LTE-A State of Tregards

VOL. 5, NO.
3, JUNE 2014
LTE-A: State of the Market

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction: What Is LTE-A Anyway?
II. Trials, Pilots & Commercial Services

III. Timetables for Switching on LTE-A Network Features
IV. Devices Availability & Issues
V. Supplier Perspectives
Airspan
Alcatel-Lucent
Ericsson
Huawei
NEC
Nokia Networks
Radisys
ZTE
VI. Conclusions
Report Highlights
Networks and services
using features defined in
Releases 10 and onward of
the 3GPP's LTE standards
are being turned on around
the world
Carrier aggregation (CA)
dominates the news about
LTE-A, as operators try to
make the most of their
spectrum holdings
Multimode CA (FDD +
TDD), the aggregation of
more than two carriers and
the aggregation of broader
carriers are all being
demonstrated
LTE-A features to help
with network densification
using small cells/HetNets
are starting to be used,
particularly eICIC/FeICIC
and Uplink CoMP; highorder MIMO is a ways away
Chipsets supporting
LTE-A features are currently
available, and the number of
commercial devices is
growing
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I.
Introduction: What Is LTE-A Anyway?
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a set of standards defined by the 3GPP. Most commercial LTE
networks use equipment and devices built around Releases 8/9 of the standards. As of April
2014, the latest agreed release is Release 11 ("functionally frozen" in December 2012), with
Release 12 scheduled for freezing in September 2014. Many network equipment providers' LTE
hardware and software can already offer features complying with the relevant parts of the
standards for Release 10 and above, though they do not necessarily support every feature
defined by those standards.
Pretty much all vendors, analysts and operators agree that Release 10 could be called LTEAdvanced, or LTE-A. Some would say that subsequent releases of the 3GPP standards would
also be LTE-A. However, some are using other terms, such as LTE-B, for features that will be
implemented in Releases 11 and 12.
There is some confusion about how the term LTE-A applies to specific networks or services. This
is because not all features defined by Releases 10 and above will be deployed by all operators:
they will not all be needed in all cases. It's better to think of LTE-A as a toolkit of enhancements
for LTE from which operators can pick and choose to suit their specific needs. (Though
commercial services are being branded in several ways, such as "4G+.")
The last few months have seen many announcements of commercial mobile network services
that use features of LTE Releases 10 and above, and many trials of network technologies
codified in these standards. Some features are being deployed more widely than others such is
the use of carrier aggregation (CA) in these deployments that there is a danger that LTE-A may
become synonymous with CA, and certainly there are networks in which CA is the only obvious
LTE-A feature deployed.
While some LTE-A features can be implemented without requiring new user equipment (UE),
others cannot. However, some devices are now available to support LTE-A, and chipsets are now
shipping that support several LTE-A features (including higher data rates). Equipment vendors tell
us they expect new devices to appear within the next 12 months based on these new chipsets,
and that this will enable more LTE-A features to be switched on in networks but that other
features are still a long way away from being available on devices.
In this report, we define LTE-A as "a broad and developing set of features of LTE networks,
codified in 3GPP Release 10 and subsequent releases, to enhance the speed and performance
of LTE networks."
This report looks at the state of the market for LTE-A networks and services. It reviews those
features of the 3GPP specifications for Release 10 and beyond, and examines why some of them
are being deployed and trialed by operators around the world while others are likely to remain
unrealized for some time. It also looks at the availability of chipsets and devices supporting LTE-A
features. Finally, it gives the perspectives on LTE-A market development of eight leading vendors
of LTE-A network infrastructure.
Companies profiled in this report include: Airspan Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: AIRO); Alcatel-Lucent
(NYSE: ALU); Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC); Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.; NEC Corp. (Nasdaq:
NIPNF); Nokia Networks, a division of Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK); Radisys Corp. (Nasdaq:
RSYS); and ZTE Corp. (Nasdaq: ZTCOF).
HEAVY READING 4G/LTE INSIDER | VOL. 5, NO. 3, JUNE 2014 | HEAVY READING
II.
Trials, Pilots & Commercial Services
LTE-A networks and services are arriving fast in countries around the world. Since the first trials
of LTE-A networks in 2012, there have been dozens of announcements of LTE-A pilots on
commercial networks and field and laboratory trials, and the first commercial networks have been
running for some months, most notably in South Korea. There are commercial networks in
Russia, the Middle East and the U.S., with European network operators running limited-scale
commercial pilots now and planning for full-scale launch during 2014.
Most of the commercial and pilot networks use aggregation of two carriers of limited bandwidth to
increase data speeds some use additional LTE-A features, too. Lab trials (using test equipment
and a few cell sites or laboratory networks) have been demonstrating additional LTE-A features.
Figure 1 shows the networks we have identified that are claimed by operators or vendors as
LTE-A. All use CA and several display other LTE-A features. (Note: Some LTE networks may use
some R10 and R11 features but not CA; we have chosen not to include those networks in the
tables.) The table is ordered by date of switch-on or public announcement. Some vendors
provided us with additional details of non-public trials that we document later in this section.
Figure 1: Selected Claimed LTE-A Commercial & Pilot Networks & Trials, April 2014
Ref
Operator
Vendors
Country
Status (Date Launched/Announced)
Telenor/Tele2
Huawei
Sweden
Trial (May 2012)
Megafon/Yota
Huawei
Russia
Yota pilot on commercial network (October

