PARTNER FEATURE:

Rapid WTTx Development

Rapid development of mobile communications networks has demonstrated the advantages of mobile communications. Radio communications technologies are becoming a trendy substitution of copper wires and optical fibers and becoming a corner stone of the society and our lifestyles, especially in the field of home broadband (HBB). Over the past five years, 230 operators in 124 countries around the world have deployed WTTx to provide fixed wireless broadband services for 75 million households, small- and medium-sized enterprises, schools, and hospitals. Since 2017, the number of global HBB users has increased at a compound annual growth rate of over 10%. More and more new devices become connected. Legacy devices’ rapidly growing demand for bandwidth is creating more traffic dividends for operators and putting them in a position to realize that the driving forces for the deployment and development of mobile networks are transforming from investment to user experience and value.

TDD: Key Role in WTTx Development

According to the Digital Economy and Society Index Report 2018 released by the European Union, wired broadband rates in Europe are between 7 Mbit/s and 23 Mbit/s, and the LTE rate has already reached between 20 Mbit/s and 42 Mbit/s. 37% of households in Finland and 23% in Italy only use LTE wireless technologies to access the Internet. Wireless broadband services have been rolled out in many developing countries, such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, to accelerate broadband development. The growth rate of wireless broadband has surpassed that of fixed broadband. The broadband penetration rate increased from 12% to 17% in the Philippines, and from 9% to 25% in Sri Lanka. More than 70% of operators that have deployed WTTx networks with over a million users around the world implemented TDD technologies during deployment. These networks leverage large bandwidth of TDD spectrum to quickly improve site capacity and implement multiple-antenna technologies to improve spectral efficiency. This speeds up WTTx service provisioning, improves user experience, and allows operators to monetize experience.

TDD: More Suitable for WTTx Network Deployment

(Low Deployment Cost per Bit, High Spectral Efficiency, Provisioning of Services at Guaranteed User-perceived Throughput, and Experience Monetization)

WTTx networks deployed around the world are evidence of operators’ eager practices of value-oriented network deployment during WTTx service development. Value-oriented development helps operators maximize return on investment. For example, WTTx is enjoying rapid development in South Africa, a country with a huge population, a high proportion of young people, and a large number of middle-income families. Rapid WTTx development causes a sharp increase in network traffic (nearly three times that of MBB traffic). Therefore, most operators in South Africa have opted to improve network capacity based on WTTx scenarios and requirements and use abundant TDD spectrum to develop WTTx services. This is also the case in other regions with a high FBB penetration rate. Japan, one of the countries with the highest FBB penetration rate in the world, witnesses even faster annual WTTx user growth. This propels local operators in Japan to leverage more legacy sites and TDD spectrum to consolidate their networks, and quickly introduce TDD multiple-antenna technologies to improve spectral efficiency, boost single-site capacity, and provide services at guaranteed user-perceived throughput. After these measures are implemented, operators reap many benefits from WTTx services provided using TDD technologies. Service provisioning strategies featuring lower cost per bit and higher guaranteed user-perceived throughput allow operators to monetize experience.

TDD: Preferred Choice for FWA Development; Call for More TDD Spectrum to Deploy WTTx

Wireless access is expected to connect 350 million more households over the next five years. TDD, the top player for WTTx, will help operators maximize network value and provide broadband access services for more households and enterprises without adding base stations. In January 2019, contiguous TDD spectrum was released to many operators for mobile network deployment in different countries in the Middle East. The release of large, contiguous TDD spectrum not only drives forward ongoing broadband development in many countries, but also allows operators to take the lead upon the arrival of 5G, unleash large traffic potential, identify hotspots, and quickly deploy WTTx networks based on their own service demands and user demands. This helps operators accumulate the experience of WTTx network and service development, offer superior experience of innovative technologies to consumers, improve user loyalty, and pave the way for service innovation and development in the 5G era.