Market research firm Infonetics Research released excerpts from its 3rd quarter 2012 (3Q12) 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE and WiMAX) Infrastructure and Subscribers market share and forecasts report, which tracks 2G, 3G, and 4G (LTE and WiMAX) network equipment and subscribers.

ANALYST NOTE

“We saw strong LTE activity in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea in the third quarter, contrasted by weak activity in the BRIC countries, for a total 30% bump in LTE equipment sales worldwide,” notes Stéphane Téral, principal analyst for mobile infrastructure and carrier economics at Infonetics Research.

Téral adds, “LTE was indeed the lone bright spot this quarter, as the rest of the mobile infrastructure market dragged the overall market down, led by a sharp drop in CDMA gear. Despite the current lethargy, we anticipate a strong pipeline moving forward, with 2013 fully charged with a good mix of 2G, 3G, and LTE equipment purchases. China Mobile alone has a nationwide TD-LTE rollout plan of 100,000 eNodeBs.”

MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

• In 3Q12, the global 2G/3G/4G (including LTE and WiMAX) infrastructure market was down 4.7% from the previous quarter and down 4.0% from the year-ago quarter
• Nokia Siemens Networks jumped from #4 to #2 in the LTE equipment market after more than doubling its LTE revenue in 3Q12, significantly closing the gap with market leader Ericsson and passing Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei
• From the year-ago 3rd quarter, global LTE infrastructure sales are up 131%
• Infonetics forecasts LTE subscribers to grow nearly 5-fold to top 51 million worldwide in 2012
• The Global Mobile Suppliers Association expects 166 commercial LTE networks by year end
• CDMA2000 continued its freefall in 3Q12, down 16% sequentially and down 46% year-over-year, reflecting the beginning of the long declining tail curve
• The WiMAX ecosystem is shrinking, with fewer vendors continuing to support the technology as they stake their long-term futures on LTE

REPORT SYNOPSIS

Infonetics’ quarterly 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE and WiMAX) report provides worldwide and regional market size, vendor market share, analysis, deployment trackers, and forecasts for LTE, WiMAX, and 2G/3G mobile network equipment and subscribers. The report tracks more than 50 subsegments of the market, including radio access networks (RAN), base transceiver stations (BTSs), mobile softswitching, packet core equipment, and E-UTRAN macrocells. Vendors tracked include Airspan, Alcatel-Lucent, Alvarion, Cisco, Datang Mobile, Ericsson, Fujitsu, GENBAND, HP, Huawei, NEC, NewNet, Nokia Siemens Networks, Proxim, Redline Communications, Samsung, UTStarcom, ZTE, and many others. To buy the report, contact Infonetics: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp.

RELATED RESEARCH

• Latest Infonetics Mobile, Wireless, and Small Cells research brief: http://bit.ly/SL16eJ
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• 3G and 4G self-organizing network (SON) software market set to double in 2013
• A first: Increased ARPU now a top driver for LTE upgrades
• Mobile broadband will push mobile services to $976B by 2016; SMS, voice persevere
• Voice over LTE gaining momentum; 300k VoLTE subscribers by year's end
• Small cell is the buzz but DAS is the biz, say operators in latest Infonetics survey

RECENT AND UPCOMING RESEARCH

Download Infonetics' market research brochure, events brochure, publication calendar, report highlights, tables of contents, prospectuses and more at http://www.infonetics.com/login.

• 2G/3G/4G/LTE Services and Subscribers: Voice, SMS/MMS, and Broadband Forecast
• Fundamental Telecom/Datacom Market Drivers
• Infonetics CRS Report: Huawei 2011 Revenue Reconciliation
• Service Provider Capex, Opex, Revenue, & Subscribers Database
• Telecommunications Equipment Vendor Leadership Scorecard

UPCOMING INFONETICS EVENTS

• WEBINAR: Subscriber Engagement: The Missing Link in Policy Control & Charging (Dec. 11)
• WEBINAR: Integrating Carrier WiFi with the Mobile Network (Target date: Feb. 2013)
• WEBINAR: Scaling Small Cell Backhaul (Sponsorships available)

TO BUY REPORTS, CONTACT SALES:

N. America (West), Asia, Latin America: Larry Howard, larry@infonetics.com, +1 408-583-3335

N. America (East), Texas, Midwest: Scott Coyne, scott@infonetics.com, +1 408-583-3395

Europe, Middle East, Africa: George Stojsavljevic, george@infonetics.com, +44 755-488-1623

Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan: http://www.infonetics.com/contact.asp

ABOUT INFONETICS

Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com) is an international market research and consulting firm serving the communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics helps clients plan, strategize, and compete effectively. View Infonetics’ About Us slides at http://bit.ly/QUrbrV.

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