All signs indicate that mobile video traffic is set to explode in the coming years, making it even more imperative that wireless carriers get a grip on their network capacity challenges. Carriers are aware of the issues and are trying to figure out how to optimize video traffic on the network so it isn't overloaded. This special feature looks at the challenges and solutions in video compression and optimization.

It looks like Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) may soon launch an EV-DO-based femtocell that delivers 3G data services in addition to voice. According to documents filed with the FCC, which were originally uncovered by Engadget, the Samsung-made femtocell supports up to eight simultaneous data connections. 

Verizon Wireless currently offers a femtocell that supports CDMA 1x service, called the Network Extender. In April, the FCC also approved a similar femtocell for Sprint (NYSE:S) that supports EVDO data connection speeds and landline VOIP service. 

Meanwhile, AT&T (NYSE:T) unveiled its femtocell product, which it calls a 3G MicroCell, at the CTIA Wireless 2010 conference in March. The 3G MicroCell was developed with Cisco and is available for $149.99.  

For more:
- see this Engadget post

Related articles:
Report: Sprint Nextel poised for 3G femtocell launch
Report: Sprint adding EV-DO to next femtocell
Femto Forum, WiMAX Forum publish WiMAX femtocell standard
AT&T's 3G femtocell service counts against data usage caps

According to IntoMobile, T-Mobile USA will launch an HSPA+ Android-based smartphone from HTC in September. The device will be the first HSPA+ smartphone offered by T-Mobile USA. The operator has deployed HSPA+ in 25 markets and plans to cover 100 major metropolitan areas--185 million people--by year's end. 

A T-Mobile USA spokeswoman told FierceBroadbandWireless that the operator plans to bring an HSPA+ handset to the market in the second half of 2010 but declined to provide any further details. Currently T-Mobile's only HSPA+ device is the webConnect Rocket Laptop Stick. 

But that isn't the only buzz circulating about T-Mobile's HSPA+ plans. According to the blog TMoNews, the nation's No. 4 carrier also plans to double the peak download speed of its HSPA+ network to 42 Mbps in 2011.

The blog, which cited a picture taken at a T-Mobile managers meeting in Seattle, indicated T-Mobile hopes to stay ahead of the rest of the wireless pack by increasing the speed of its network through software upgrades. The picture shows a chart with T-Mobile ahead of "VZ LTE" (presumably Verizon Wireless' (NYSE:VZ) planned LTE network), WiMAX from Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and "AT&T 14.4."

A T-Mobile spokesperson declined to comment on the TmoNews article.

For more:
- see this IntoMobile post
- see this FierceWireless article

Related articles:
Rumor Mill: T-Mobile punching up HSPA+ to 42 Mbps in 2011
T-Mobile expands HSPA+ to 25 markets, will call it '4G'
AT&T's Stankey defends carrier's pace on HSPA+, LTE moves
AT&T chides T-Mobile for 'misleading' 4G marketing on HSPA+
AT&T now planning widespread deployment of HSPA+; LTE timeframe stays the same

As the industry moves from 3G to 4G technologies, LTE is coming into its own. In the U.S., Verizon Wireless has already targeted at least 25 markets for coverage by the end of 2010. MetroPCS is also launching in 2010 and AT&T Mobility has trial plans for 2010 with deployment targeted for 2011. These LTE service launches are motivated in part to counter WiMAX service offerings from Sprint Nextel and Clearwire, in part to fulfill promises made during recent spectrum auctions, and in part due to improved efficiencies offered by the technology. With major U.S. carriers committed to LTE technology, a major determinant in the long-term success of LTE service offerings is the timely availability of LTE silicon.   

While LTE will continue to be driven by evolving standards and specifications, it is important to note which LTE silicon vendors have gained time-to-market advantages by supporting key elements of the standard early on. The 3GPP Release 8 standard was frozen in January 2009, and established LTE characteristics such as support of up to 100 Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upstream speeds (under optimal conditions), and the dual support of frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD). However, there are a wide range of mobile silicon vendors with differing approaches to implementing those standards. The unencumbered startups and independent mobile silicon vendors targeting the LTE silicon space are leveraging their WiMAX silicon roots in order to address LTE opportunities. These include vendors such as Beceem, Sequans and Wavesat, who position themselves as on the leading edge of LTE silicon deployment.

On the other hand, the established and mature mobile silicon vendors such as Qualcomm, Infineon, Fujitsu and ST-Ericsson can leverage various portfolio assets to create highly integrated LTE silicon platform solutions. For example, Qualcomm and Fujitsu have crafted LTE silicon solutions that leverage their existing legacy support for 3G devices to create multimode, multichannel RF transceivers to support legacy radio, dual-band radio and network roaming in a single package. They are leveraging their product architectures from already established 3G HSPA+ assets in order to add LTE support quickly, and create a multiband receiver.  ST-Ericsson is taking a more targeted approach, betting on specific market segments and has already launched a LTE-only platform solution.

The table below shows some of the key mobile silicon vendors in the mobile device silicon market that are at least in the sampling stage for LTE mobile devices. Vendors will generally not deploy equipment or services based on sample silicon, but prefer to wait for the production silicon.

