It's starting to look as though LTE Broadcast, based on evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) technology, actually will take off within the next 12 months.
One of LTE Broadcast's most enthusiastic champions is Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), which is embedding the technology into its mobile-device chipsets. "People love video. If you look at the growth of data over wireless, it's all largely video. If you look at the growth of broadband pipes, it's largely video. There's this insatiable appetite for consuming video, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be the case on LTE networks," Neville Meijers, vice president of business development for Qualcomm Labs, told me at last month's Mobile World Congress.
One particularly interesting take offered by Meijers is that LTE Broadcast will be boosted by carriers' rollout of carrier aggregation. That's because aggregation will enable operators to add a supplemental downlink to their network, meaning there will be additional spectrum they can use for dabbling in non-core offerings. Think of it as "mad money" they can spend on whatever they want.
Nonetheless, there are still lots of questions regarding the viable use cases for LTE Broadcast. That's why FierceBroadbandWireless decided to take a closer look at the technology and how it might actually be employed. For our special feature on LTE Broadcast, check out this link.--Tammy
P.S. Do you think the prospects look good for LTE Broadcast? After you read our feature, take the poll on our home page to let us know what you think the future holds.