2012); Megafon commercial (February 2014)
T-Mobile Austria
Huawei
Austria
Trial (December 2012)
China Mobile*
ZTE, Huawei
China
Pilot/trial (January 2013)
NTT Docomo
Nokia Networks,
Panasonic
Japan
Pilot/trial (February 2013)
Vodafone New
Zealand
Nokia Networks
New
Zealand
Pilot/trial (May 2013)
SK Telecom
Ericsson, Nokia
Networks
South
Korea
Commercial (launched June 2013); other

pilots on commercial networks (November
2013) and trials (February 2014)
A1 Telekom
Austria
Nokia Networks
Austria
Pilot/trial (June 2013)
LG uPlus
Ericsson, LG,
Nokia Networks
South
Korea
Commercial (launched July 2013); other trials

ongoing
10
Smart
Communications*
Huawei
Philippines
Trial on commercial network (August 2013)
11
Globe*
Huawei
Philippines
Trial on commercial network (July 2013)
12
Softbank*
ZTE, Huawei
Japan
Pilot/trial (September 2013)
13
Viva
Huawei
Kuwait
Trial (September 2013)
14
beCloud and MTS
Huawei
Belarus
Pilot/trial (October 2013)
15
SFR
Huawei
France
16
Telkom Mobile*
Huawei
South Africa
17
Bouygues
Huawei
France
Pilot/trial (October 2013; commercial launch

expected June 2014)
Ref
Operator
Vendors
Country
Status (Date Launched/Announced)
18
Telefnica
Huawei
Germany
Pilot on commercial network (November 2013)
19
Vodafone*
Huawei
Germany
Pilot/trial (November 2013)
20
Zain Kuwait
Huawei
Kuwait
Pilot (rollout plans announced November

2013)
21
EE
Huawei
U.K.
Pilot/trial (November 2013)
22
T-Mobile USA
Not disclosed
U.S.
Pilot on commercial network (November 2013)
23
Telstra
Ericsson
Australia
Pilot on commercial network (December 2013)
24
Vodafone Portugal
Ericsson
Portugal
25
Unitel Angola
Ericsson
Angola
26
Vodafone Spain*
Huawei
Spain
Pilot/trial (December 2013; commercial launch

expected 2014)
27
Optus*
Huawei
Australia
Commercial (December 2013)
28
Hong Kong CSL
ZTE
China
Pre-commercial pilot (February 2014;

commercial rollout through 2014)
29
SK Telecom*
Nokia Networks
South
Korea
30
Elisa
Nokia Networks
Finland
Pilot/trial (February 2014; commercial launch

expected early 2015)
31
STC*
Huawei
Saudi
Arabia
Commercial (February 2014)
32
KT*
Nokia Networks
South
Korea
33
Base (KPN)*
ZTE
Belgium
Pilot/trial (March 2014)
34
Sprint/
Clearwire*
Alcatel-Lucent,
Nokia Networks,
Samsung (for
Sprint Spark
network)
U.S.
Spark network commercial (launched March

2014; two-carrier CA in 2.5GHz band
scheduled for the end of 2014 or early 2015)
35
Polkomtel
Huawei
Poland
Pilot/trial (announced March 2014)
36
Orange Spain
Huawei
Spain
Pilot/trial (March 2014)
37
AT&T
Not disclosed
U.S.
Pilot on commercial network (March 2014)
38
Taiwan Mobile
Nokia Networks
Taiwan
Rollout plans announced (March 2014)
39
DiGi (Telenor)
ZTE
Malaysia
Pilot /trial (April 2014)
40
M1
Huawei
Singapore
Trial (April 2014); commercial launch expected

at the end of 2014
41
Etisalat
Alcatel-Lucent
Abu Dhabi
Trial on commercial network (April 2014)
42
eAccess
Huawei
Japan
Trial (confirmed by Huawei; no date given)
43
UK Broadband*
Huawei
U.K.
Status not known (deployment confirmed by

Huawei)
* Indicates at least one carrier is time division duplex (TDD); otherwise, frequency division duplex
(FDD) mode is assumed
Source: Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider and vendors
All LTE-A networks in the table above make use of CA, either inter-band or intra-band, single- or
dual-mode (FDD and TDD). Some also use LTE-A features other than CA. For instance, SK
Telecom, LGu+, CSL Hong Kong and China Mobile have deployed networks that use CoMP, and
Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) has also been deployed in some cases.
Other trial and pilot networks have combined multiple broad carriers (20 MHz+), sometimes with
high-order multiple input/multiple output (MIMO), to achieve very high downlink peak throughput.
No networks, except lab trials not included here, have used MIMO at higher orders than 4x4.
Because LTE-A can be defined in many ways, with operators picking and choosing features
available to them from vendors' solutions (which may include features from R10/11 and beyond), it
is important to understand which features are being deployed. For a discussion of LTE-A features,
see the Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider report "LTE-Advanced: The Hope Beyond the Hype."
Figure 2 summarizes information about the most widely-deployed features in the LTE-A networks
we have identified. We look at these and other features in more detail in Section III.
Figure 2: Details of Selected LTE-A Networks at April 2014
Peak
Downlink
Data Rate
Highest Terminal
Order Categories
MIMO
Available/
Used
Supported
Ref
Operator
CA Details:
Carriers (Bands)
eICIC
UL
CoMP
Telenor/
Tele2
800MHz + 1.8MHz +
2.6GHz (widths not
disclosed)
290300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
Megafon/
Yota
20MHz + 20MHz
(2.6GHz)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
Yes (for
Yota
only)
T-Mobile
Austria
1.8GHz + 2.6GHz (widths

