China Mobile has been focusing on building a nationwide TD network since it took over TD-SCDMA technology. The TD voice network’s call success rate has reached 99 % with more than 108,000 TD base stations covering most areas in China. This indicates that China’s self-innovated 3G standard, TD-SCDMA, is under further development and TD network coverage is also improving, both of which lay an important foundation for the future evolution to TD-LTE.

In order to upgrade the industrial chain, China Mobile vigorously promoted their TD business. Since entering the 3G era, there has been increasingly fierce competition in the telecommunications industry. Operators have started to transit from price competition to brand, business, and services competition. Aiming to continue their glory in 2G era, China Mobile presented a great variety of innovative 3G business, and closely collaborated with terminal manufacturers and content providers. As a result, all their efforts are to strengthen the product recognition rate and pave way for the commercialization process of TD-LTE.

China Mobile is also further accelerating the research and development of TD-LTE technology. By continuously enhancing the network transfer rate, the network can support diversification of the business needs. TD-LTE’s test results increased from 30Mbps at the initial stage to the current rate of 80Mbps, which indicates great improvement of network speed. From the above statistics, we can conclude that technology is not a major obstacle, the key point is whether China Mobile can grasp the important opportunity for industry development and market expansion.
In the largest ever Shanghai World Expo, China Mobile has deployed the world’s first TD-LTE demo network covering the entire Expo Park with a total area of 5.28 square kilometers. The demo network’s theoretical peak downlink speed was up to 100Mbps, and 50Mbps up, which far exceeded 40 times more than the current commercialized 3G standard networks. The success of TD-LTE demo network at the Shanghai World Expo pushes forward the rapid development of this pre-4G technology, and also largely improves the TD-LTE’s internationalization process.

According to insider, in the second half of 2010, China Mobile will build pre-commercial TD-LTE network in 4-5 cities, each with at least 100 base stations to guarantee the complete network coverage.  This means that, based on the success achieved in the Shanghai World Expo, the world’s first TD-LTE test network, LTE will officially enter the pre-commercial phase.

TD-LTE’s development has an undoubted effect on the communication industry chain as a whole in China. On one hand, it maintains TD standard’s long-term and sustainable development; On the other hand, it upgrades the whole communication industry in China, in both areas of international power of discourse and international construction of industry chain.

Rise of TD-LTE

TD-LTE, as a pre-4G standard, is part of the 3GPP specifications for the next generation cellular technology. In China, TD-LTE will be an evolution from TD-SCDMA and will satisfy carriers’ various needs for the use of unpaired spectrum.

TD-LTE has the following unique advantages: the TD-LTE standard is coordinated with the world’s LTE mainstream development, and maintains its international status; TD-LTE can share the achievements of the LTE industry chain, including the terminal and system development because of the hardware compatibility between FDD and TDD modes; manufactures with WiMAX experience can easily transit to TD-LTE, because the two standards share the same research fruits of TDD mode. This largely shortens the pre-commercialization period of TD-LTE standard.
However, internationalizing TD-LTE standard encounters main problems in the following aspects: The first problem concerns spectrum resource, which is the foundation of wireless technology. The second issue is the support of carriers, which guarantees the technology’s deployment. The third aspect for consideration is the collaboration with more international equipment manufacturers, who can provide essential support for the commercialization of TD-LTE.

TD-LTE needs to deal with the competition pressure from its TDD mode rival WiMAX (IEEE802.16e and its evolutional version IEEE802.16m). However, relying on its technical innovation, TD-LTE is competitive enough to join ITU’s IMT-Advanced standard, and beat WiMAX.

In Europe, America, Asia and other countries and regions, operators have cooperated with China Mobile on TD-LTE technology to start the trial network construction by 2010 and even the network commercialization. According to China Mobile, they plan to launch 8 TD-LTE test networks worldwide in 2010 to accelerate the internationalization process of TD-LTE.

As the nation’s top carrier, with 91 million customers, Verizon Wireless expects to commercially launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets in 2010, with a goal of covering 100 million people. The company also plans to completely replace its 3G service with LTE by the end of 2013

Since Verizon announced plans to develop and deploy its fourth generation mobile broadband network using LTE, the company made an aggressive growth plan on LTE implementation. Especially after itbought the Upper 700 MHz C-Block spectrum, Verizon Wireless released updated specifications for wireless devices to supportits LTE 4G networks.

Verizon has achieved outstanding cooperation from their partner suppliers: Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson for base station /radio access components; Starent and Nokia-Siemens for core-network equipment; and LG and Samsung for trial devices, supplementing with devices from ST-Ericsson, Motorola and Qualcomm.  Correspondingly, the Verizon LTE Innovation Center has served as an incubator for early development of non-traditional products for use on LTE networks.

