Status of the LTE Ecosystem

Prepared by GSA based on data from the GSA Analyser for

Mobile Broadband Devices (GAMBoD)

August 2018

©Copyright 2018 Global mobile Suppliers Association 1

 Outline
12,235 LTE user GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association) monitors and researches worldwide
devices have been
mobile broadband developments and publishes facts, statistics and trends.
identified in the
market from 670 This report confirms 12,235 LTE user devices identified as launched, from
manufacturers 670 manufacturers, and provides an analysis of the main developments and
trends. This new total is 6% higher than the number of devices reported by
GSA in May 2018. This report covers LTE FDD and TDD (TD-LTE) models and
LTE-related cellular IoT devices standardized by 3GPP as UE Cat-M1/M2 and
UE Cat-NB1/NB2.

5G devices
The 5G device ecosystem is starting to build as the first commercial 5G services
(for FWA applications) are switched on. While 5G trials have used prototype
user equipment (UE), commercial services need commercial devices. As these
are not being produced in large volumes, details are limited, but GSA has
identified the following 5G devices:

•• Huawei 5G CPE mmWave (router)

•• Huawei 5G CPE sub-6 GHz (router)
•• Samsung SFG-D0100 (router)
•• Motorola 5G Mod (smartphone clip-on 5G module/adapter).
We expect that as the industry gears up for major trade shows in early 2019,
many 5G devices will be launched.

The number of LTE LTE user devices

user devices has
grown 6% since There are 681 LTE commercial networks (GSA: NTS Database August 2018). There
the last report in were 3.2 billion LTE subscriptions globally by the end of Q1 2018 (Ovum WCIS
May 2018 provided to GSA on 20 July 2018). LTE accounts for 38.5% of mobile subscriptions
globally.

There are 12,235 LTE user devices including frequency and operator variants
from 670 suppliers verified in GSA’s GAMBoD database – a 6% increase since
the last report in May 2018. The number of devices continues to grow steadily.

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 Figure 1: LTE user devices growth

Form factor

The phone form factor has the largest ecosystem with 7,971 phones announced,
including operator and frequency variants, giving a 65.1% share of all LTE
devices. The LTE router, LTE-connected tablet PC and LTE module segments
7,971 LTE phones, (2,062, 829 and 819 devices respectively) are also large. We have counted 50
2,062 routers, 829 LTE-connected asset trackers (a relatively new form factor in the GAMBoD
tablets and 819 database); the growth in this device class is likely influenced by the replacement
LTE modules have
been launched of GPRS-based trackers beginning as operators plan for the switch-off of their
2G networks. The number of LTE-connected cameras has also started to rise,
from a low base, to 45.

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 Figure 2: 12,235 LTE user devices by form factor, August 2018

LTE device frequency bands

Most devices operate in the FDD mode while the number of terminals that
support LTE TDD (TD-LTE) continues to grow: 5,150 (45% of) LTE devices support
the LTE TDD (TD-LTE) mode.

LTE networks are operating commercially in many bands. Table 1 (LTE-FDD)

& Table 2 (LTE-TDD) confirm the frequency bands that are most supported by
the devices ecosystem.
Table 1: LTE FDD user devices - frequency bands supported by the ecosystem
LTE FDD Band Number of devices
1800 MHz band 3 8,313
2600 MHz band 7 7,478
2100 MHz band 1 6,791
800 MHz band 20 4,905
850 MHz band 5 4,246
900 MHz band 8 3,850
AWS band 4 3,371
1900 MHz band 2 3,231
700 MHz band 17 2,301
APT700 band 28 1,324
700 MHz band 13 1,268
700 MHz band 12 1,184
1900 MHz band 25 646

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 Table 2: LTE TDD user devices - frequency bands supported by the ecosystem
LTE TDD Band Number of devices
2300 MHz band 40 3,793
2600 MHz band 38 2,901
2600 MHz band 41 2,749
1900 MHz band 39 2,080
3500 MHz band 42 221
3700 MHz band 43 172

Note 1: Manufacturers have not declared operating frequencies or fallback modes for some products
Note 2: Certain products are carrier or country specific and are therefore not available in all markets
Note 3: A number of devices are currently listed as band “others”

FDD ecosystem
1800 MHz: largest ecosystem

1800 MHz is the most popular spectrum for LTE deployments; LTE1800,
band 3 is used in 323 commercial LTE networks globally (47% of the total).

