13th March 2006

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Prospects for the Evolution of 3G and 4G to their offering.

High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS) bring important enhancements to W-CDMA networks. However, they do not match the capabilities of broadcasting technologies (such as DVB-H and MediaFLO) and broadband wireless access technologies (such as WiMAX and WiBro) in certain important aspects of mobile TV service delivery and Internet access. 3G may need a major leap in performance to remain competitive.

This report considers the options for the evolution of 3G W-CDMA networks, focusing on the forthcoming 3G LTE and 4G standards. It evaluates the realistic capabilities of 3G LTE, in terms of throughput, capacity, latency and cost per megabyte. By modelling a typical network, it quantifies the practical gains that will be achieved by 3G LTE and the service mixes that it will be able to support. It also evaluates the benefits of additional spectrum for 3G LTE, such as the IMT-2000 extension bands.

The report identifies clear actions for mobile network operators, equipment vendors and regulators, to seize the opportunities provided by the evolution of 3G networks.

Prospects for the Evolution of 3G and 4G answers your key questions:

-- How far will HSPA and MBMS take mobile networks?

-- What are 3G LTE and 4G and when will they be commercially available?

-- What will 3G LTE realistically provide, in terms of capabilities, cost per megabyte and services supported?

-- Will 3G LTE support an aggressive fixed-mobile substitution strategy, to compete with enhanced DSL services and IPTV? Can it provide a broad mix of mobile TV and video services?

-- How well will 3G LTE meet mobile operator requirements compared with alternative technologies, such as DVB-H and WiMAX?

-- What is the value of additional spectrum, for example from 3G extension bands and GSM spectrum refarming?

-- What actions can operators take to seize the opportunities that 3G LTE offers?

Who should read this report?

Mobile operators: corporate strategists, financial planners and R&D staff who need to understand what 3G LTE will be able to provide, the revenue opportunities that it will enable, whether or not to deploy alternative technologies such as DVB-H or WiMAX, the value of new spectrum and the actions they need to take

Wireless infrastructure vendors: corporate executives and product marketing managers who need to justify how the basic capabilities of 3G LTE will translate to real services, how to create a compelling business model to justify the deployment of their products and the actions they need to take

Wireless handset vendors: corporate executives, R&D managers and product marketers can incorporate analysis of 3G and 4G service capabilities into long-range planning for future product development.

Financial analysts: equity and investment researchers who need to understand how the technical evolution of mobile networks will shape the business plans of players in the wireless industry value chain, in order to determine which new and established players will succeed in the long-term

Regulators: can reference the modelled capabilities of 3G evolution to 3G LTE and 4G, versus alternative technologies such as DVB-H and WiMAX, the value of additional spectrum to mobile operators and the actions they need to take.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c34198

Topics Covered:

1 Summary

2 New service opportunities may drive further investment in wireless networks

3 There are several options for evolution beyond current W-CDMA networks

4 Some service opportunities demand more network capability than 3G HSPA and MBMS can deliver

5 3G LTE will benefit greatly from OFDM, MIMO and more spectrum

6 3G LTE could deliver a compelling service mix, within its performance boundaries

7 Costs and timescales will be critical to the success of 3G LTE

8 Actions

9 List of figures and tables