Now is the Time for MNOs to Monetize LTE: Top Challenges of Moving Over – Part 1

According to a new report from Research Beam, the global LTE market will reach a nearly $100 billion valuation by 2020 and will experience a CAGR of 58.2 percent from 2013-20. Needless to say, now is an opportune time for mobile operators to capitalize on LTE. In fact, 70 percent of global operators believe that 4G services should be launched immediately as demand for advanced communications and unified communications services heightens, according to research from Forbes. But different operators face a myriad of issues when moving to an LTE framework, all of which needs to be rectified to properly in order to monetize this rapidly growing technology. For example, there is a greater need for flexibility regarding greenfield applications as a lack of data on services and lack of a customer base can make providers more vulnerable to market shifts. The ability for mobile operators to monetize LTE will play a critical role in their future competitiveness, but monetization of LTE services cannot happen until all obstacles are first overcome. Read on to learn more about commonly faced LTE migration issues: Network Harmonization: A harmonious approach to LTE will be very helpful to most operators when moving over from their existing network infrastructure. Mobile network operators (MNOs) need to be able to support a seamless, global roaming spectrum; otherwise unnecessary time, expenses and inefficiencies will be introduced to the equation. Backhaul: Operators will need to make significant investments in their backhaul infrastructure as they deploy LTE. To meet this ever-pressing challenge, operators must use a full range of technologies including microwave, fiber/Ethernet, CATV Ethernet and more. Whether operators deploy their own backhaul solutions or continue to lease backhaul for LTE is something that remains up for debate. Devices and Terminals: This is a huge issue for operators moving from 3G to LTE, as LTE devices require stronger support and, in turn, must support different protocols to deliver higher data rates. This without question increases a device’s complexity. Identifying the issue at hand is only the first step. Stay tuned for part two of this series to learn how to overcome these varying issues, which is far more imperative to ensuring operators’ future competitiveness.