not disclosed)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
China
Mobile*
20MHz (1.9GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz);
two carriers at 2.3GHz
(widths not disclosed);
two carriers at 2.3GHz
(widths not disclosed)
Cat 5
and Cat 6
(test UE)
Yes (only
for some
trials)
Yes
(only for
some
trials)
NTT Docomo
No data
1.2Gbit/s
4x4
No data
No data
No data
Vodafone
New Zealand
1.8GHz + 700MHz
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
7a
SK Telecom
10MHz (1.8GHz) +
10MHz (850MHz)
2x2
Cat 4
No
(expected
later in
2014)
150Mbit/s
Yes
7b
SK Telecom
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
10MHz (850MHz)
220Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
Yes
7c
SK Telecom
20MHz + 20MHz (bands

not disclosed)
300Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
7d
SK Telecom
20MHz + 20MHz +
20MHz (bands not
disclosed)
450Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
A1 Telekom
Austria
No data
580Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
2052x2 and
220Mbit/s;
4x4
>300Mbit/s
Peak
Downlink
Data Rate
Highest Terminal
Order Categories
MIMO
Available/
Used
Supported
Ref
Operator
CA Details:
Carriers (Bands)
eICIC
UL
CoMP
9a
LG uPlus
10MHz (2.1GHz) +
10MHz (850MHz)
150Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 4
No
Yes
9b
LG uPlus
800MHz + 1.8GHz +
2.6GHz (widths not
disclosed)
450Mbit/s
(demo)
2x2
Cat 9
(test UE)
No
Yes
10
Smart
Communications*
Two carriers at 3.5GHz

211220Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
11
Globe*

220Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
No
4x4
Cat 5
and Cat 6
(test UE)
Yes (only
for some
trials)
Yes
12
Softbank*
3.5GHz (widths not

disclosed; 4 and 5
carriers)
770Mbit/s
(4 carriers,
outdoors);
1.2Gbit/s
(5 carriers,
indoors)
13
Viva

not disclosed)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
14
beCloud/
MTS
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
15
SFR
800MHz and 2.6GHz

174300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
16
Telkom
Mobile*
20MHz + 20MHz
(2.3GHz)
200Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
17
Bouygues
800MHz + 1800MHz +
2.6GHz (widths not
disclosed)
182300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
18
Telefnica
Germany
800MHz and 2.6GHz

225300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(prototypes)
No
No
19
Vodafone
Germany*
800MHz and 2.6GHz

225300Mbit/s
No data
No data
No
Yes
20
Zain Kuwait

not disclosed)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
21
EE
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz)
297300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
available
for trial
No
No
22
T-Mobile
USA
20MHz + 20MHz
(AWS spectrum)
147Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
23
Telstra
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6Ghz)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
No
24
Vodafone
Portugal
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
No
25
Unitel Angola
10MHz (1.8GHz) +
10MHz (900MHz)
150Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 4
No
No
Peak
Downlink
Data Rate
Highest Terminal
Order Categories
MIMO
Available/
Used
Supported
Ref
Operator
CA Details:
Carriers (Bands)
eICIC
UL
CoMP
26
Vodafone
Spain*
10MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz)
280500Mbit/s
4x4
(TDD)
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
27
Optus*
20MHz + 20MHz
(2.3GHz)
160220Mbit/s
2x2**
Cat 6
available
No
No
28
Hong Kong
CSL
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz)
c.
300Mbit/s
4x4
Cat 5
Yes
Yes
29
SK Telecom*
Multiple bands, not

disclosed
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
30
Elisa
1.8GHz and 2.6GHz

No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
31
STC*

220Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
No
No
32
KT*
Multiple bands, not

disclosed
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
33
Base (KPN)*
20MHz (1.8GHz) +
20MHz (2.6GHz)
c.
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 5
No data
No data
34
Sprint/
Clearwire*
Spark network uses

2.5GHz, 1900MHz and
800MHz bands
50Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
35
Polkomtel
15MHz (800MHz) +
15MHz (800MHz)
225Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
36
Orange
Spain
20MHz (2.6GHz) +
10MHz (1.8GHz)
222Mbit/s
No data
No data
No data
No data
37
AT&T
1.7GHz and 700MHz
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
38
Taiwan
Mobile
700MHz (APT band 28) +

1800MHz (widths not
disclosed)
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
39
DiGi
(Telenor)
1.8GHz and 2.6GHz

No data
2x2
Cat 5
No data
No data
40
M1

not disclosed)
300Mbit/s
2x2
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
Yes
41
Etisalat
20MHz (800MHz) +
20MHz (1.8GHz)
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
42
eAccess
5MHz + 15MHz (1.7GHz)
290Mbit/s
4x4
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
43
UK
Broadband*
Four carriers at 3.5GHz

600Mbit/s
4x4
Cat 6
(test UE)
No
No
* Indicates at least one carrier is TDD; otherwise, FDD mode is assumed

