One of the caveats of LTE as the next step forward for mobile broadband has been this: while designed as a migration path for 3G, it introduces a number of new technologies that network engineers have to get to grips with. LTE not only comes with new RAN technologies like OFDM and MIMO antenna configurations, but also presents cellcos with the prospect of heterogeneous access networks, small cells that have to be self-organized (and backhauled), and IP-based services requiring different levels of guaranteed service quality, to name just a few.
It's been a steep learning curve, and one exacerbated by the fact that LTE is ramping up faster than any of its predecessors, and certainly faster than many cellcos initially thought. Most operators originally weren't expecting to roll out LTE until at least this year - but the GSA's latest figures at press time report 113 LTE launches as of November 2012. And, amazingly, LTE Advanced (the next incarnation of LTE) is already on the horizon. Yota launched LTE Advanced last year (although as a test network), and AT&T Mobility reportedly plans to start rolling it out later this year.
Meanwhile, the fact that LTE is a different animal than 3G is having an impact in the test-and-measurement side of the business in some interesting ways.
Obviously, test-and-measurement is more crucial than ever for operators making sure they get LTE right before launch. And as it happens, there's a lot to get right.
But LTE is impacting T&M in one other interesting way - it's changing the relationships between operators, equipment vendors and test vendors to the point where third-party testing is becoming a necessary part of the process.
Added complexity
Before we get into that, it's worth looking at some of the key differences LTE brings to the table in terms of T&M, most of which can be summed up with one word: complexity.