We know the potential of LTE when it comes to data services — it’s our bread and butter. However, voice issues have become a concern. Why is this relevant to the data end? It could cause carriers to rethink how they’re going to roll out LTE networks. As we’re seeing in Europe, T-Mobile and Orange are slowing their LTE operations because of these concerns. Most people still use their phone for voice, surprisingly enough. This issue certainly needs to be addressed soon, since LTE has reached the point of no return. So how are carriers going to upgrade their networks while still providing a high-quality voice experience?
There are some who believe that keeping legacy GSM and CDMA networks alive for voice is the easiest and best solution. However, this just creates inefficiencies. Back at CTIA 2008, there was much talk about carriers migrating all of their services, including voice, messaging, and data, to 3G networks. This convergence will make things more efficient. The issue, if course, is developing a viable VoIP interface for voice services.
Beyond the voice issues, to which there is no clear solution, there are also concerns about data overload:
the carriers are also worried about a massive crunch on the back end as devices capable of downlink speeds well over 20Mbps — speeds that easily exceed the average home broadband connection — put unprecedented pressure on infrastructure. There are also ongoing worries over intellectual property and the massive cost that’ll be incurred by anyone hoping to manufacture or maintain LTE equipment, and the icing on the cake might be spectrum — not all of the space necessary for full-scale LTE deployments in Europe has been auctioned yet, so these guys are biding their time anyway.
Will these issues crop up as Verizon and AT&T lay out their LTE networks in the U.S.? We obviously hope not, but it looks like issues are inevitable.
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