** Optus has also trialed 4x4 MIMO on a single 20MHz carrier
Source: Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider and vendors
Several other operators have confirmed that they are working on LTE-A programs, but there is
insufficient information about their work to include them in our tables. Vodafone Netherlands said in
March 2014 that it was working in the lab on LTE-A ahead of a field trial in the spring of 2014.
Vendors also have made available some limited information about additional LTE-A network
deployments and trials. Huawei demonstrated 900Mbit/s LTE-A in a laboratory environment with
Turkcell in July 2013, and ZTE told us that it has supplied equipment for a pilot in 2013 for an Asian
operator in the 1.8GHz band.
Ericsson says it does not make public all customer technology field trials, but confirmed to us that,
in addition to those networks detailed in Figures 1 and 2, it had trialed CA with other networks in
multiple combinations of bands, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Non-Public Field Trials of LTE-A Carrier Aggregation (Ericsson)
Spectrum Bands
Carrier Widths
Band 1 (2100MHz) + Band 5 (850MHz)
10MHz + 10MHz
20MHz + 10MHz
20MHz + 20MHz
10MHz + 10MHz
Band 4 (UMTS 1700MHz AWS) + Band 13 (700MHz)
10MHz + 10MHz
Band 4 (UMTS 1700MHz AWS) + Band 17 (700MHz)
10MHz + 10MHz
Band 7 (2600MHz) + Band 20 (800MHz CEPT)
20MHz + 10MHz
Band 4 (UMTS 1700MHz) + Band 42 (3.5GHz)
10MHz + 10MHz
10MHz + 10MHz
Band 3 (1800MHz) + Band 28 (700MHz APT)
20MHz + 20MHz
700MHz/AWS/PCS/800MHz/1.8GHz/2.6GHz
Not stated
Source: Ericsson
These trials used 2x2 MIMO, Cat 4 and Cat 6 terminals and CoMP, and have achieved 150 Mbit/s
to 300 Mbit/s. Ericsson also demonstrated three-band CA at MWC 2014: 20MHz + 20MHz +
20MHz on band 1 (2.1GHz) with 2x2 MIMO to give 450Mbit/s downlink throughput.
Alcatel-Lucent also provided us with additional information about non-public field trials, as shown in
Figure 4.
Figure 4: Non-Public Field Trials of LTE-A Carrier Aggregation (Alcatel-Lucent)
Spectrum Bands
Carrier Widths
Other Details
700MHz/AWS/PCS/800MHz/
1.8GHz/2.6GHz
5+10MHz FDD; 10+10MHz FDD;

10+20MHz FDD; 20+20MHz TDD
150-225Mbit/s DL; 2x2 MIMO; Cat

4 devices; no eICIC or CoMP
Source: Alcatel-Lucent
III.
Timetables for Switching on LTE-A Features
Every operator deploying LTE-A features is likely to pick and choose those features to suit its
specific circumstances. The decision drivers will relate to competitive pressures, spectrum
holdings (and strategy), current capacity of the RAN, backhaul and core networks, service mix
and customer base and incumbent equipment vendors' solution roadmaps.
Based on our discussions with vendors, the major drivers of decisions are related to capacity
improvement in response to competitive pressures, and the requirement to densify their networks
in urban areas using small cells within HetNets (involving handoff of traffic from macro to pico
cells). Several LTE-A features address problems of coordination and interference mitigation/
cancellation between base stations to improve the UE at the cell edge and increase coverage.
Centralized processing within the RAN helps with practical implementation of these features.
The most significant of the Release 10+ features that operators will be looking to deploy to
achieve capacity and network densification aims, and the likely timetable for their implementation,
are shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5: Selected LTE-A Key Features & Possible Deployment Timetable
Feature
3GPP
Release
Brief Description*
Likely Deployment
Now (2 and 3 CA already deployed;
20MHz carriers aggregated); expected
further deployments of 20MHz carriers
and three or more carriers during
2014; additional CA features will be
switched on as vendor solutions are
deployed from 2014 onward; intraband
CA will be more common in the U.S.;
interband CA will be common in the
rest of the world, reflecting operators'
spectrum holdings; FDD+TDD CA is
likely to be increasingly deployed to
deliver improved reach and capacity
Carrier
Aggregation
R10+
Up to five carriers (total 100MHz

width), inter- and intraband and
multimode to increase capacity.
Dynamic Secondary Cell
Selection and Supplemental
Downlink broaden the application
of CA and further improve
capacity
Dual
Connectivity
R12
Simultaneous connection to
macro- and low-power base
stations, enabling CA between
base stations
Vendors building this into solutions

now; deployment expected in 2015
Licensed
Assisted Access
R13
(possibly)
Using unlicensed spectrum in CA

schemes for best-effort data on
the DL
Will be deployed only where spectrum

allocations and use make sense; some
years away
R10+
Up to 8x8 DL MIMO and 4x4 UL

MIMO (note, limited MIMO also
specified in R8/9)
Now (with two paths at UE); 4x4 and

above unlikely for some years in
mobile devices, though possible from
end-2014 for fixed wireless BB access
R10+
Mitigates interference on control

channel, as well as traffic channel
using power, frequency and time
domains including Almost Blank
Subframes (ABS) for scheduling
in small cell/HetNets; FeICIC
adds device receiver-based
interference cancellation to eICIC
Now (some deployments eICIC

already; we expect other networks to
switch on this feature in 2014 if
equipment supports it as it is relatively
easy to implement). FeICIC awaiting
compatible UE; deployment will follow
eICIC (timetable uncertain)
High-Order
MIMO
eICIC and
Further eICIC
(FeICIC)
3GPP
Release
Brief Description*
Likely Deployment
R11
Combines and selects signals

from multiple eNodeBs (up to
eight in the standard) to improve
cell-edge uplink throughput and
performance (by c. 20 percent);
coordinated scheduling reduces
backhaul demand, but there are
sync and latency issues
Now; further deployments expected

during 2014 where cells can use fiber
backhaul and centralized processing;
likely to follow later than eICIC/FeICIC
Downlink CoMP
R11
Transmits signals simultaneously

from multiple base stations;
requires compliant UE to process
channel state data, and extent of
performance benefit not proven
Not yet deployed; uncertain

deployment timetable
LTE Relay
R11
Low-power small cells used for

wireless backhaul to enhance
coverage and capacity at cell
edges and hotspot areas
Possibility of some deployments now;

alternative wireless backhaul
technologies also exist
Feature
Uplink CoMP
(Cooperative
Multipoint
transmission/
scheduling)
* Note: For more detailed descriptions, see the 3GPP descriptions.

