MWC 2016: GTI 2.0 Launched, Continue TD-LTE Development and Promote 5G Industrialization and Innovation.

With the support and guidance of 5 Chairman/CEO from top operators, Sunil Bharti Mittal (founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises), Mr. Shang Bing (chairman of China Mobile), Mr. Masayoshi Son (chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp), Mr. Chang-Gyu Hwang (chairman and CEO of KT) and Mr.Vittorio Colao (CEO of Vodafone Group Plc), GTI 2.0 was officially launched during the GTI summit 2016 held on Feb. 23rd at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

With a new 5-year strategic plan and mission, GTI 2.0 aims to continue to promote the global development of TD-LTE (delivering LTE by creating a time delay between the uplink and downlink signals), encouraging convergence with FDD (frequency division duplex, which requires two channels), and to foster a cross-industry innovative and a synergistic 5G ecosystem.

Founded in 2011, GTI has been dedicated to constructing a robust ecosystem of TD-LTE, speeding up the commercialization of TD-LTE and promoting the convergence of LTE TDD and FDD. Today, GTI has become an influential cooperation platform with 122 operator members and 103 industrial partners, and has completed the GTI 1.0 mission by building an end-to-end TD-LTE ecosystem and achieving global commercialization of TD-LTE and converged LTE TDD/FDD. By the end of Dec. 2015, there were 76 TD-LTE commercial networks in 43 countries, and 91 TD-LTE networks in progress, with a total of 1.4 million TD-LTE base stations serving 470 million subscribers globally.

With the success in making TD-LTE a global standard and the convergence of TDD/FDD, GTI 2.0 will continue to help the whole industry benefit from the evolution of TD-LTE, TDD/FDD converged networks and global smartphones, and promote a unified 5G standard and mature end-to-end ecosystem, as well as explore cross-industry markets and opportunities. GTI will continue its good cooperation with industry partners and international organizations.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said, "Bharti Airtel is delighted to be a part of GTI 2.0. We have led the roll-out of TD-LTE in India and are confident that it will emerge as the preferred standard for evolving mobile technologies. We look forward to collaborating with the consortium partners towards developing technology ecosystem for the future and help build a digitally inclusive world."   

Shang Bing, Chairman of China Mobile said, "China Mobile will fully support GTI 2.0 objectives. We will work closely with GTI partners to further promote TD-LTE evolution, global deployment and propel 5G development and joint innovation to embrace the new era of 'Everything Connected'."

Masayoshi Son, Chairman of Softbank Group said "Since 2011, GTI has made great achievements through its 5 years' effort. TD-LTE has become a global standard that so huge number of people are using. Today, I also expect GTI 2.0 continues to promote the evolution of technology to meet the requirements of 1 million times growth of mobile data traffic in next 30 years. In specific, I believe Band 41 HP UE will benefit both operator and customer, which I really want GTI 2.0 to make it happen as soon as possible."

Chang-Gyu Hwang, Chief Executive Officer of KT, said "KT anticipate crucial role of GTI 2.0 in various areas, especially early expansion of 5G and related vertical industry. As member of GTI 2.0, KT will cooperate with other GTI 2.0 members on various business areas and make meaningful contribution in GTI 2.0."

Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Group, said: "It is important for the industry to continue developing 4G and to work together to develop the standards for 5G technology ahead of its expected commercial introduction from 2020 onwards. GTI 2.0 will provide Vodafone with a useful forum to work closely with a number of major operators towards that goal." 

SOURCE China Mobile

For further information: Sean Lee, Press and Public Relations, China Mobile Research Institute, No. 32 Xuanwumen West Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China, +86 10-52686688 ext.33492, lixiaoyj@chinamobile.com ; anderson100928@sina.com

MWC 2016: China Mobile Draws Up a New Blueprint for the Migration from 4G to 5G.

