BELLEVUE, Wash., March 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the fourth quarter of 2018, LTE technology reached nearly 4 billion connections worldwide representing 47 percent of all cellular technologies and providing 4G wireless access to services and applications to a large portion of the world’s population. 5G Americas, the industry trade association and voice of 5G and LTE for the Americas, today announced LTE’s continued momentum for the fourth quarter of 2018 in North America, Latin America and throughout the world according to data from Ovum.
North America’s market share for LTE at 82 percent exceeds all other world regions at the fourth quarter of 2018; the next highest world regions are Oceania; Eastern and South Eastern Asia with LTE share of 67 percent followed by Western Europe at 52 percent. Latin America and the Caribbean had significant growth of LTE market share to 40 percent, up from 29 percent at the end of 2017. Market share represents the percentage of mobile wireless connections that are LTE technology versus all other mobile cellular technologies.
“While the 5G market reality and innovation are upon us, the number of LTE connections continue to grow on 637 commercial networks worldwide, as well as the evolution to advanced LTE networks for the Internet of Things, Gigabit LTE speeds and new methods for spectrum use and sharing,” stated Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas.
As of March 2018, LTE is deployed on 637 networks worldwide of which 294 are LTE-Advanced (TeleGeography-GlobalComms Database). The global deployment success of LTE provides the foundation for 5G networks in the future.
4Q 2018 - North America
LTE achieved 417 million connections with a market share of 82 percent in the U.S. and Canada.
LTE penetration passed 100 percent in 2018. This penetration rate is forecast to rise to 125 percent in 2021 after which time new 5G connections will begin to impact LTE subscriptions and penetration rates. Penetration rates represent the number of connections compared to the population.
4Q 2018 - Latin America and the Caribbean
LTE’s market share increased from 17 to 29 percent year-over-year at year-end 2017, and grew to 40 percent by the end of 2018. LTE is forecast to be the most widely used cellular technology in the region by the end of 2019.
4Q 2018 - Global
At the end of 2018, global LTE connections reached nearly 4 billion. Also notable, LTE market share reached 47 percent, up from 37 percent at the end of 2017.
“At this time, the world region fueling the most LTE growth is Central and Southern Asia, which grew 81 percent year-on-year, due primarily to 236 million net additions from India. However, the Oceania, Eastern and Southeastern Asia region has the largest number of LTE subscriptions at 2.12 billion, due primarily to 1.56 billion connections in China,” explained Kristin Paulin, Senior Analyst at Ovum.
For more information and to view a variety of statistical charts on the 3GPP family of technologies, visit www.5gamericas.org. Subscriber and forecast data is provided by Ovum.
About 5G Americas: The Voice of 5G and LTE for the Americas
5G Americas is an industry trade organization composed of leading telecommunications service providers and manufacturers. The organization's mission is to advocate for and facilitate the advancement of 5G and the transformation of LTE networks. 5G Americas is invested in developing a connected wireless community while leading 5G development for all the Americas. 5G Americas is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. More information is available at www.5gamericas.org or Twitter @5GAmericas.
5G Americas' Board of Governors members include: AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Cisco, CommScope, Ericsson, Intel, Kathrein, Mavenir, Nokia, Qualcomm Incorporated, Samsung, Shaw Communications Inc., Sprint, T-Mobile US, Inc., Telefónica and WOM.
Contact:
5G Americas
Vicki Livingston
Vicki.Livingston@5gamericas.org
+1 414 688 9000