1800 MHz (3GPP band 3) has the largest LTE user devices ecosystem. 8313
LTE1800 (band 3) user devices are announced in the market, i.e. 67.9% of LTE
devices can operate in band 3 spectrum.

APT700 band

The APT700 FDD band plan (3GPP Band 28) consists of 2 x 45 MHz bands
plus a 10 MHz guard band, in spectrum between 703 and 748 MHz for the
uplink, and between 758 and 803 MHz for the downlink. APT700 is available
on a near-global basis, with the potential to be used for LTE deployments in
markets representing approaching 4 billion people. For more information
about APT700 developments worldwide including spectrum assignments and
network deployments see http://www.gsacom.com

There are 1,324 APT700 band 28 devices of all types announced by many
suppliers across all price points. 10.8% of all LTE devices can operate on band 28.

US WCS 2.3 GHz spectrum

LTE networks are being deployed in band 30 (2305–2315 MHz/2350–2360

MHz) spectrum. GSA confirms 184 band 30 user devices are announced, up
from 156 in May 2018.

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 LTE in 450 MHz band (LTE450)

3GPP band 31 devices (452.5–457.5 MHz/462.5–467.5 MHz) are included in

GSA’s tracking. 110 LTE450 devices have been announced.

US CBRS (3500 MHz band 48)

Devices capable of operating in the CBRS band are identified in GSA’s research
and are searchable via GAMBoD. There are 55 devices announced (up from
40 in May): 46 are routers, and there are three USB modems, and two each of
modules and femtocells. It is likely that these devices will be based on radios
developed for former WiMAX spectrum or other spectrum in the 3500 MHz
range. Mobile CBRS devices are not yet commercial; network services are
expected witin the next six months.

TDD ecosystem
3GPP decided from the beginning that LTE must support both FDD and TDD
modes with the minimum possible difference between the two modes. The
There are 5,150 emphasis has been on leveraging synergies between the modes to the largest
devices launched extent possible. The result is that almost all parts of the LTE specifications are
supporting
TD-LTE mode, the same for both FDD and TDD. For the current worldwide LTE-TDD market
including 3,489 situation including network deployments and commercial launches see Evolution
phones from LTE to 5G – August 2018 on the GSA website.

The LTE-TDD user devices ecosystem is well established with 5,150 devices,
i.e., 42% of LTE devices support the LTE-TDD (TD-LTE) mode, supporting the
growing number of LTE operators using unpaired spectrum. The smartphone
is the largest device category: 3,489 phones are included in the GSA GAMBoD
database.

Bands 40 (2.3 GHz) and 38 (2.6 GHz) have the largest choice of TDD terminals
with bands 39 and 41 also being mature.

•• Terminal support for band 40 = 73.7% (of LTE-TDD devices announced)

•• Terminal support for band 38 = 56.3%
•• Terminal support for band 41 = 53.4%
•• Terminal support for band 39 = 40.4%
•• Terminal support band 42 = 4.3%
•• Terminal support band 43 = 3.3%

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 There is a good choice of multi-band and dual mode FDD-TDD devices. The
3/5/40 band combination (relevant in India, for example) has 1,769 devices.

Spectrum in the 3.4–3.8 GHz range (3GPP bands 42 and 43) is used by some
operators for LTE-TDD. There are 221 devices announced that operate in band
42 and 172 devices that operate in band 43. Some parts of this spectrum is
being considered in many regions as suitable for 5G services, and we will
watch developments closely.

