Status of the LTE Ecosystem

This GSA report confirms 13,117 LTE user devices identified as launched, from 687 manufacturers, and provides an analysis of the main developments and trends. This new total is 7% higher than the number of devices reported by GSA in August 2018. This report covers LTE FDD and TDD (TD-LTE) models and LTE-related cellular IoT devices standardized by 3GPP as UE Cat-M1/M2 and UE Cat-NB1/NB2.

5G devices

The 5G device ecosystem is starting to build as the first commercial 5G services (for FWA applications) are switched on. While 5G trials have used prototype user equipment (UE), commercial services need commercial devices. As these are not being produced in large volumes, details are limited, but GSA has identified the following 5G devices:

Huawei 5G CPE mmWave (router)

Huawei 5G CPE sub-6 GHz (router)

Samsung SFG-D0100 (router)

Motorola 5G Mod (smartphone clip-on 5G module/adapter)

Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot (router).

Other vendors are signposting devices to be available in 2019, including HTC (with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50-based ‘smart hub’ router for US operator Sprint). Verizon is expected to launch a  5G NR hotspot in 2019; we understand its 4G hotspot devices are manufactured by Inseego (formerly Novatel Wireless). We expect that as the industry gears up for major trade shows in early 2019, many more 5G devices will be announced.

©2018 GSA

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