Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Over the past five years, an incredible new technology has gained momentum and is set to make its debut imminently. And as always, early investors are likely to enjoy the greatest returns.

The technology is known as Long Term Evolution (LTE). And the possibilities are endless: Machine-to-machine communication… wireless communication in cars and household appliances… instant downloads of video conferences.

Simply put, it's the likely successor to current 3G mobile broadband technology.

LTE offers superior user experience and simplified technology. With seamless mobility services, consumers remain connected through any access technology, such as WiFi, WiMAX, xDSL, FTTx, wherever they are.

So just because your wife dragged you to her colleague's baby shower out in the backwoods doesn't mean you can't still track the score of the Texas Tech game.

So what is this technology? And why should you care?

Long Term Evolution: Short and Simple

Have you ever stared at your Blackberry waiting for a YouTube video to load, only to have the video skip, just as the fat man slips on a banana peel?

With Long Term Evolution technology, that won't be a problem. LTE will enhance demanding applications such as interactive TV, mobile video blogging, games and professional services.

And in addition to mobile phones, many consumer devices like notebooks, ultra-portables, gaming devices and cameras, will incorporate embedded LTE.

So what makes Long Term Evolution better than current broadband networks?

Well, I'll spare you the ultra-technical details, aside from this…

• LTE provides downlink peak rates of at least 100 Mbps. That's a huge improvement over current networks, which only support downlink speeds of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2 and 14 Mbps, with available speed increases up to 42 Mbps and 84 Mbps.
• LTE technology, on the other hand, will allow for speeds of more than 300 Mbps. Sony (NYSE: SNE) has already demonstrated Long Term Evolution peak rates of about 160 Mbps.
• LTE also supports flexible carrier bandwidths, ranging from 1.4MHz to 20MHz. Thus, an operator can introduce LTE in new bands where it's easiest to deploy and eventually deploy Long Term Evolution in all bandwidths.

Here's the potential…

Let the Race Begin: Nine Major Players Battling for Long Term Evolution Dominance

In 2014, an estimated 3.4 billion people will have broadband access, with 80% estimated to be mobile broadband subscribers.