Verizon has been testing LTE in Boston and Seattle since 2009.  The applications on LTE network it has been tested include standard web browsing, video streaming, VoIP calls, and also file downloads and uploads. Now, Verizon Wireless has officially completed the technical trials of its new 4G LTE network, and is now moving on to “friendly user trials” in five cities. In a video report on the Boston trials, the speeds reported were 5-12 Mbps for downloads and 2-5 Mbps for uploads (with peak speeds of up to 50 Mbps down and 25 Mbps up). That’s a significant jump from 3G speeds, which typically hit 1.5Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up. In fact, if Verizon accomplished LTE/4G at the speeds it’s reporting, it would surpass the average U.S. broadband speed.

When the end of the technical trials comes, Verizon will have to keep making progress to achieve its own target of rolling out 4G in 25-30 markets by the end of 2010.  In reality, Verizon will have some areas covered by 4G that were not in its 3G coverage. That’s because Verizon’s 4G, 700-MHz license blankets the entire nation, while the company is still missing licenses to supply 3G service in some states and counties.

As the first LTE-commercialized carrier, Verizon has effectively implemented its staged missions. Therefore, the LTE network’s high speed, low latency and stability have been positively witnessed. We expect the upcoming official commercialization of 4G LTE, with Verizon standing in the cutting edge thereof.

Tiered pricing

As it gears up for its next-generation network, Verizon Wireless, the nation’s top carrier, is about to carry out a tiered pricing plan based on data usage.

The company’s chief financial officer, John Killian, told Business Week that as more smart phones access the Internet via Verizon’s network, “We will probably need to change the design of our pricing where it will not be totally unlimited, flat rate.”

The issue is whether such a tiered pricing system will be feasible among consumers in the markets. CLEAR, providing WiMAX, offers unlimited data services along with phone capabilities, which network is getting between 3Mbps and 6Mbps download speeds. Such speeds aren’t as fast as LTE, but it is beyond the users’ concern to exceed a data limit which might result in paying exorbitant overage fees for using excessive data.

Furthermore, how many lay customers can really tell the difference in speed in use? Network speed is dependent on so many other factors, such as how many people are using the network, how close the carrier has built the cell sites, etc.
Sprint is the only carrier with 4G service available commercially. It is up and running in 32 markets around the country with a group of potential customers of more than 41 million.

As a customer facing various choices of service plans, which one will you choose? As we know, this is a free market where a bunch of different carriers are in customers’ options. Customers are free to choose whatever plans that suit them, whether it is 3G or 4G, WiMAX or LTE.

However, tiered pricing plan is a tendency in the modern mobile market.
Mobile broadband has been “unlimited” to attract customers in its inception since no one was using it. Now that customers are finally coming and are accustomed to 3G network, wireless broadband is changing to a commodity model. From Verizon’s perspective, a great amount of funding has been spent in network infrastructure. It is understandable that it needs to make profits to make its ends meet. This will result in a price jump of the services rendered, of course, for certain customers using more data traffic. On one hand, for customers with a lower data usage, the tiered pricing plan provides them with a low-cost option. It also avoids unnecessary waste. On the other hand, the tiered pricing plan also refrains the aggressive users from misusing and wasting network resources. This is important and helpful for network stabilization. Thus, it is inevitable for companies like Verizon to launch a more effective flow-based commercial plan with the incoming 4G LTE technology.

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland’s capital Helsinki. Nokia is engaged in the manufacturing of mobile devices and in converging Internet and communications industries, with 128,445 employees in 120 countries, sales in more than 150 countries and global annual revenue of EUR 50.7 billion and operating profit of 5.0 billion as of 2008. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile telephones: its global device market share was about 38% in Q3 2009, at the same level as in Q3 2008 and in Q2 2009. Nokia produces mobile devices for every major market segment and protocol, including GSM, CDMA, and W-CDMA (UMTS). Nokia offers Internet services that enable people to experience music, maps, media, messaging and games. Nokia’s subsidiary Nokia Siemens Networks produces telecommunications network equipment, solutions and services. The company is also engaged in providing digital map information through its wholly-owned subsidiary Navteq.

