subscriptions will take root this year, but only in areas of North America and Western Europe, according to research firm In-Stat. It predicts the rest of the world will not catch up and embrace 4G technology in a significant way until 2012.
In-Stat's report, ‘2010 Cellular Contracts, Deployments and Subscriptions Database,' also identified key trends in the migration of 3G towards WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) and HSPA (high speed packet access) technology, designed so mobile users and send and receive information more efficiently and at high speeds.
"Continued growth in data usage and competitive pressures will push operators toward the ultimate migration to 4G," said Chris Kissel, an industry analyst at the firm.
The report found, WDCMA and HSPA or HSPA+ subscriptions will soar by 30 percent from 2010 to 2014 as more people shift to smartphones and use more multimedia and bandwidth-hungry features.
In-Stat has tracked 11 LTE (long term evolution) contracts granted in the first quarter of 2010 and predicts it will be the beginning of a larger global adoption, a view shared by other research firms.
It also said CDMA-related technologies will account for approximately 566m global subscriptions this year, but that development is in doubt as many global operators including Verizon are making the swap to LTE, which was effectively backed to the tune of €18m by the EU last year.
In-Stat forecasts Western Europe's 3G subscriptions will top 540m using WCDMA technology by 2014, as users increasingly adopt mobile internet on their phones.
