With the exception of Samsung, development of LTE-TDD service equipment is virtually non-existent in Korea.
With US’s Sprint, Softbank of Japan, and India’s Bharti Airtel all adopting LTE-TDD as the next mobile standard, the future of LTE-TDD is bright. Starting this year, China Mobile is about to commercialize LTE-TDD, and the service is bound to grow to massive proportions as a result. But in Korea the development of LTE-TDD equipment is virtually non-existent with the exception of Samsung Electronics, and there are worries that Korea will lag behind in the LTE-TDD race.
According to mobile industry sources on January 8, the market for LTE-TDD has officially begun to take shape in China this month, following the US, Europe, and Asia.
As such, fierce competition is developing among LTE equipment manufacturers to get the upper hand in building the infrastructure of LTE-TDD networks, and China, the biggest market of all, is expected to become the next goldmine for the networking industry.
According to industry sources, China’s three major telephony companies have started heavily investing in LTE-TDD equipment. About a 100 trillion won (US$ 94 billion) Chinese market is expected to develop, with estimates of 255 trillion won (US$ 230 billion) in revenues and 100 million LTE-TDD devices to be sold by year 2020.
While the value chain of LTE-TDD is spreading rapidly, the local telecommunications industry is just starting its baby steps, even as the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning calls for its necessity. But there are hurdles, and unresolved issues slowing the development of LTE-TDD, such as the conversion of WiBro services to LTE-TDD by SK Telecom and KT, and also the pending approval of a fourth telecommunications company. As a result, equipment manufacturers and players involved in LTE-TDD are hesitant to enter the market.