Past Testifies to Future Need for LTE-A Testing
When considering the case for LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) testing, the obvious question is whether operators should be spending time building out networks that address the bandwidth hunger of their customers.
There is an argument to be made that, at some point, customers will quit demanding more bandwidth and faster speeds. Eventually, it seems like people will have enough devices that they simply can't take up any more bandwidth because there aren't enough hours in the day to account for the amount of bandwidth that's already being used. There's even a temptation to sit back and wonder if now isn't that time.
But it's not. If you think it is, consider the reality that a little more than a decade ago, the app economy didn't exist. Services such as Spotify also didn't exist. Cars weren't connected to the Internet, and almost no one used videoconferencing applications. Many people didn't think that 3G wireless would be used much.
It only takes a short look back to realize that the picture going forward is one that needs to include a lot of bandwidth that's well developed and tested to the point that it can handle very high demands from customers that expect outstanding quality of service (QoS) and quality of experience (QoE).
LTE-A will likely be the technology that meets those demands, at least until the next great mobile technology is introduced. In the meantime, LTE-A is a good fix for what ails mobile operators. It addresses the pain points and challenges that operators have, and it addresses time-to-revenue pressures without compromising QoE.
As demands for bandwidth continue to be pushed by consumers -- especially those demanding bandwidth for video applications -- testing of LTE-A will become critical. It will enable operators to maximize QoE, virtualize adoption and monetize data.
These are just some of the findings in this month's Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, "LTE-A Deployments Spur Need for New Test Solutions." This report examines the LTE-A testing market, analyzing how LTE-A is being used, as well as areas of growth expected in the market during the next two years. It discusses drivers and challenges in the industry and includes a comparative analysis of solutions available.
Finally, it examines the geographic landscape of the market and details trends that are likely to occur in the industry during the next 18-24 months.
— Denise Culver, Research Analyst, Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider
This report, "LTE-A Deployments Spur Need for New Test Solutions," is available as part of an annual subscription (6 issues per year) to Heavy Reading 4G/LTE Insider, priced at $1,499. Individual reports are available for $595. To subscribe, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/4glte.
