[GIA]: 1.5B LTE Subscribers by 2018

Predictions on the number of LTE subscribers keep coming, each presenting even a higher number.

This month we have already seen  "[iSuppli] 1.2B(!) LTE Subscribers by 2016" - here and "[Pyramid]: 802M LTE Subscribers by 2017; US, Japan and South Korea Lead" - here.

A new report on 3GPP by Global Industry Analysts finds that "The global market for 3GPP LTE devices is projected to cross 624 million units, and the subscriber base is projected to reach 1.46 billion by 2018. Significant cost savings by mobile operators in terms of delivering megabytes of capacity through the deployment of LTE, which is capable of efficiently using available spectrum, is expected to emerge as a key contributing factor for the increasing operator adoption in the near future".

"By enabling more efficient bandwidth usage, LTE is capable of easing to a great extent, mobile operators’ troubles of insufficient capacity .. From 64, the current number of installed commercial LTE networks globally, is thus forecast to increase and reach 128 by the end of 2012, translating into a very high growth rate for a very small time period .. the market is presently largely concentrated in the US, owing to the ambitious rollout of network coverage by Verizon. However, the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions are projected to be evenly paced by the year 2015, with the Asia-Pacific region racing away by the year 2018".

See "Efficient Spectrum Usage and Better Bandwidth Drives the Global 3GPP LTE Market, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc" - here.