Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G enabled netbooks and tablets will be used by as many as one in five LTE subscribers by 2015, according to a new report.
According to the report from Juniper Research, there will be many advantages of LTE mobile broadband – the technology tipped by mobile operators to drive future 4G networks.
The advantages of LTE will include: high data rates and reduced latency and an ideal environment for the proliferation of new and upgraded end user devices such as netbooks, tablets, digital cameras and games consoles to add to laptops and smartphones.
“Juniper’s view is that mobile operators will be keen to embed a wide variety of devices with broadband and wireless connectivity, because they see this as a route to stave off ARPU declines: our forecasts show that there will be roughly as many LTE netbooks and tablets combined as laptops by 2015,” elaborated 4G LTE Report author Howard Wilcox.
Hurdles
However, there are many hurdles for the mobile ecosystem to overcome before this step change in the connectivity of consumers across the world becomes reality, acknowledged Juniper.
Among their concerns are issues regarding availability, customer support for connected devices, as well as the all important business model.
The report predicted that streaming and gaming would top the services on LTE, thanks to reduced latency and higher speeds, that LTE notebooks and tablets would overshadow LTE laptop shipments and that the LTE could become a relevant tool in reshaping existing industry business models.
In total, the report examined market opportunities for end user LTE devices, such as smartphones, laptops, netbooks, tablets and consumer electronic devices, network access via dongles, cards and embedded capability plus chipset shipments.
