Long-Term Evolution - LTE - 4G

5G (fifth generation mobile)

Основная статья: [[5G (fifth generation mobile
)|5G (fifth generation mobile
)]]

Development of 5G networks in Russia

{{main 'Development of 5G networks in Russia
}}

LTE technology

LTE technology is the main direction of evolution of third generation (3G) cellular networks. In January 2008, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international association developing promising mobile standards, approved LTE as the next broadband mobile network standard after UMTS.

The International Telecommunication Union has chosen two technologies as fourth-generation wireless broadband (4G) standards - LTE-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced (based on the WiMAX standard). In accordance with the criteria determined by experts, the fourth generation wireless communication standard can be considered technologies that provide a peak data transfer rate of 100 Mbps in motion and 1 Gbps in stationary use. Deployed LTE and WiMAX networks, which are often classified as 4G for marketing purposes, do not meet the requirements announced by the ITU (their bandwidth is about three times lower than the established criteria).

LTE provides a theoretical peak data rate of up to 326.4 Mbps from base station to user (de facto 5-10 Mbps) and up to 172.8 Mbps in the opposite direction. For comparison, the second generation (2G) networks are theoretically able to provide peak data transfer rates using GPRS technology 56-114 kbps, and with EDGE up to 473.6 kbps. Third generation (3G) networks provide data transfer rates up to 3.6 Mbps.

One of the components of the LTE network is an IP-based network that provides high-speed data transmission. The main advantage of LTE is that it is built on the basis of existing equipment with relatively easy integration of GSM and WCDMA, in other words, the LTE network supports existing 2G and 3G subscriber devices. This is devoid of WiMAX networks, which are also of the fourth generation.

LTE Advanced

In May 2012, Takehiro Nakamura, Chairman of the 3GPP Radio Access Networks Working Group, Director of NTT DoCoMo Radio System Design Group, released the results of field tests of promising LTE Advanced technology, which represents a new step in the evolution of mobile networks. The data transfer rate stated in this specification should be 1 Gbps towards the subscriber and 500 Mbps from the subscriber. Experiments conducted on the DoCoMo network confirmed the high performance of LTE Advanced in the test zone, showing a speed of 600 Mbps down and 200 Mbps up in dense urban environments when driving in a car.

LTE Advanced is the next generation of LTE networks, the fourth generation of mobile communications. Differs from the "basic" LTE with a higher data transfer rate and the ability to broadcast the same signal in a distributed manner over several bands at once. For these networks, there is also the development of directional antennas that can transmit a signal only to the subscriber. In addition, LTE Advanced supports the ability to relay - access to the network of one device through another.

Equipment for LTE networks

Main article: Equipment for LTE networks

Dedicated LTE networks

Main article: Dedicated cellular networks

LTE in Russia

2024

LTE network launched in Moscow on Russian equipment

In mid-August 2024, a 4G/LTE cellular network built on domestic equipment was launched in the center of Moscow at the facilities of the Federal Security Service (FSO). The manufacturer of base stations is LIS (Information Systems Laboratory), and the supplier of subscriber equipment (smartphones) is MIG (Mobile Inform Group).

According to CNews, the network operates in the 360-380 MHz range. It is designed to serve state authorities and transport facilities. MIG smartphones use an external antenna radio modem. Android is used as a software platform. In the future, it is planned to release devices with support for MIMO technology, in which the radio modem and antenna will be integrated inside the case.

4G network launched in Moscow on Russian hardware and smartphones

Through the launched network, subscribers located in different districts of Moscow can also make calls in video communication mode: for this, the Iva Connect messenger is used. Virtual mobile operators can be formed on the basis of the network, which allows each power department to have its own channels. In addition, it is allowed to create a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) infrastructure to cover transport highways.

