A record 540 new mobile devices were certified through the Global Certification Forum (GCF) in 2015, largely driven by a rising demand for LTE-capability.

The GCF, which maintains a certification scheme as a benchmark of interoperability for mobile phones and other devices, revealed in its 2015 Mobile Device Trends report that 370 devices (nearly 70 per cent) certified during 2015 incorporated LTE, increasing by 31 per cent from 282 in 2014.

369 new LTE devices supported LTE FDD, while 113 supported TD-LTE, and 82 devices were LTE-Advanced.

Just one device supported TD-LTE but not LTE-FDD.

The report also highlighted how “mobile devices continue to increase in complexity”, with manufacturers developing products to support multiple wireless technologies across multiple bands.

“In 2015, several certified devices supported as many as 25 different bands across five bearer technologies,” read the report. “Across all certified devices, the average device supported 10 different bands.”

3G technology
3G UMTS capability was a big feature in devices supporting LTE FDD, with 82 per cent of the 369 devices certified also incorporating the technology, while more than half of all devices certified (55 per cent) incorporated second-generation GSM, 3G and LTE.

136 devices in total supported 3G but not LTE, while there was just a single 3G only device among the 2015 certifications. In total, 456 devices (84.5 per cent) incorporated 3G UMTS.

This year’s record breaking figure beat the previous record of 536, set in 2014, with 47 manufacturers around the world submitting devices for GCF certification.

“Certification identifies devices that will meet the expectation of end users and helps manufacturers target the global market by ensuring their devices can connect over diverse networks worldwide,” said Lars Nielsen, GCF general manager in a statement.