A total of 1,275 new LTE-enabled user devices have been launched over the past twelve months to bring the total ecosystem to 2,646 devices, representing a 93 percent year-on-year growth, according to a report by the GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association). The number of manufacturers in the LTE market more than doubled to 275 in the year to January, confirming the maturity of the market. Smartphones continued to make up the largest device category, the 1,395 LTE-enabled smartphones launched so far representing some 52.7 percent of all device types. The number of LTE-connected tablets available rose to 224, while routers and personal hotspots grew to 612.
The 1800 MHz (3GPP band 3) remains the best supported band, accounting for 1,141 of the LTE devices. Support for the TDD mode (TD-LTE) has also grown significantly, more than doubling over the past year to reach 969 devices, or 37 percent of all available LTE devices, compared to 29 percent in October 2014. The report added that 186 VoLTE-capable phones (including carrier and frequency variants) have been announced by Apple, Asus, Fujitsu, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Pantech, Samsung, Sharp and Sony Mobile.
Finally, the GSA noted that LTE-Advanced 300 Mbps services (with Category 6 devices) have been commercially launched by several operators, with 27 devices currently supporting Category 6 (routers, MiFis, smartphones).