Figure 3: LTE-TDD user devices by form factor

Fallback, UE categories and feature support

LTE/3G fallback support

The vast majority of LTE devices can operate on a 3G technology, with key
fallbacks as follows:

•• 8,495 devices (69% of the total) are known to be able to operate on

either HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+ or 3C-HSPA+
•• 5,633 devices (46%) are known to support DC-HSPA+
•• 1,772 devices (14%) are known to support TD-SCDMA
•• 1,610 devices (13%) are known to support EV-DO
•• 51% of LTE phones are known to support DC-HSPA +
•• 38% of LTE tablets are known to support DC-HSPA +
Note that not all vendors publish fallback technology details; our percentages

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©Copyright 2018 Global mobile Suppliers Association
 are based on the total number of devices in the GAMBoD database, so should
be considered minimum values.

Category 4 UE devices

Many operators have launched or are deploying networks supporting UE

Category 4 devices. UE device Category 4 offers theoretical peak downlink rate
up to 150 Mbit/s with peak uplink up to 50 Mbit/s on compatible networks. LTE-
Advanced deployment is now well established with wide-scale commercialization
of carrier aggregation to combine different spectrum bands for greater
bandwidth. There are 6,522 devices (57% of LTE devices) that support speeds
up to Category 4 (excluding higher UE categories).
37 devices are
Cat-18 Category 9 and above UE devices (DL/UL)

•• 101 Cat-9 devices are launched (450/50 Mbit/s)

•• 57 Cat-11 devices are launched (600/50 Mbit/s)
•• 118 Cat-12 devices are launched (600/100 Mbit/s)
•• 37 Cat-13 devices are launched (390/150 Mbit/s)
•• 24 Cat-15 devices are launched (up to 750 Mbit/s DL)
•• 44 Cat-16 devices are launched (up to 1 Gbit/s DL)
•• 37 Cat-18 devices are launched (up to 1.174 Gbit/s DL).
We understand that the first Cat-19 devices are coming to the market; there
are reports of a Huawei Cat-19 home router (B818), though we have not been
able to confirm its commercial status.
20% of LTE
phones support Note that not all vendors publish details of UE category or up/downlink speeds.
VoLTE
For updates on global LTE-Advanced and Gigabit LTE network deployments
see relevant reports at http://www. gsacom.com

VoLTE, ViLTE and EVS user devices

Operators worldwide are investing in VoLTE enabling an HD voice experience

for LTE users. In the GAMBoD devices databse, GSA has recorded 1,826 VoLTE-
capable devices (up from 1,656 in May 2018) including carrier and frequency
variants. Of these devices, 1,653 are phones, which means 21% of LTE phones
announced are known to support VoLTE.

There has been a significant increase in the number of ViLTE-capable devices

listed in the GSA database (it now stands at 222), as a result of new information

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©Copyright 2018 Global mobile Suppliers Association
 sources. While video calling over LTE does not have to make use of standards-
based ViLTE, operators offering VoLTE-based HD-voice services often also
support ViLTE-based video calling as much of the technology stack is for VoLTE
and ViLTE is the same.

There are 149 devices in the database supporting EVS (Enhanced Voice Services).

eMBMS (LTE Broadcast) and PTT (Push-to-Talk)

There are 41 devices capable of supporting LTE Broadcast services – up from

28 in the May report. Most of these devices are indoor CPE (routers).

There are 81 devices (62 of them phones, and most from specialist vendors of
ruggedised equipment) supporting the Push-to-Talk (PTT) feature.

Cellular IoT LPWA devices

LTE technologies Characteristics Devices announced

LTE Cat-1 Up to 10 Mbit/s; 20 MHz 153
LTE-M (Cat-M1) Up to 1 Mbit/s; 1.4 MHz 103
NB-IoT (Cat-NB1) 10s of kbit/s to 100s of kbit/s; 86
180 kHz narrowband

Most All Cat-M1 and Cat-NB1 devices announced are modules, though there
are 13 Cat-M1 asset trackers, two Cat-M1 routers, eight Cat-NB1 asset trackers
and one Cat-NB1 smart watch.

