Next year will see the arrival of new features and capabilities that will show just how capable LTE is in meeting mobile broadband requirements for a wide range of mobile operators, according to a new report from Analysys Mason. One of these features will be Voice over LTE (VoLTE), although the research and consultancy company said VoLTE is unlikely to make a significant impact in 2014 because few countries will have the breadth of network needed for useful service apart from Japan and the United States.
In Europe, the UK could see early launches from EE, which may launch VoLTE with HD Voice as a competitive differentiator. Analysys Mason added that voice support for most operators must include a "fallback" solution for non-native VoLTE calls, or calls in areas where LTE coverage is lacking or limited. Other LTE developments expected by the company include the growing deployment of carrier aggregation for improved spectrum utilisation and the reduction in LTE band fragmentation as the market continues to focus on five bands for FDD-LTE FDD and four for TD-LTE. Report