Mobile Experts predicts 90% of data will be transmitted over unlicensed spectrum by 2020
As carriers and vendors continue to develop technologies to deploy LTE in unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U), research firm Mobile Experts says the industry is approaching a transition from “pure Wi-Fi” to various flavors of LTE-U.
In a new report, the researchers see a “decision transition” to LTE-U, which includes license assisted access, which requires an anchor tenant deployed in licensed spectrum, LWA, which is aggregation of LTE and Wi-Fi, and more.
“In the past, mobile operators have invested in significant Wi-Fi networks,” said Kyung Mun, senior analyst at Mobile Experts. “In the future, we expect even more investment in the unlicensed bands, but it will be redirected toward LAA, LWA and LWIP. Some of the new investment will be coupled to small cells, and multiple business models will be involved as enterprises, carriers, and [over-the-top] players will be seeking to capture the end user. The competition for unlicensed spectrum use via Wi-Fi or LTE-U is a reflection of the competitive dynamics of the different types of operators.”
Mobile Experts principal analyst Joe Madden said Wi-Fi carriers around 80% of mobile data traffic, and expects 90% of mobile data will be carried over Wi-Fi and other unlicensed bands by 2020.
“Unlicensed data traffic tied to LTE control channels will greatly improve on ease of use, and will be far more reliable than Wi-Fi services,” Madden said. “The reason for investment is simple: these hybrid combinations of LTE and unlicensed wireless can achieve the low cost of Wi-Fi, and the easy dependability of LTE.”