Source: Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider
Some additional LTE-A features have also been gaining traction. eMBMS/LTE Broadcast (re-use
of LTE carriers for broadcast to improve resource efficiency and throughput) is available from
vendors such as Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei and Ericsson, and has been trialed or deployed in some
networks around stadiums or other densely-populated cells to mitigate the impact of demand for
live streaming video/audio. Examples include Telstra, Vodafone Germany and KT (with Ericsson),
Verizon Wireless (with Alcatel-Lucent) and Smart Communications (with Huawei).
Vendors are also promoting various aspects of self-optimizing networks (SONs) within their
solutions. These features, which have been introduced into 3GPP LTE standards from Release 8
onward, cover configuration, optimization and self-healing. They are linked to radio planning,
operations and maintenance (O&M) and recovery from failure. Vendors' features vary.
A future Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider report will look in more detail at vendors' products and
solutions for LTE-A.
10
IV.
Device Availability & Issues
Major chipset vendors including Broadcom, Intel, Qualcomm, Huawei/HiSilicon, Altair and
Sequans are providing chipsets that will support various LTE-A features.
The most important issue now is the processing power: Operators are looking for Cat 6 devices
that they can use with their LTE-A networks. The deployment detail table (Figure 2) shows that
many operators are ready for peak downlink speeds of 300 Mbit/s; chipsets for Cat 4 devices
capable of handling only 10MHz + 10MHz CA aren't fast enough. Chipset vendors are
responding; for instance, in February 2014, Broadcom demonstrated Cat 6 data rates (300
Mbit/s) with Elisa and Nokia Networks in February 2014 on a live network, and Qualcomm
demonstrated Cat 6 speeds with a Samsung Galaxy Note alongside SK Telecom.
Known chipsets that support at least some LTE-A features include:
Broadcom's LTE-A BCM21892 modem (announced February 2013; volume production

expected during 2014)
Intel XMM 7260 LTE-A platform (announced February 2014); supports 23 CA

combinations, Cat 6 speeds and FDD/TDD
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800/801 processors (and MSM8974 SoC) support Cat 4 data
rates
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 805 (announced November 2013) with Gobi 9x30 and 9x35
modems supports 40 MHz of CA (TDD and FDD) and Cat 6 data rates
HiSilicon's Balong 720 (announced November 2013) supports 20MHz + 20MHz CA for
Cat 6 data rates
Altair's FourGee-3802 processor/FourGee-6300 radio (announced February 2014)

supports 20MHz + 20MHz CA for Cat 6 throughput; the company says it is 3GPP Rel. 10
compliant and software upgradeable to Rel. 11
Sequans Cassiopeia platform (with SQN3220 baseband SoC) supports 20MHz + 20MHz
CA, FDD/TDD, eICIC and enhanced MIMO; Rel. 10-compliant, software-upgradeable to
Rel. 11
Trials use test UE; pre-commercial pilots tend to use prototype devices. One issue for the LTE-A
ecosystem is that CA contributes to further fragmentation: There are more possible combinations of
spectrum bands and modes for which devices must be built.
Devices supporting LTE-A features (which we define here as either Cat 6 throughput or the ability
to support aggregation of two 10MHz carriers, as a minimum) are gradually coming on to the
market to support specific operators' rollouts. Commercially available devices include
smartphones, personal Wi-Fi hotspots/routers and dongles.
Early smartphones for LTE-A networks, developed for the South Korean LTE-A networks,
include:
HTC One Max
An LTE-A version of the Samsung Galaxy S4
A version of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra
LG G2
ZTE Grand Memo
11
In the U.S., Sprint has said that the HTC One M8 will work on its Spark network to give 5060Mbit/s download speeds, and Samsung's Galaxy S5 also supports some LTE-A network
features (and Cat 4 speeds). Apple's iPhone 5s does not offer LTE-A support.
Other LTE-A devices include:
ZTE Flare personal Wi-Fi hotspot (Cat 6, announced February 2014)
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 tablet (Cat 4)
Telstra's 4G Advanced Pro X personal Wi-Fi hotspot/router is a Cat 6 device provided by

