LTE deployments gain steam: Wireless network technology catching on

A difficult global economy is not slowing operators’ LTE deployment plans.
More than 18 operators worldwide have announced plans to deploy LTE networks, and Verizon Wireless has actually accelerated its LTE deployment timetable, according to a new study from ABI Research.
“ABI Research believes that NTT will also deploy LTE in Japan in 2009,” said Nadine Manjaro, senior analyst at ABI Research. “We forecast that by 2013 operators will spend over $8.6 billion on LTE base station infrastructure alone. For operators that have already deployed 3G networks, LTE will be a key capex (capital expenditure) driver over the next five years.”
Application development for LTE networks also will drive investments, said ABI.