Telecom Lead India: LG will launch TD-LTE smartphones in India this year. This will be a big boost for 4G operators such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Aircel, etc.
At present, Huawei is the only telecom equipment vendor that supplies TD-LTE phones to Airtel.
The billionaire Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Jio Infocomm, which will be launching 4G / LTE services this year using its BWA license that it procured in 2010, is reportedly negotiating with Samsung as well to buy phones.
According to Yankee Group, markets including China, India, Europe and the United States will account for more than 134 million registered TD LTE lines by 2016.
Bharti Airtel, India’s #1 telecom operator, has already launched 4G network in Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh and is looking for adding voice capacity to accelerate user base.
The Sunil Mittal promoted Airtel will compete with Reliance Jio that has recently concluded telecom infrastructure deals with Airtel and Reliance Communications.
LG on Thursday said it will introduce TD LTE devices this year in China, India, North America, Japan and Australia with additional countries to follow.
Saudi Arabia will be the first country to receive the TD LTE phone as LG will launch Optimus G smartphone on the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) network.
LG Electronics has shipped 10.3 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2013. LG Mobile Communications posted first quarter revenues of KRW 3.21 trillion ($2.96 billion), up 28.5 percent from the same period last year.
Growth drivers include LTE smartphones such as the Optimus G and Optimus G Pro along with 3G smartphones including the Optimus L Series and Nexus 4.
“TD LTE is a superior alternative in some countries due to its flexibility in uploading and downloading content,” said Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
“With the commercial introduction of LTE TDD service, LG will build upon its expertise in 4G LTE by offering future device options utilizing this standard,” Park added.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