Huawei (announced February 2014)
Huawei E5786 LTE-A personal Wi-Fi hotspot/router (Cat 6, shown at MWC in Barcelona in
February 2014); Huawei has provided such devices to EE in the U.K.
Huawei says dongles, routers and smartphones for Europe will be available during 2014.
12
V.
Supplier Perspectives
We asked leading vendors of LTE network equipment (both base stations and end-to-end
infrastructure) about their views on the drivers of LTE-A features, and how these would be
deployed by operators around the world. This section summarizes their responses.
A. Airspan
Airspan is a vendor of outdoor picocells for non-traditional locations. Its AirSynergy 3000 small
cell base station includes support for LTE-A features, including CA up to 3x20MHz carriers,
Further eICIC (FeICIC), LTE Relay and SON. It has sold LTE base stations to b-lite in Belgium
and ON in Brazil. In March 2014, Airspan demonstrated a hyper-dense LTE network in a trial with
Sprint and Qualcomm, utilizing Qualcomm's UltraSON software.
CTO Paul Senior says: "All operators are asking for Release 10 compliance in their base stations,
and want to know what vendors' plans are for Release 11 in 2015 and when specific features
will be available." He says this is because each operator's situation is different, so they are more
interested in specific LTE-A features than full compliance with all the attributes of any given release.
"The most significant features we see right now are carrier aggregation, and then a raft of HetNet
features such as SON, eICIC, load balancing and robustness," says Senior, adding that "Forward
handover and Further ECIC are significant and a differentiator between vendors' equipment."
Airspan also points to LTE Relay as a significant Release 10 feature: "It means you don't need to
wait for fiber to be deployed to small cells before you can benefit from the extra air interface
capacity they bring," says Senior. AirSynergy 3000 incorporates Airspan's iBridge non-line-of-sight
(NLOS) wireless small cell backhaul solution. Airspan doesn't see high-order MIMO (to enable
higher throughput on a single 20MHz carrier) happening for some time: "The trials we've seen have
involved testbeds as big as a bus getting this into a smartphone is a challenge," says Senior.
B. Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent, which supplies eight of the top 10 LTE operators worldwide, told us that LTE-A
features in Release 10 and above are being rolled out in alignment with operator requirements,
with some features taking precedence over others. Hector Menendez, senior marketing manager
for wireless solutions, picks out four drivers of LTE-A feature deployment:
Higher peak rates and capacity, per subscriber and in total, in response to growing
mobile broadband demand and competitive market pressures
Desire to make the best use of diverse spectrum holdings that were acquired piecemeal
Better interference management to enable network densification with HetNets/small cells
Improved cell-edge performance
"The most-demanded feature now is carrier aggregation because of the needs to add capacity
and to address spectrum fragmentation. This means vendors prioritize CA in their development
roadmaps," says Menendez. He points out that there will be both inter-band and intra-band CA,
with inter-band more prevalent for FDD spectrum (where spectrum allocations are typically
narrower) and intra-band CA more prevalent in TDD spectrum. He expects multi-mode CA (FDD
and TDD) to be needed as well, as some operators have both modes of LTE, pointing out that
demonstrations of this have taken place. He adds that scheduler algorithms for load balancing in
CA implementations are a point of differentiation between vendors.
Menendez says that there are new features in LTE-A like eICIC and CoMP that require increased
coordination among cell sites: "This will result in a lot of traffic between sites, posing a challenge
to existing backhaul networks. Architectures that take advantage of centralized baseband
processing can help in this regard as the baseband units can communicate directly while allowing
more sophisticated algorithms to run, thereby increasing performance."
13
C. Ericsson
Ericsson has delivered LTE-A features for many operators around the world (and says it supplies
all 10 of the world's biggest mobile operators) and expects several commercial LTE-A networks to
be turned on around the world during 2014 in particular, using CA, but also with additional LTEA features. "The drivers of feature deployment vary from operator to operator, but some features
just deliver more 'bangs per buck' across the whole network than others," says Joakim Sorelius,
Head of LTE software development program at Ericsson.
CA delivers the clearest benefit to operators, and Ericsson believes this should be implemented
when possible, and when it's beneficial, to optimize the user experience. "Trials and commercial
operation have shown there is no negative battery life impact if the feature is implemented
correctly in fact the reverse," says Sorelius, "since downloads and uploads complete quicker."
After CA, the features that deliver most, according to Ericsson, are those that enable effective
densification of the network such as CoMP and eICIC. "Uplink CoMP does not require
compatible user equipment, so can be more readily deployed," says Sorelius, "but downlink
CoMP will emerge later this year and, for the more advanced measurement modes, during 2015."
Ericsson also points to LTE-A features such as Dual Connectivity (a Release 12 feature
effectively delivering CA between base stations), and CA involving FDD and TDD spectrum (to
help deliver both coverage and capacity), as LTE-A features that deliver whole-network benefits.
The company believes higher-order MIMO works best for static user equipment, such as wireless
routers, rather than for smartphones. Sorelius says, "You need four good paths for x4 MIMO, and
you also need to know when it makes sense to use them. This relies on accurate measurements
from the UE and adaptive algorithms and with full mobility these measurements may not be
sufficiently reliable to deliver the full benefit."
Finally, Ericsson is not convinced that what is describes as the complex LTE Relay feature will be
deployed in many networks, as other wireless backhaul options are available.
D. Huawei
In February 2014, Huawei was claiming that 14 of 37 LTE-A trial or commercial networks had
been built with Huawei infrastructure, including the Moscow network of Megafon/Scartel (Yota). It
views LTE-A Release 10/11 features as being primarily concerned with coverage enhancement
(including CoMP and eICIC/FeICIC to provide better cell-edge experience), CA, higher-order
MIMO and SON. It also points to support for relays, minimization of drive tests and machine-type
communications as significant features of LTE-A.
Looking further ahead, Huawei points to features of what it calls "LTE-B" (those features of
Releases 12 and 13) that it says will deliver performance improvements across the network such
that a consistent user experience can be enjoyed irrespective of location within a cell, and that
increases peak capacity through 3D beam-forming with active antenna systems. This is more
effective with existing form-factor user equipment than higher-order MIMO (at least in current
frequency bands). Huawei also highlights enhancements to CoMP that will make it effective in
more backhaul scenarios, features for indoor small cells (LTE hotspots), and multi-stream
aggregation (MSA) as important future features.
Huawei expects operators to boost capacity 30-fold by deploying features from Releases 10-13 in
an incremental way.
E. NEC
While it can deliver end-to-end LTE networks (and has done for NTT Docomo), NEC's focus is on
small cell base station solutions with integrated wireless backhaul capability. It is consequently
prioritizing features to eliminate interference in HetNets, and on CA. It says it will deploy LTE-A
equipment this year.
14
"Small cells are deployed in HetNets where the existing overlay macrocell network may well be
from a different vendor; interference management between these two layers is very important and
we have done interoperability testing with all major macrocell vendors of our interference
management solution," an NEC spokesperson told us. NEC offers an implementation of eICIC, as
well as design tools for small cells and backhaul.
The NEC spokesperson added that "if operators have sufficient spectrum, they will use CA where
they can it's the quickest route to greater overall capacity as long as terminals are available to
support it. At the moment, that limits CA to 2x10MHz carriers, because handsets don't have the
processing power to deal with wider carriers. We are not sure when chipsets and devices with
