MTN is looking at long-term evolution (LTE) as one of its technology options to expand its infrastructure networks and evolve to 4G, delegates heard at the recent Broadband Forum.
Punted as a fourth-generation (4G) technology, LTE will result in the new evolved release eight of the UMTS standard, including extensions and modifications of the UMTS system. The LTE market is expected to exceed 2.1 billion euros by 2012.
"LTE and WiMax will carry a 70Mbps connection over 50km, making it ideal for the deployment of broadband in areas where no infrastructure currently exists," said MTN senior manager Brian Seligmann.
Seligmann said MTN's discussions about the technology are still at an early stage, as the standard has not yet been finalised.
A number of international manufacturers are still at the early stages of research and development (R&D) for commercial LTE offerings, he noted.
Current R&D is being done using 2.1MHz frequency spectrum, said Seligmann. LTE can also be deployed using the 2.6MHz frequency. "I don't expect there will be a large-scale deployment of LTE before 2010."
Expected timelines
Meanwhile, Alcatel Lucent and NEC have announced a strategic LTE partnership that will see the first commercial roll-out of LTE in 2009.
Alcatel Lucent CEO Patricia Russo said the partnership's LTE trials were already awarded, and would take place this year.
LTE solutions will initially be launched in Japan next year, with Western Europe to follow suit and then the rest of the world soon after, she said.
Russo noted that telecoms operators can migrate to this standard through 3G HSUPA, WCDMA, WiMax or even leapfrog from EDGE.
This would make it easier for mobile operators like Cell C, which did not go the 3G route, to leapfrog straight to 4G broadband.
While Vodacom has made no announcements regarding LTE, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin previously emphasised the importance of LTE in technology in providing mobile services.
LTE must become a reality in the near future, he said at the Mobile World Congress last month. "HSPA is fine for now, but not in three years' time," he said.
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