China Mobile launched its 5G Joint Innovation Center project at the GTI Summit 2016, which was held during the World Mobile Congress (WMC) in Barcelona, Spain on Feb. 23, 2016. The world's largest telecom company also announced its business targets of reaching 1.40 million TD-LTE base stations, selling 330 million 4G devices and expanding the 4G subscriber base to over 500 million by the end of 2016.   

According to Mr. Shang Bing, Chairman of China Mobile, the company has deployed 1.10 million TD-LTE base stations as of the end of 2015, covering over 1.2 billion population and has achieved 4G roaming with 114 countries and regions; China Mobile sold 300 million TD-LTE devices in 2015, indicating the addition of more than 400 TD-LTE users every minute; China Mobile's 4G subscriber base reached 340 million, accounting for about 30% of global number. Moreover, China Mobile has completed the deployment of carrier aggregation (CA) in over 300 cities and has commercialized VoLTE services in 100 cities. 

Speaking of the goal for next year, Shang Bing said that China Mobile will speed up 4G deployment by increasing the number of TD-LTE base stations to 1.40 million and deploy CA technologies in central and hot-spot areas of all cities by the end of 2016; to commercialize VoLTE services in over 260 cities in the first half of 2016; to commercialize the Rich Communication Service (RCS) in the second half of the year; to accelerate the uptake of VoLTE/CA-enabled devices, sell 330 million 4G devices and expand the 4G user base to over 500 million in 2016.     

China Mobile supports GTI in driving the global deployment of TD-LTE and the converged development of FDD/TDD and will actively promote roaming of 4G and VoLTE. It will develop dedicated networks for the Internet of Things and aims to develop 100 million IoT connections in 2016. Moreover, Shang Bing pointed out that the company expects to increase the maturity of narrow-band IoT (NB-IOT) and strives to commercialize it in 2017.

Mr. Li Zhengmao, Vice President of China Mobile, together with the representatives of the first 11 partners, jointly launched the China Mobile 5G Joint Innovation Center at the summit. 

The Center aims to conduct joint innovation on applications and products with industry partners in such areas as basic communications, IoT, telematics, industrial Internet, cloud robotics and virtual/augmented reality, through open labs, and thus build an integrated cross-industry ecosystem and achieve win-win cooperation in the process of migrating from 4G to 5G. Early partners include Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Datang, Intel, Keysight, Beijing Shougang Automation Information Technology Co., Ltd., Haier, and Hisense.

China Mobile also introduced cost-effective VoLTE/CA devices and chip solutions during the summit, including its self-branded VoLTE/CA devices such as A1s, A2 and N2. Together with Samsung, China Mobile introduced 5 new customized VoLTE devices; in partnership with Qualcomm and MTK, China Mobile launched VoLTE+ down-link and up-link CA chip solutions at the price point of $100; jointly with Spreadtrum and Leadcore, China Mobile released VoLTE chip solutions at the price point of $50.

The summit marks the 5^th anniversary of GTI.  Over 700 representatives from the ITU, the Chinese government, GSMA, China Mobile, India's Bharti,Japan's Softbank, Korea's KT participated to share their views and insights on such topics as the converged development of TD-LTE and TDD/FDD across the world, TD-LTE evolution, trends of 3.5GHz industry, 5G strategies and visions, and cross-industry applications. Having released the next five-year strategic plan, GTI is committed to promoting the commercialization of TD-LTE on a wider scale in the world and the deeper integration between TD-LTE and FDD, enabling TDD technology to play a more important role in the 5G era, and building up an eco-system for win-win cross-industry cooperation.

SOURCE China Mobile Limited

For further information: Sean Lee, Press and Public Relations, China Mobile Research Institute, +86-10-52686688 ext.33492, lixiaoyj@chinamobile.comor anderson100928@sina.com

Nokia, China Mobile, and Ooredoo Qatar claim 4.1Gb/s world record with TDD-FDD CA

China Mobile, Ooredoo Qatar and Nokia Networks claim to have showcased a record-breaking download speed of 4.1Gb/s by combining 200MHz of TDD- and FDD-LTE spectrum using 10-band carrier aggregation.

