Development Trends of Mobile Communication

Mobile Internet Becomes a Lifestyle

Mobile apps on smart devices are becoming more popular. Whether walking on the street or sitting on a bus, you often see people reading up on restaurants, checking routes, chatting, buying stuff online, or social networking.

In the era of 3G, more people are using their mobile devices for data rather than voice. They surf the web and access video, SNS, games and search engines and they make online payments. Mobile internet is becoming a more important part of people’s lives.

Terminal and Cloud Accelerate the Development of Mobile Internet

The boom in mobile internet has been driven by the rapid development of smart terminals, mobile broadband networks, and cloud technology. Today, cloud technology is used in computing and storage, and smart terminals are used for data output. Mobile internet acts as a pipe that combines them. The widespread deployment of 3G networks has prompted the rapid development of smart terminals and cloud computing. For example, Apple’s Siri only works on a 3G network.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, the number of smartphones in use worldwide was 1.038 billion in Q3 2012. It took 16 years for the first billion smartphones to appear, but the next billion will appear in less than three years.

Cloud technology provides a good opportunity for mobile internet innovation, and more mobile applications are emerging and affecting the mobile internet ecosystem. For example, microblogging allows users to acquire fresh information and share their lives. This attracts many users and generates a huge amount of mobile data traffic.

Mobile apps and services contribute much to the explosive growth of mobile data traffic. According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2010 to 2015, worldwide mobile data traffic will increase 2600 percent to reach 6.3 exabytes per month or an annual run rate of 75 exabytes by 2015.

Mobile Data Boom Accelerates Network Upgrade to LTE

A 3G network provides a smooth path between smart terminals and cloud computing; however, as mobile apps become more popular and are continually upgraded, the resulting data traffic is exerting enormous pressure on 3G bandwidth. Take US-based AT&T for example. The rising number of iPhone users has generated remarkable revenue growth (iPhone ARPU is 1.6 times that of other users). However, its network data traffic skyrocketed 50 times in three years, placing a heavy burden on its 3G network and leading to network failures in some regions. O2 is a subsidiary of Telefonica and saw its network data traffic surge 1800 percent in 2010 because of growth in the number of smartphone users. This affected the quality of voice and data services in London and forced O2 to expand its network capacity. Limited network bandwidth will hinder the development of HD video streaming and other high-quality mobile internet services in the future.

Increased data traffic is forcing operators to upgrade their existing networks. Leading operators and TDD spectrum owners are all targeting 4G LTE. The LTE standard, which includes TD-LTE and LTE FDD, was officially released by 3GPP in 2008. The standard is based on new technologies, such as OFDM, and is designed to provide 100 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink speeds on the 20 MHz bandwidth. It is also designed to support 100 km coverage radius and 120–350 km/h mobility. Mobile bandwidth is measured in kilobits for GSM, tens of kilobits for GPRS, megabits for EDGE, tens of megabits for 3G, and hundreds of megabits for LTE. Future LTE-A will be measured in gigabits and will push mobile broadband to a new level.

LTE has the following advantages over 3G:

●    higher spectrum efficiency with 5 bit/s/Hz downlink (3-4 times that of HSDPA) and 2.5 bit/s/Hz uplink (2-3 times that of HSUPA)

●    higher bandwidth and speed

●    flat network that reduces latency and flexible network deployment

●    IP-based network that allows multiple services to be interconnected

●    X2 interface and anti-jamming technology that boosts cell-edge user experience

●    new technologies, such as small cells, that significantly expand network capacity.

With these advantages, operators can provide higher mobile bandwidth and better user experience. The scale and user base of LTE have been expanding rapidly. According to statistics from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), global LTE subscriptions grew to 27.7 million in Q2 2012. As of October 1, 2012, 105 operators had launched commercial LTE networks in 48 countries. GSA forecasts that 159 networks will be commercially launched in 68 countries by the end of 2012, and this is expected to rise to 195 live networks in 72 countries by the end of 2013.

LTE Promotes Cloud Development and IT/CT Integration

LTE has higher wireless bandwidth and lower transmission latency than 3G and allows more content to be transferred between smart terminals and cloud platforms. Users always want higher-quality HD video calls and image transmission, but these demands cannot currently be met because of the limited bandwidth of 3G networks. LTE will render this problem obsolete and promote the development of cloud technology and smart terminals. LTE adds vitality to mobile internet and will have a far-reaching effect on information technology.

The development of cloud technology and smart terminals has accelerated the shift of conventional information interaction and computing application from traditional PCs to smart terminals. Today, smart terminals can meet most of our daily application needs and support most PC functions. The size of a PC is shrinking, and the post-PC era will soon arrive. Intel and Microsoft’s move into the mobile arena is proof of this.

People’s demands for communication can never be fully satisfied, but mobile internet delivers a more satisfactory communication experience. In the era of LTE, the boundary between IT and CT is becoming more obscure, and more ICT enterprises will emerge. Traditional IT companies are entering the CT arena; for example, Microsoft acquired Skype and introduced Windows Phone 8, and Google launched Android and acquired MOTO. On the other hand, traditional CT companies are also striving to break into ICT via business innovation; for example, ZTE and Chinese telecom operators are constructing wireless cities. Based on smart terminals and cloud technology, they provide citizens, enterprises and public sectors with mobile information services anytime, anywhere.

ZTE’s LTE End-to-End Commercialization Capability

In recent years, ZTE is increasing investment in LTE and future evolution technologies. Now, ZTE is able to provide mature end-to-end solutions, and these solutions have been used in commercial networks.

ZTE’s self-developed TD-LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM chipset is the first and only multimode single chipset to have passed the technical requirements of China Mobile’s second-phase commercial trial. ZTE has inked 38 commercial LTE contracts and is cooperating with more than 100 operators worldwide to build trial networks. In 2011, ZTE built the first large-scale commercial LTE FDD/TDD dual-mode network for Hi3G Sweden.

As the biggest country in Northern Europe, Sweden has very mature 3G network and mobile user penetration of 1.39 in 2011. Hi3G Sweden determined that its existing network was unable to meet growing demand for mobile data. In 2010, the company launched its 4G strategy.

Given that Hi3G has both TDD and FDD spectrum resources as well as a UMTS network, ZTE devised an LTE TDD/LTE FDD/UMTS multimode networking solution. The LTE TDD and LTE FDD systems share equipment resources, and different products are offered for flexible deployment in different environments.

On December 15, 2011, Hi3G commercially launched its network. Thanks to ZTE’s excellent solutions for minimizing TCO, users only need to pay 65c for 1 GB of data traffic. In addition, the integrated solution reduces construction and operation costs by around 20 percent per bit, which helps Hi3G quickly establish its position as a leading mobile operator and provide users with attractive 4G services.

Looking ahead, ZTE will continue with LTE innovation and deliver global users better mobile internet experience.