Nokia has sites for research and development, manufacture and sales in many countries throughout the world. As of December 2008, Nokia had R&D presence in 16 countries and employed 39,350 people in research and development, representing approximately 31% of the group’s total workforce. The Nokia Research Center, founded in 1986, is Nokia’s industrial research unit consisting of about 500 researchers, engineers and scientists.It has sites in seven countries: Finland, China, India, Kenya, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Besides its research centers, in 2001 Nokia founded (and owns) INdT – Nokia Institute of Technology, a R&D institute located in Brazil. Nokia operates a total of 15 manufacturing facilities located at Espoo, Oulu and Salo, Finland; Manaus, Brazil; Beijing, Dongguan and Suzhou, China; Farnborough, England; Komárom, Hungary; Chennai, India; Reynosa, Mexico; Jucu, Romania and Masan, South Korea. Nokia’s Design Department remains in Salo, Finland.

As one of the first Chinese telecoms equipment provider to pursue business in overseas markets, ZTE now has about 62,000 employees and 10,000 of them are working in about 107 representative offices around the world.

Since 1996, the company has provided products and services to 140 countries and regions, serving major telecoms operators in Asia Pacific, South Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Through a combination of strategic marketing, product differentiation, cost advantage improvement, human resources optimization and intellectual property management, ZTE has established firm commercial partnerships with over 500 operators around the world.

By the end of 2009 H1, ZTE had applied for around 20,000 national or international patents, 90% out of which were innovation patents with associated intellectual property rights.  In 2000, ZTE launched the world’s first CDMA mobile phone with detachable SIM card. In 2004, the company launched the world’s first CDMA-based digital trunking technology – GoTa (Global open Trunking architecture system) which included many technologies based on ZTE-owned intellectual property.

As a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, ZTE plays an important role in the international telecoms community. The company is an active member of more than 70 international standardization organizations and forums.

ZTE holds the position of Co-chairman in two ITU-T working groups and Editor of ITU-T standards including NGN, optical transmission and network security. As a member of 3GPP, ZTE has edited three standards involving 3G radio access networks and terminal systems. The company is also a board member of the WiMAX Forum.

ZTE has established strategic cooperation agreements with leading telecoms giants such as Portugal Telecom, France Telecom, Alcatel, Ericsson and Nortel in NGN and mobile systems, with Hutchison in 3G, and with Marconi in optical transmission systems.

The company has also established joint laboratory partnerships with Texas Instruments, Intel, Agere Systems, HHNEC, IBM, Microsoft (China), Qualcomm, Huahong NEC and Tsinghua University. The company has undertaken technological research alliance projects with 50 academic institutions throughout China, where ZTE is also a fully fledged member of the China Communications Standardization Association (CCSA).

Chinese equipment vendor ZTE Corp has announced to participate in Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel)’s LTE trial network construction. ZTE and SingTel intend to work together to execute six to nine month LTE network infrastructure projects as well as strategic management of the network.

Last month SingTel announced its intention to conduct regional trials of LTE technology as wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, Optus, and SingTel’s associates, namely Telkomsel in Indonesia, AIS in Thailand, Globe in the Philippines, Bharti Airtel in India, PBTL in Bangladesh, and Warid in Pakistan. This trial will give them more chance to  determine the best approach and strategy for its adoption in their respective local markets.

So far, ZTE has won more than ten LTE contracts from telecom operators such as CSL, Telefonica, SingTel, and China Mobile. Depending on LTE trial network construction, the Chinese telecommunications equipment and network solution provider also runs business into Spain, the US, and Hong Kong and grows into an important force in the LTE market.

Totally, 12 world-leading telecom carriers, like NTT DoCoMo, Verizon Wireless, TeliaSonera, and Telstra, has announced their LTE network deployment plan for 2010.

Alcatel-Lucent has been announced to be one vendor of Singapore Telecommunications LTE trial plan, which will begin in the first half of 2010. There will be more than 273 million benifit from this jump-start deployment of 4G LTE networks for the SingTel Group.

The results of the regional and coordinated trials – to be conducted in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines – will be shared among SingTel’s wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, Optus, and SingTel’s associates, namely Telkomsel in Indonesia, AIS in Thailand, Globe in the Philippines, Bharti Airtel in India, PBTL in Bangladesh, and Warid in Pakistan.

Alcatel-Lucent with industry-leading LTE expertise to will provide an end-to-end solution including the radio access network (eUTRAN), the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), IP service routing network elements as well as operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) systems. It will also provide professional services including project management, planning, installation & commissioning, integration and test plan execution.

“This technical trial is a strong endorsement of Alcatel-Lucent’s innovation and forward-looking capabilities as we work closely with the SingTel Group to support its network transformation and LTE strategy,” said Sean Dolan, head of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in Asia-Pacific. “Our solution is further proving its readiness to meet the challenges of current and future network requirements which enable users to consume more complex content at faster speeds.”