A Business Edge for Operators and Carriers

Advantages of Single Mode LTE

The explosion of data-centric devices such as mobile hotspots, Wi-Fi routers, USB dongles and M2M applications, combined with the expansion of 4G coverage to the point of 3G parity, is driving strong carrier adoption of LTE powered devices which do not include 3G functionality. The combination of 3G’s high cost, driven by extra silicon and heavy IP royalty toll, with narrow-band user experience, provide strong motivation to carriers and consumers alike to adopt LTE-only devices.

From the development side, single mode is much simpler than multi-mode, since fewer RF bands, components and antennas need to be incorporated. There is also shorter time to market and lower R&D cost when it comes to design and certification.

From the operator perspective, single-mode LTE leads to lower cost of devices and the ability to shut down legacy networks gradually and re-farm the spectrum. Such cost savings are also passed on to the end-user.

Altair’s Single Mode Technology

Altair’s early focus and investment in single-mode LTE has allowed the company to successfully complete IOT testing, field trials and carrier certification with numerous tier-one infrastructure vendors globally for both FDD LTE and TD-LTE in more than 15 LTE bands.

This significant lead time has provided Altair with a distinct advantage over the competition, not only on the product level, but also when it comes to swift product integration and improved time-to-market. In the summer of 2012, Altair became the first single mode LTE chipset provider to achieve certification on Verizon’s LTE network, dramatically speeding up time to market for Altair’s customers and allowing them to much more easily move their commercial devices into the Verizon network.

A strong, flexible single-mode LTE solution such as Altair’s chipset offers numerous business and financial advantages from the manufacturing, operational and end-user perspectives for operators and carriers.