The demo at the ITU Telecom World event in Qatar used Nokia’s Flexi Multi-radio 10 base station and LTE-A MIMO technology and also achieved an upload speed of more than 300Mb/s.

At this speed, users would be able to download a full-length 5GB high-definition (HD) movie in just 11 seconds and simultaneously upload a 5-minute 30 MB video clip from a concert in less than a second.

Huang Yuhong, deputy general Manager of China Mobile Research Institute and secretary general of the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), said: “This milestone boosts our efforts as we drive the commercialisation and globalisation of TD-LTE and TDD-FDD converged technology across the globe.”

The demo, which was supported by the GTI, was slightly higher than the 3.78Gb/s download speed Nokia and SK Telecom achieved in June using TDD-FDD carrier aggregation with 200MHz over 10 bands.

Vendors and operators have claimed a number of TDD-FDD carrier aggregation firsts over the past few months.

A bit closer to commercial reality, in early October Ericsson, SingTel and Qualcomm showcased FDD-TDD carrier aggregation with a peak downlink speed of 260Mb/s using commercially available hardware and software. The demonstration on SingTel’s network, which aggregated 20MHz of FDD spectrum with 20MHz of TDD spectrum, used Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor and Ericsson’s LTE software.

In early September China Telecom and Nokia said they demoed FDD-TDD carrier aggregationwith a peak download speed of 260Mb/s using a commercial user chipset from Marvell. The speed was achieved using 20MHz of (paired) FDD spectrum in the 1.8GHz band and 20MHz of (unpaired) TDD bandwidth in the 2.6GHz frequency.

LG launches the G3 Dual SIM in China.

LG Electronics just introduced the G3 Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) smartphone  to the China market with the 3 major carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.

The LG  G3 Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) smartphone will allow data and voice simultaneously and Dual SIM Dual Stand By. It supports both the TD-LTE system (E985T) and FD-LTE system.

The Specifications are the same of the LG G3 :

Key Specifications*:

• - Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 801 (up to 2.5GHz Quad-Core)
• - Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS (2560 x 1440, 538ppi)
• - Memory: 16/32GB eMMC ROM, 2/3GB DDR3 RAM / microSD slot (128GB max)
• - Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS+ and Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP
• - Battery: 3,000mAh (removable)
• - Operating System: Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• - Size: 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm
• - Weight: 149g
• - Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21 Mbps (3G)
• - Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X), NFC,

SlimPort, A-GPS/Glonass, USB 2.0

• - Color: Metallic Black, Silk White, Shine Gold, Moon Violet, Burgundy Red
• - Other: Smart Keyboard, Smart Notice, Knock Code^TM, Guest Mode, etc.

* Specifications may vary depending on the market. 

LG Korea

China: LG’s E985T latest TD-LTE smartphone debuts on China Mobile world’s largest operator.

WorldWide Tech & Science.Francisco De Jesùs.

China: LG’s E985T latest TD-LTE smartphone debuts on China Mobile world’s largest operator.

LG Electronics (LG) announced that it will enter the biggest Time Division-Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) market with the introduction of its LG-E985T smartphone through China Mobile starting from this week. China Mobile is the world’s largest mobile operator with nearly 750 million subscribers.

The LG-E985T is equipped with the speedy 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm^® Snapdragon^™ 600 processor, a long-lasting 2,940mAh battery and a superb 13MP camera. The LG-E985T willbe one of the most advanced 4G smartphones in China Mobile’s 4G offerings. The 5.5-inch 1080p Full HD IPS display delivers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 400ppi, for razor sharp images and a wide viewing angle. The LG-E985T supports dual modes — TD-LTE and FDD-LTE —­ for seamless connectivity to any network outside of China.