this capability will be available."
On MIMO, NEC believes that for the foreseeable future, 2x4 MIMO is the highest order that's
feasible for smartphone-type devices, because of challenges of fitting antennas into user
equipment. The company also says that for smartphones, CoMP "is likely to be some way away,"
and that LTE Relay has not gained traction with operators.
F. Nokia Networks
Nokia Networks, which is a supplier to the South Korean operators leading deployment of
commercial LTE-A networks, says that the way that LTE-A will be deployed is a question of
system capabilities, spectrum holdings and various other criteria. Kai Sahala, head of mobile
broadband marketing at Nokia Networks, says, "By way of example, once an operator sees a
bottleneck and decides to put in small cells, if their system supports it, they should switch on
eICIC straight away." Nokia's software build for LTE-A (which it defines as 3GPP Release 10) will
be in widespread commercial use in 2014.
Nokia says it has looked into the toolbox of features offered by different releases from 3GPP and
has identified the features that are proving most significant to operators: CA and eICIC.
"CA is fulfilling its promise we can see this from South Korea, where LTE-A services have over a
million subscribers already," says Sahala. He warns, however, that "devices are the sticking point
for CA at the moment." 10MHz + 10MHz aggregation is deployed in some smartphones now, and
Nokia has tested it with a Cat 6 chipset from Broadcom [and chipsets from other vendors], but
Sahala adds: "There is a lag before devices get to market typically of six months or so. There's a
familiar pattern: first chipsets, then data centric devices, such as dongles and personal Wi-Fi
hotspots, and then smartphones." Nokia expects commercial networks based on aggregation of two
20MHz carriers to go live during 2014; it demonstrated three-band CA at MWC 2014 in Barcelona.
Nokia Networks believes that eICIC is the cornerstone of interference management in small cells,
and because small cells are being deployed by many operators, eICIC has become a very
important LTE-A feature. Sahala notes it's not necessary to wait for compatible devices before
benefiting from eICIC as its implementation is able to deliver interference mitigation without the
need for devices to be compliant with Release-10 data feedback to the eICIC controller.
"CoMP will be the next LTE-A feature to be deployed," says Sahala, "at least for the uplink
downlink CoMP requires device support and provides only minimal improvements." Nokia is
promoting its Centralized RAN, announced in February 2014, as a technology that goes
significantly beyond the defined standards. "The Centralized RAN selects a set of up to 12
receivers that can hear the transmission best, and this mitigates interference; it then performs
uplink inter-eNodeB CoMP," says Sahala. Nokia points to SK Telecom, which says it is a frontrunner in using Nokia's CoMP implementation.
Nokia Networks says high-order MIMO is not currently important to operators the focus is on
getting wider carriers, and 4x4 MIMO devices won't be available until after the end of 2014. "The
efforts of device makers are on building CA capability across multiple bands, not on squeezing in
more antennas," says Sahala.
15
G. Radisys
Radisys builds wireless infrastructure platforms that are used in LTE and LTE-A small cells (and
other wireless network products). Customers for its Intel and Broadcom powered LTE TOTAL
eNodeB software include base station vendors NEC, Airspan and local suppliers to South Korean
operators, and the company expects LTE-A upgrades to go live in South Korean networks this
year. Radisys views LTE-A and the deployment of HetNets as complementary technology trends,
and sees a smooth migration by operators through the generations of LTE.
Todd Mersch, general manager, software and solutions at Radisys, says, "Carrier aggregation is
the thing right now, and LTE-A deployment is being driven by spectrum holdings and the desire of
operators to leapfrog competitors in terms of speed, rather than deploying technologies that
maximize speed on single 20MHz bands (if they have them)."
"It's important to take into account operators' TDD spectrum holdings, as well as their FDD holdings,"
says Mersch. "We can see this in how Sprint has been developing its network and Reliance in
India, for instance both initially focused on TDD. Each has significant TDD spectrum holdings
that when stitched together using CA can provide performance beyond 20MHz FDD alone."
Radisys says it hasn't seen much activity in the last 18 months on LTE Relay or CoMP. There are
synchronization, latency and coordination issues to resolve here it works best where there is
fiber connectivity to base stations that means densely fibered cities in Japan and South Korea
these will be the first markets for CoMP," says Mersch. However, Airspan's products are shipping
now with eICIC capability. "Low latency and high-performance synchronization between macroand small-cell layers is important in HetNets it's not just about interference mitigation within the
layers," says Mersch.
H. ZTE
ZTE has deployed LTE-A networks for several operators, notably for CSL Hong Kong and China
Mobile, where networks use multiple LTE-A features, including dynamic coordination using ZTE's
Cloud Radio centralized baseband solution, and support for voice over LTE (VoLTE). ZTE also
supplies LTE networks to operators in Europe, including E-Plus in Germany.
The company says that the major drivers of LTE-A are a desire to increase network performance;
implementation of VoLTE through SRVCC; a desire to make use of spectrum assets, including
use of multimode (TDD and FDD assets) and holdings in specific bands, such as refarming of
1.8GHz spectrum for LTE; and a need to improve indoor coverage through small cells, pico
remote units and HetNets. Of these drivers, ZTE has identified small cells/HetNets and VoLTE as
particularly significant right now.
"Coordination among nodes in HetNets is a major challenge but it is one that is worth solving,
as our simulations show significant capacity gains can be achieved by deploying lower-power
nodes along with macrocells," the company told us.
ZTE says that two different coordination schemes eICIC and CoMP should be considered for
HetNets depending on the quality of the backhaul connections available: CoMP can deliver better
cell edge performance both up and down where networks have fiber connections between radios
and the baseband processors; eICIC delivers interference cancellation between macro cells and
small cells using the same channel.
The company told us that enhanced MIMO 4x4 or 8x8 technically can be achieved, but
practically is difficult to apply because of constraints on the user equipment, such as transmit
power, battery life and form factor, and that CoMP is also complex because it involves selecting
from all cells that are in the coordination scheme; this needs accurate channel information and
coordination between the user equipment and eNodeB.
16
VI.
Conclusions
The set of features that will be deployed in LTE-A networks is starting to become clearer: they will
be those features that, for any specific operator, enable efficient use of spectrum assets for
maximum capacity and coverage, and those that improve the user experience of mobile data
wherever they are in the network (including at the cell edge).
Operators are looking for those features that give them the biggest improvement at lowest cost
and easiest deployment. From the smorgasbord of technologies considered and standardized by
3GPP in Releases 10 and above of LTE, various forms of CA, including multi-mode, more than
two carriers, dual connectivity and possibly use of unlicensed spectrum, will be the most
significant over the next year or two. Devices using chipsets supporting Cat 6 data rates will
increasingly be available to help operators make the most of the increased speeds they can offer
to subscribers.
CA will be complemented by eICIC/FeICIC (the "cornerstone of interference management,"
according to one vendor) and uplink CoMP from this year. How easy these features are to roll out
will depend on the way they are implemented in specific vendors' solutions; features that do not
require new devices will be switched on by operators as soon as they are implemented in the
network and there is a benefit from them and this will be closely linked to operators' small
cell/HetNet plans.
High-order MIMO that involves multiple antennas in devices remains some way away possibly
several years.
A large number of commercial, pilot and trial networks have been launched during 2014; we
expect to see many further examples of real networks and services during the year.
Editor: Dennis Mendyk (mendyk@heavyreading.com)

