The number of LTE (Long Term Evolution), or “4G”, devices is set to grow from 1 million to 17 million in the coming three years, according to technology analyst firm Telsyte.

 

The exponential increase in the number of 4G LTE devices will be driven  by a forecasted movement in the mobile services market, with carriers’ strategies increasingly aimed towards 4G growth.

 

Telsyte research director Foad Fadaghi said the forecast for 4G adoption in Australia has been revised up due to a number of significant market changes in 2012.

 

“Our latest research indicates a combination of new handsets, strong carrier deployment of 4G services, and mobile broadband as an alternative to fixed-line services is resulting in faster than initially expected uptake of 4G services in Australia,” says Fadaghi.

 

The rate of uptake of 4G networks is largely dependent on the availability of compatible mobile devices, such as the iPhone 5 and other next generation smartphones, such as those made by Samsung, Nokia, HTC and Motorola.

 

Telsyte estimates by end of 2016, more than 80 per cent of smartphones sold will be capable of utilising Australia’s 4G networks.

 

Telsyte analyst Alvin Lee says while the 1800MHz band is emerging as one of the common LTE bands globally, the auction outcome of 700MHz and 2500/2600MHz spectrum will still affect the future of LTE in Australia.

 

“These bands are supported across the globe in different countries, and are likely candidates to mitigate future LTE roaming challenges” says Lee.

 

According to Telsyte’s research, streaming content on mobile devices has become a regular routine for many users, with video clips, radio and music amongst most popular applications. Interests in maps and navigation applications have also risen in the past year due to popularity of smartphones.

 

Lee says latest Telsyte research indicates more than 30% of Australian of smartphone users are now regularly using over the top (OTT) voice or video call applications, with this figure to accelerate over the coming years.

 

“Some applications require a fast and stable data connection to provide users a more complete experience. With typical LTE speeds of 40Mbps a lot of opportunities will be created for data hungry applications like streaming media services, turn-by-turn navigation and video applications,” Lee says.