A new update to the Status of the LTE Ecosystem report published today by GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) confirms that the addition of 1,356 products since March 2014 has raised the total of announced LTE user devices up to 2,919.
The number of LTE device manufacturers grew 93% in the same period to 297 companies, underlining the status of LTE as a mainstream mobile communications technology. The report covers LTE FDD and TDD (TD-LTE) devices.
Smartphones are the dominant device category with 1,589 products, giving an improved 54.4% share of all LTE device types. 98.4% of LTE smartphones are multimode, capable of operating on at least one 3G technology in addition to LTE. Over 40% of LTE phones can also operate on 42 Mbps DC-HSPA+ networks. LTE-connected tablets and personal hotspots are other fast-growing product segments.
1800 MHz (3GPP band 3) continues to be the most prominent band for LTE network deployments globally and enjoys the largest devices ecosystem with 1,322 user devices. Over 45% of all LTE devices can operate in this band. A surge in the choice of devices compatible with LTE-Advanced systems is confirmed in the report. 858 devices support Category 4 and another 69 devices support Category 6.
Alan Hadden, Vice President of Research, GSA, said: "LTE-Advanced compatible devices now make up almost a third of the total number of LTE devices."The number of terminals that support LTE TDD (TD-LTE) is growing strongly and gaining share. 1,085 devices i.e. 37.1% of all LTE devices compared to 29% in October 2014 support LTE TDD (TD-LTE). Bands 38 and 40 have the largest ecosystems, while support for bands 39 and 41 has significantly expanded.
VoLTE technology is being deployed by operators worldwide, initially bringing HD voice service to their LTE customers. Availability of VoLTE-enabled terminals is growing.196 VoLTE-capable devices including 177 smartphones are announced.
92 APT700 (band 28) smartphones, tablets, CPEs and MiFi hotspots are announced.