LTE to oust home broadband?

LTE might stand for Long Term Evolution but its arrival is expected imminently, according to telecoms analysts.

Juniper Research is predicting that 4G mobile broadband networks will have 100 million subscribers worldwide within five years.

It even expects 'millions' of subscribers within just two years, primarily businesses that require LTE's blistering 100Mbps (minimum!) data rates.

Built-in broadband

Juniper expects LTE technology to be embedded within consumer devices such as MP3 players, netbooks and digital cameras, and forecasts that consumers will use LTE to connect equipment within the home rather than mobile gear, beginning in 2012 or 2013.

The company estimates that embedded LTE chipsets will become the second most popular means of internet access, behind SIM cards, by 2014.

Analyst Howard Wilcox said: "There is intense activity in the LTE market right now, with in excess of 30 network operator commitments. Sony has announced that network connectivity is one of three top priority actions."

The current specification of LTE calls for peak download data rates of 325Mbps, and uploads at 86Mbps, with very little (under 5ms) latency, making it suitable for HD video streaming and online gaming.