Research Analyst: Danny Dicks (jdd@innovationobservatory.com)
Support: www.heavyreading.com/4glte (support@heavyreading.com)
17
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VOL. 5, NO.

LTE-A: State of the Market

Introduction: What Is LTE-A Anyway?

II. Trials, Pilots & Commercial Services

Introduction: What Is LTE-A Anyway?

Trials, Pilots & Commercial Services

Status (Date Launched/Announced)

Trial (May 2012)

Yota pilot on commercial network (October

Trial (December 2012)

Pilot/trial (January 2013)

Pilot/trial (February 2013)

Pilot/trial (May 2013)

Commercial (launched June 2013); other

Pilot/trial (June 2013)

Commercial (launched July 2013); other trials

Trial on commercial network (August 2013)

Trial on commercial network (July 2013)

Pilot/trial (September 2013)

Trial (September 2013)

beCloud and MTS

Pilot/trial (October 2013)

Pilot/trial (October 2013)

Pilot/trial (October 2013)

Pilot/trial (October 2013; commercial launch

Status (Date Launched/Announced)

Pilot on commercial network (November 2013)

Pilot/trial (November 2013)

Pilot (rollout plans announced November

Pilot/trial (November 2013)

Pilot on commercial network (November 2013)

Pilot on commercial network (December 2013)

Pilot on commercial network (December 2013)

Pilot on commercial network (December 2013)

Pilot/trial (December 2013; commercial launch

Commercial (December 2013)

Hong Kong CSL

Pre-commercial pilot (February 2014;

Pilot/trial (February 2014)

Pilot/trial (February 2014; commercial launch

Commercial (February 2014)

Pilot/trial (February 2014)

Pilot/trial (March 2014)

Spark network commercial (launched March

Pilot/trial (announced March 2014)

Pilot/trial (March 2014)

Pilot on commercial network (March 2014)

Rollout plans announced (March 2014)

Pilot /trial (April 2014)

Trial (April 2014); commercial launch expected

Trial on commercial network (April 2014)

Trial (confirmed by Huawei; no date given)

Status not known (deployment confirmed by

1.8GHz + 2.6GHz (widths

20MHz + 20MHz (bands

Two carriers at 3.5GHz

Two carriers at 2.5GHz

3.5GHz (widths not

1.8GHz + 2.6GHz (widths

800MHz and 2.6GHz

800MHz and 2.6GHz

800MHz and 2.6GHz

1.8GHz + 2.6GHz (widths