LTE users forecast to exceed 150 million by 2014 - Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taipei,  (CNA) The number of users worldwide of long-term evolution (LTE) high-speed networks will exceed 150 million by 2014 based on strong demand in the United States, according to the results of a study released Saturday by a U.S. research company In-Stat.

LTE technology has drawn the attention of telecom carriers and service providers because of as its data efficiency, which is far greater than that of the existing 3G networks, In-Stat said.

The number of global users of LTE technology grew to 1 million in 2010 and is forecast to reach 8 million this year, In-Stat said.

The fast growth of LTE will bring lots of business opportunities for some Taiwanese manufacturers in the wireless broadband supply chain, such as mobile phone maker HTC Corp., tablet computer makers Acer Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc., as well as broadband equipment makers ZyXEL, Gemtek, Accton and Quanta, according to the research firm.

In January at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, HTC signed a deal with U.S. telecom operator Verizon Wireless Inc. to sell the world's first LTE smartphone, while Acer also announced that its Android tablet PC, Iconia A500, would support Verizon's LTE network.

"The increasing investment of U.S. telecom operators in LTE will gradually shift the leadership of the global wireless communications sector from Asia and Europe to the United States," In-Stat senior analyst Chris Kissel said in a statement.

For the period 2009 to 2014, LTE investment in the United States will account for more than a fourth of its global investment, Kissel said.

By 2014, the number of LTE users in the U.S. will exceed the combined total in Europe and Asia, he forecast.

There are two major LTE standards running on different wireless spectrums -- FDD-LTE and TD-LTE. Currently, 84 percent of LTE users worldwide subscribe to FDD-LTE. TD-LTE is backed by China Mobile Ltd, the world's largest mobile service provider by number of subscribers.

In-Stat forecast that Japan would still have the most LTE users in Asia by 2014, but China and India would have the highest potential for growth of LTE service by that time. (By Jeffrey Wu) ENDITEM /pc

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Analyst: Apple's iCloud could see 150 million users - CNET

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Apple could sign up as many as 150 million iPhone users to its new iCloud service, according to projections based on a survey from RBC Capital Markets.

In a report released today, RBC found that 76 percent of the 1,500 iPhone users polled from June 7 to 14 intend to use the iCloud service. Unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, iCloud will allow iOS device users to store, access, and sync their iTunes content online.

iMessage also should be a hot item, according to RBC. The survey found 73 percent of iPhone users plan to use Apple's upcoming new text messaging service, which RBC projects might mean 150 million iMessage users in total.

The iMessage service, a feature in iOS 5, could boost loyalty among existing iPhone users and convince the 60 million iPod Touch users to pick the iPhone over Android or other competing phones if they upgrade, according to the report.

Finally, iTunes Match proved enticing to 30 percent of those surveyed, who said they'd be likely to spend $24.99 per year for the new service. Part of iCloud, iTunes Match lets users store any music not purchased or available through iTunes in the cloud. Based on the survey, RBC is projecting that iTunes Match could add another $1.5 billion a year to Apple's annual revenue.

Looking down the road, RBC believes Apple will add additional services through iCloud, including audio and video streaming, photo and video sharing, hosted Time Machine backups, and document management and storage. The iCloud service will be accessible from all iOS devices and possibly even entry-level items like the iPod Nano and Shuffle, the report said.

Overall, RBC sees iCloud and iTunes as a strong combination, helping Apple continue to retain and grow a devoted customer base.

"Because it stores user data, iCloud, along with iTunes is expected to enhance loyalty and stickiness of Apple's customers, helping defend against threats from Android, helping grow a defensible install base of users who continually upgrade to next generation Macs, iPhones, iPads, and iPods," the report said.

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