Global LTE subscriptions are expected to exceed 40 million by the end of this year, representing a fourfold increase over the 9 million global LTE subscriptions in 2011, according to a study by ABI Research. The range of expected LTE smartphone launches from major OEMs such as Nokia, Samsung, and Apple, as well as the surge in data consumption, are the main causes behind the rise in LTE subscriptions. Currently, the North American region accounts for 60 percent of total LTE subscriptions, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at 37 percent. However, Asia-Pacific LTE subscriptions are expected to overtake North America by 2014, primarily driven by adoption in China, India, Japan, and South Korea. The Asia-Pacific will also be the main growth engine for TD-LTE. Global TD-LTE subscription numbers will grow from 1 million subscriptions at the end of this year to 139 million subscriptions by 2017. China, India, and Japan are collectively forecasted to account for 92 million TD-LTE subscriptions.
