CALIFORNIA, USA: The LTE infrastructure market is expected to top $5 billion by 2013, fueled by E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network)  macrocell (eNodeB) deployments.

This is according to market research firm Infonetics Research's second edition of its biannual LTE Infrastructure and Subscribers market size and forecast report, which tracks E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) macrocells (enhanced NodeBs) and evolved packet core (EPC) infrastructure, including the mobility management entity (MME) and access gateways.

For the first five years of deployment, LTE will be predominantly "PC-based" (laptops, netbooks, dongles, etc.), with LTE smartphones expected to hit the market after 2011.

Stéphane Téral, principal analyst, mobile and FMC infrastructure, Infonetics Research, says: "To date, the gloomy economic environment has not adversely affected service provider LTE plans and commitments. In fact, the number of commercial LTE launches scheduled for 2010 has risen from 10 in March to 14 now."

Based on public announcements made by service providers planning LTE services, the number of LTE service subscribers is expected to exceed 72 million by 2013

"As mobile operators initially build their LTE coverage, the E-UTRAN is where the action will be. Later, as the time comes to figure out a way to monetize LTE-based services, the significance of the evolved packet core will rise," Téral notes

LTE Market Highlights
The first major technical deployments of LTE have now started in Japan and the US, driven mainly by NTT DoCoMo and Verizon Wireless, for major commercial service launch in 2010.

Peak rates, latency, and spectral efficiency are the chief drivers behind the push to make LTE the universal future-proof mobile broadband platform.