LTE devices for use in unlicensed spectrum

•• 29 LAA devices announced (up from 21 in May)

•• 43 LTE-U devices announced
•• 16 LWA devices announced.
We expect that devices explicitly supporting CBRS services will become available
in the next few months; as noted earlier there are already 55 devices in the
GAMBoD database that support LTE in the CBRS spectrum band (band 48).

GSA researches For more details of the use of these technologies, see the GSA report LTE in
a very broad Unlicensed Spectrum: Trials, Deployments and Devices on the GSA website.
range of LTE
devices and The expanding devices ecosystem
manufacturers
4G/LTE headlines often focus on ever-rising performance milestones and
successes of LTE and LTE-Advanced systems and device capabilities. It is
equally important that there is a good choice of LTE user terminals to meet the

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©Copyright 2018 Global mobile Suppliers Association
 needs of developing markets, where cost factors and flexibility are particularly
important, and can assist to open new segments in developed markets.

The GSA devices database (GAMBoD) includes an extensive list of types

of LTE-connected terminals including many produced by OEMs/ODMs,
as well as the premium mobile phone and CPE brands. GSA regularly
reaches out to low-cost OEM/ODM suppliers of 4G/LTE phones, tablet
PCs, routers etc, based in China, India and other locations and includes
many of their products in the GAMBoD database. If you have details about
products you would like included in this database, please contact us at
research@gsacom.com

Devices analysis using GAMBoD

This status report and the devices database are updated quarterly. GAMBoD
enables searches of GSA’s devices databases by supplier, form factor, features,
peak downlink and uplink speeds, and operating frequency. Results are
presented as lists, spreadsheets or charts. Charts may be used in documents
or presentations, referencing GSA as the source. Visit gsacom.com/gambod.
Search criteria are:

•• Manufacturer name
•• Product model number or name
•• Form factor
•• FDD and TDD spectrum bands
•• UE categories (including IoT device categories)
•• Support for VoLTE, ViLTE and EVS
•• Support for eMBMS (LTE Broadcast)
•• Support for 4x4 MIMO
•• Support for 256QAM (downlink)
•• Support for unlicensed bands LTE-U/LAA/LWA
•• Support for PTT
•• Ruggedised products
•• 3G fallback technology supported: HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSPA+, EV-DO, or
TD-SCDMA
Access to GAMBoD is available to GSA Members and Associates. The LTE Devices
database is available to Mobile Network Operators. Other companies can
subscribe to the GAMBoD databases. For more info email info@gsacom.com.

GSA Report | August 2018 | Status of the LTE Ecosystem

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©Copyright 2018 Global mobile Suppliers Association
 About GSA
GSA (the Global mobile Suppliers Association) is a not-for-profit industry
organisation representing companies across the worldwide mobile ecosystem
engaged in the supply of infrastructure, semiconductors, test equipment,
devices, applications and mobile support services.

GSA actively promotes the 3GPP technology road-map – 3G, 4G, 5G – and
is a single source of information resource for industry reports and market
intelligence. GSA Members drive the GSA agenda and define the communications
and development strategy for the Association.

Membership of GSA is open to any supplier of products; systems or services

related to the mobile industry and brings many benefits including access to
the GAMBoD database. The range of benefits includes enhanced discussion,
networking and influencing opportunities on the key industry topics, and
unique promotional/visibility opportunities for your company name, capabilities,
positioning and messages. More details can be found at https://gsacom.com/
gsa-membership/

News/updates: RSS Feed: https://gsacom.com/rss-feeds/

GSA LinkedIn group: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2313721

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gsacom

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GSA/123462771012551

Contact
GSA Secretariat

Email: research@gsacom.com

Tel: +44 330 113 1572

GSA website: https://gsacom.com

NOTE: Errors and omissions excepted

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