At last year’s Mobile World Congress, LG and China Mobile teamed up to demonstrate the viability of TD-LTE technology on LG’s Optimus G smartphone. Then in May 2013, LG introduced its first TD-LTE device through Saudi Telecom, one of the largest operator in the Arab states. Chinese authoritiesrecently issued 4G licenses to operate TD-LTE networks to three domestic operators, including China Mobile.Currently, only TD-LTE networks are activein China, not the more common FD-LTEstandard.

“LG is proud to be a participant in the introduction of the 4G era in the world’s largest mobile market with a partner such as China Mobile,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We look forward to further strengthening our presence in China with competitive TD-LTE devices such as the LG-E985T.”

Key Specifications:

•      Chipset: 1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm^®Snapdragon™ 600

•      Display: 5.5-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080, 400ppi)

•      Memory: 2GB DDR RAM / 16GB / microSD (up to 32GB)

•      Camera: Rear 13.0MP with LED Flash / Front 2.1MP

•      Battery: 2,940mAh(removable)

•      Operating System: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

•      Size: 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4mm

•      Colors: Indigo Black, Luna White

Buy the LG G2 UNLOCKED:

IDC says: Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Top One Billion Units for the First Time.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

The worldwide smartphone market reached yet another milestone, having shipped one billion units in a single year for the first time. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 1,004.2 million smartphones worldwide, up 38.4% from the 725.3 million units in 2012. This aligns with IDC's most recent forecast of 1,010.4 million units, making for a difference of less than 1%. Smartphones accounted for 55.1% of all mobile phone shipments in 2013, up from the 41.7% of all mobile phone shipments in 2012. In the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13), vendors shipped a total of 284.4 million smartphones worldwide, up 24.2% from the 229.0 million units shipped in 4Q12.

In the worldwide mobile phone market (inclusive of smartphones), vendors shipped 1,821.8 million units, up 4.8% from the 1,738.1 million units shipped 2012. In 4Q13 alone, vendors shipped a total of 488.4 million units worldwide, up 0.9% from the 484.0 million units shipped in 4Q12. This is 2.8% lower than the 502.4 million units that IDC had recently forecast.

"The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone's continued popularity in 2013," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phoneteam. "Total smartphone shipments reached 494.4 million units worldwide in 2011, and doubling that volume in just two years demonstrates strong end-user demand and vendor strategies to highlight smartphones."

"Among the top trends driving smartphone growth are large screen devices and low cost," said Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "Of the two, I have to say that low cost is the key difference maker. Cheap devices are not the attractive segment that normally grabs headlines, but IDC data shows this is the portion of the market that is driving volume. Markets like China and India are quickly moving toward a point where sub-$150 smartphones are the majority of shipments, bringing a solid computing experience to the hands of many.

Smartphone Vendor Highlights:

Samsung ended the quarter the same way it began the year: as the clear leader in worldwide smartphone shipments. But even with sustained demand for its Galaxy S III, S4, and Note models, as well as its deep selection of mid-range and entry-level models, the company realized a decline compared to the previous quarter. Nevertheless, the company maintained a sizable double-digit lead over the next vendor.

Apple posted record shipment volume during 4Q13, driven primarily by the addition of multiple countries offering the iPhone 5S and 5C, and sustained demand from its initial markets that saw these models launch at the end of 3Q13. Still, Apple had the lowest year-on-year increase of all the leading vendors. Now that Apple has finally arrived at China Mobile, it remains to be seen how much Apple will close the gap against Samsung in 2014.

Huawei maintained its number three position worldwide, attained the highest year-on-year increase among the leading vendors, and raised its brand profile with a higher proportion of self-branded units compared to the ODM work it had done for other companies. Still, even with its success, Huawei faces a crowded group of potential competitors within striking distance.

Lenovo, despite having no presence in North America nor Western Europe, finished the quarter in the number four position. The company's strength lies in its strong presence within key emerging markets and a well-segmented product portfolio spanning from simple, affordable smartphones to full-featured 5" screen models. Should the company become successful at branching into more developed markets in 2014, it could challenge Huawei for the number three spot.

