According to an upcoming Frost & Sullivan Report titled, LTE Outlook for India, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E., with current 3G networks proving incapable of handling the growth in mobile data traffic, mobile operators in India are expected to shortly migrate to 4G technologies to accommodate the surge in data traffic.
The report adds that LTE and Wi-Max are expected to drive the growth in mobile broadband, globally. This surge in use of mobile broadband has been attributed to the proliferation of smartphones and smart devices, along with the increasing use of social networking and blogging tools, amongst others.
Frost & Sullivan opines that mobile broadband is also gaining momentum because of the users? need for seamless mobility and continuous Internet connectivity. The increasing popularity of bandwidth-intensive mobile applications has further boosted the use of mobile broadband.
The report also highlights that India is one of the fastest-growing mobile markets in the region, witnessing high subscriber growth year-on-year. Frost and Sullivan estimates a CAGR of 9.7 per cent in the mobile subscriber base, to reach 1,440 million subscribers at the end of 2017, and mobile penetration reaching 110.6 per cent.
Commenting on the Indian 4G LTE market, Abhishek Chauhan, senior consultant, Information and Communications Technology Practice, Frost & Sullivan, South Asia and Middle East, says, ?With underdeveloped fixed broadband infrastructure, the Indian government hopes to achieve higher broadband penetration through wireless broadband. The initial launch of 4G LTE service is expected in early 2012, with Reliance Communications, Aircel, and Bharti Airtel already announcing their firm commitment for the same. However, the service launch will be limited to only a few metros and major cities, with nationwide rollouts expected only in 2013-2014. LTE subscribers in the country are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 258.9 per cent in the next five to seven years. LTE revenues are expected to grow at a CAGR of 220.5 per cent over the same period.?