NA = not announced

Beceem is a start-up that has leveraged its WiMAX experience to create a dual mode LTE/WiMAX device for roaming or back-up and is shipping sample product in substantial volumes in the support of early field trials. Sequans, another start-up, is fielding an LTE-only solution, although the company has experience in WiMAX, it made a decision to go to market with LTE-only silicon. The LTE platform M700 from ST-Ericsson is unique in that it's limited to the single access technology of FDD-LTE. While this is ideal for fixed terminal applications and in-country networks where external roaming is not supported, it's not viable for a majority of smartphone devices and network services requiring alternative access for roaming and back-up. LTE-only devices are optimal for a greenfield deployment where legacy support is not required. On the other hand, legacy providers such as Qualcomm and Fujitsu have integrated multimode 3G/LTE support into their overall LTE solution mix, which enables vendors to participate in design competition quicker, leveraging previous development work. Qualcomm also promotes its early to market support of LTE standards and touts itself as first to market with multimode 3G/LTE solutions (e.g., MDM9x00). Again this fits better the support model for major wireless carriers with large legacy installed bases planning to migrate their pre-4G networks to 4G-based network and services. 

While it might seem as if there are enough device types available, the actual number is small and vendors are targeting specific market niches as shown from the differences in implementation and approaches. This is typical for an emerging market and new technology. The overall timeframe for widespread network deployment of devices and services based upon LTE is probably going to take longer than the service providers, equipment vendors and market hype is projecting. The chips currently available represent first generation solutions and are only beginning to be produced in large quantities for the mass market. There are always the lessons learned from the active field trials with a new technology and this provides feedback to the developers and equipment manufacturers to improve or modify the equipment. Battery life optimization, needed for mainstream adoption, usually does not occur until second or third generation silicon. There is also the LTE standards process that is developing future 3GPP Release 10 (i.e., Advanced LTE), as the final version which will need to be incorporated into the chipsets themselves to maintain compliance over the long-term while maintaining backwards compatibility.

While there will be LTE-enabled smartphone devices available at the end of 2010 and more service provider networks supporting LTE, it will not become a mainstream technology in the U.S. over the next 12 months. The LTE silicon chip vendors will need to go through another engineering sample-to-production cycle based upon the results of field trials. The device manufacturers will need to complete another product design cycle based upon this next generation offering of LTE silicon. Although both design cycles will be faster than the original, each iteration still takes time. With all these factors taken into consideration the timeframe for mainstream adoption of LTE seems to fit a more mid-2012 to early 2013 time horizon.      

Jeff is a senior analyst in the Mobile Device Silicon practice at Current Analysis and monitors the technology, product and partnership initiatives of the mobile device silicon vendors who create, design and bring to market the high performance integrated circuits and chipsets which enable mobile devices. Contact Jeff at jogle@currentanalysis.com or follow him on Twitter @sirronsilicon.

WiMAX stalwart Alvarion appears to be bending to pressure from the TD-LTE camp. At the Mobile Broadband Summit 2010 conference in India, an Alvarion executive told the audience that the company will add TD-LTE to its platform in the next few years.

According to Light Reading, Santhanam Gopalakrishnan, head of Alvarion's Indian business, said the TD-LTE ecosystem will likely advance in the next three to five years and include the WiMAX spectrum bands and therefore Alvarion will support both WiMAX and TD-LTE on its platform.

Consulting firm Gerson Lehrman Group said that Alvarion's announcement is consistent with that of other vendors such as Motorola, Huawei and ZTE, adding that there is a lot of common technology between LTE and mobile WiMAX base stations. The firm added that this announcement was likely prompted by speculation that winners of the 2.3 GHz spectrum in India will deploy the current generation 802.16e mobile WiMAX and then migrate to TD-LTE.

For more:
- see this Light Reading article
- see this report

Related articles:
TD-LTE: The most powerful weapon in the LTE arsenal against WiMAX
China Mobile aims to push TD-LTE overseas 
GSMA's technology director talks up TD-LTE opportunity
Ericsson gets serious about TD-LTE

Following the lead of Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), Time Warner Cable launched a personal hotspot device called Intelligo that allows customers to connect up to five WiFi devices simultaneously using Clearwire's (NASDAQ:CLWR) WiMAX network or Sprint's nationwide 3G network. The device, which is made by Sierra Wireless, is identical to the Overdrive personal hotspot offered by Sprint.

Time Warner will sell the device for $49.99 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year contract. Interestingly, Sprint sells the Overdrive device for $100 with a $50 rebate and a two-year contract. Time Warner currently sells its Road Runner Mobile WiMAX service using the Clearwire network in Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C.; Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii and Kansas City, Mo.

Sprint first launched the Overdrive at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

In related news, Clearwire announced it is making its Clear Spot 4G and Clear Spot 4G+ personal hotspots available nationwide, and is filling pre-orders of both devices. The Clear Spot 4G simultaneously connects up to eight WiFi devices and costs $99.99 or can be leased for $4.99 per month. The Clear Spot 4G+ simultaneously connects up to five WiFi devices and connects to Sprint's 3G network outside Clearwire's coverage area. The Clear Spot 4G+ costs $224.99 or can be leased for $5.99 per month.

For more:
- see this Multichannel News article
- see this Time Warner release
- see this Clearwire release

Related Articles
Sprint debuts Overdrive, mobile WiMAX hotspot
Time Warner to begin reselling Clearwire service Dec. 1
Time Warner, Comcast expanding WiMAX offering