Emerging Concerns in Mobile Broadband: 4G, LTE and HSPA+ Give Operators New Challenges and Opportunities

• Editor's Letter: State of the 4G Ecosystem and its Challenges
  By Tara Seals
  The 4G revolution is on the march, as real deployments and more devices are hitting the market. The general ecosystem is changing along with the technology however, presenting new challenges for operators.
• GUEST COLUMN: Considering the 4G Device Landscape
  By Craig Galbraith
  With our hunger for devices showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, expect to see some big leaps forward for technology before the year is out. Here are the top mobile broadband devices to watch.

FEATURES

• In 4G Race, Sprint Takes a Different Path
  By Josh Long
  Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc., T-Mobile, Clearwire and LightSquared are all making big 4G moves. Feeling the effects of its early-on embrace of WiMAX, Sprint is finding itself in shifting competitive space in the United States.
• VoLTE: The Mobile Operator Value Proposition
  By Shubh Agarwal
  Although Long Term Evolution (LTE) is best known for multi-megabit speeds, voice remains a killer app. In fact, operators that launch LTE with voice support (called VoLTE) can expect twice as much average revenue per user (ARPU) as rivals that offer LTE as a data-only service.
• Operators in Europe Gear Up to Snatch Spectrum
  By Josh Long
  In Western Europe, wireless operators are gearing up to acquire a scarce and precious asset that is critical to their future: spectrum. The battle for the airwaves coincides with a worldwide movement to deploy LTE, a high-speed wireless technology that will support the next generation of sophisticated mobile devices. And regulatory moves are key to rollout plans.
• U.S. Broadcasters' Association Rips into Mobile Industry over Spectrum
  By Josh Long and Tara Seals
  As carriers look to build out LTE networks and relieve video/data-related congestion on existing mobile networks, a thirst for airwaves has emerged as a potential battleground between carriers and the broadcasting industry, underscoring the high stakes in Washington, D.C. over how to solve what is perceived as a shortage of spectrum.
• Overhauling Mobile Backhaul: Forecasts and Strategies
  By Craig M. Clausen, Al Bolschulte and Victor Schnee
  Wireless backhaul has been at the top of most telecommunications industry observers' trends-to-watch lists since roughly 2006. But its impact on carrier networks continues to evolve.
• Latin America: A Mobile Market Anomaly
  By Josh Long and Tara Seals
  In Latin America, the penetration rate has surpassed 100 percent. That means there are more mobile phones than people counted. And 4G is a big opportunity. But there's a twist to this, because 30 percent of the population, or 178 million people, don't possess a mobile device.