LG finished just behind Lenovo and edged out ZTE for the number five position, with just five million units separating the two companies. At the same time, its year-on-year improvement put the company on par with Huawei and Lenovo with market beating growth. LG's success can be directly attributed to its revived portfolio from a year ago, which featured more large-screen and high-end models, including the Nexus 5 and its Optimus G series.

Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 (Units in Millions) 

Vendor	2013 Shipment Volumes	2013 Market Share	2012 Shipment Volumes	2012 Market Share	Year-over-Year Change
Samsung	313.9	31.3%	219.7	30.3%	42.9%
Apple	153.4	15.3%	135.9	18.7%	12.9%
Huawei	48.8	4.9%	29.1	4.0%	67.5%
LG	47.7	4.8%	26.3	3.6%	81.1%
Lenovo	45.5	4.5%	23.7	3.3%	91.7%
Others	394.9	39.3%	290.5	40.1%	35.9%
Total	1,004.2	100.0%	725.3	100.0%	38.4%

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, January 27, 2014

  Top Five Smartphone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 Q4 (Units in Millions) 

Vendor	4Q13 Shipment Volumes	4Q13 Market Share	4Q12 Shipment Volumes	4Q12 Market Share	Year-over-Year Change
Samsung	82.0	28.8%	66.7	29.1%	22.9%
Apple	51.0	17.9%	47.8	20.9%	6.7%
Huawei	16.4	5.8%	10.5	4.6%	56.5%
Lenovo	13.9	4.9%	9.4	4.1%	47.3%
LG	13.2	4.6%	8.6	3.8%	53.2%
Others	107.9	37.9%	85.9	37.5%	25.6%
Total	284.4	100.0%	229.0	100.0%	24.2%

iCharts

Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 (Units in Millions) 

Vendor	2013 Shipment Volumes	2013 Market Share	2012 Shipment Volumes	2012 Market Share	Year-over-Year Change
Samsung	446.7	24.5%	409.4	23.6%	9.1%
Nokia	251.0	13.8%	335.6	19.3%	-25.2%
Apple	153.4	8.4%	135.9	7.8%	12.9%
LG	70.0	3.8%	56.6	3.3%	23.6%
Huawei	55.5	3.0%	47.5	2.7%	16.7%
Others	845.2	46.4%	753.1	43.3%	12.2%
Total	1,821.8	100.0%	1738.1	100.0%	4.8%

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, January 27, 2014

Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 Q3 (Units in Millions) 

Vendor	4Q13 Shipment Volumes	4Q13 Market Share	4Q12 Shipment Volumes	4Q12 Market Share	Year-over-Year Change
Samsung	112.0	22.9%	113.6	23.5%	-1.4%
Nokia	63.4	13.0%	86.3	17.8%	-26.5%
Apple	51.0	10.4%	47.8	9.9%	6.7%
LG	18.5	3.8%	15.4	3.2%	20.2%
Huawei	17.9	3.7%	15.9	3.3%	12.6%
Others	225.6	46.2%	205.1	42.4%	10.0%
Total	488.4	100.0%	484.0	100.0%	0.9%

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, January 27, 2014

Note: Data are preliminary and subject to change. Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.

About IDC Trackers

IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and on-line query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker products on their iPhone and iPad.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 50 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

Companies Covered:

LG Corp., Nokia Corporation, MARKET SHARE MEIDA SHIVUKI LTD, China Mobile Limited, HTC Corporation, Cromogenia-Units, S.A., Samsung

Regions Covered:

North America, United States, Western Europe

Topics Covered:

Mobile platform, Mobility, TV phone, Video player

Contact

For more information, contact:

Ramon Llamas

rllamas@idc.com

508-935-4736

Ryan Reith

rreith@idc.com

650-350-6242

Michael Shirer

press@idc.com

508-935-4200