However, as noted, the 360-380 MHz band is not widely used in the world for cellular communications. This is due to such a problem as the lack of subscriber equipment and corresponding chips. On the other hand, telecommunications market experts told CNews that allocating lanes in ranges below 1 GHz for law enforcement agencies and the transport industry is a global practice, but "only subject to local coverage of individual areas." Continuous coverage using such frequency bands is possible in relatively small countries.^[1]

Telecom operators for the year will contribute 20 billion rubles to the budget for LTE frequencies after a 10-fold increase in tariffs of the Ministry of Digital Development

Telecom operators in 2024 will contribute Russian budget to an additional more than 20 billion rubles per - LTE frequency after a 10-fold increase in tariffs. This was announced in Ministry of Digital Development early February 2024 by the general director of "." VimpelCom Alexander Torbakhov More. here

2023

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation postpones for two years the timing of 4G communication coverage of highways and settlements

At the end of December 2023, information appeared that the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) as part of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation decided to postpone by two years the terms of mandatory coverage by 4G/LTE networks of settlements with more than 1,000 residents. This is due, among other things, to the current geopolitical situation, due to which a shortage of telecommunications equipment has formed in Russia.

Initially, it was assumed that Russian cellular operators will provide 4G communication in all settlements with more than 1 thousand inhabitants by 2021. However, the timing was subsequently revised several times. First, they were pushed back to the end of 2024 with an additional obligation to cover federal highways until 2031. In March 2022, the Ministry of Digital Development, as a measure to support operators, set new dates - 2025 and 2032. respectively. The new GKRCh document provides for another postponement.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, the fulfillment of the requirement for mandatory 4G coverage of settlements is postponed until the end of 2027. At the same time, the conditions for covering federal highways remain the same - 2032. Market participants say that operators have significant difficulties with the purchase of equipment due to the departure of foreign suppliers from the Russian Federation. In addition, there were problems with the support and modernization of existing systems, "so there are not enough resources for remote areas." In the case of roads, another difficulty is that there are not the necessary connection points to the power grids everywhere.

Alexey Boyko, an analyst at the profile Telegram channel @ abloud62, calls the decision to shift the deadlines "reasonable and relevant." In his opinion, Russian operators will be able to resume infrastructure development in 2025-2026 - when domestic equipment appears, "suitable for providing highways and sparsely populated areas, if domestic manufacturers do not fail^[2]

Telecom companies canceled LTE benefits. The released funds will be directed to communication in Chukotka and Yakutia

Telecommunications companies in Russia have canceled LTE benefits. This was announced on December 11, 2023 by the Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov.

What else would I like to pay attention to? They talked about the need for additional amounts of money on the Internet... The following year, we decided to cancel LTE benefits. In this regard, a certain resource is allocated, which we agreed with our colleagues from the Ministry of Digital Development to direct precisely to the development of communication, including in regions such as Chukotka and Yakutia, "Siluanov said during a meeting of President Vladimir Putin on the development of supporting settlements of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (quoted by RIA Novosti).

According to the head of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the issue of Internet availability in 2024 will be resolved - "we will find a resource in this part."

On November 14, 2023, the Interfax agency, citing amendments to the draft budget prepared by the government, reported that the funds that will go to the budget as a result of the planned abolition of benefits when paying for LTE radio frequencies, in 2024 it is proposed to be used to provide high-speed Internet in schools, vocational schools and election commissions.

At the end of October 2023, the Izvestia newspaper, citing sources, wrote that the costs of cellular operators for using LTE frequencies could grow 10 times due to the abolition of the reduction factor, and the total costs for all frequencies could double. According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Digital Development is preparing a new methodology for calculating this fee, which excludes a discount to companies for using the radio frequency spectrum for 4G as a promising technology. According to experts interviewed by the publication, this situation may become a good reason to increase tariffs.

In early November 2023, the head of the Ministry of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev said that the planned abolition of the preferential rate for payment for the use of LTE radio frequencies by operators would not cause an increase in tariffs for mobile subscribers above the inflation rate.^[3]

The Ministry of Digital Industry allocates frequencies for launching LTE in the LPR, DPR, Ministry of Digital Development and Kherson regions

On December 11, 2023, it became known that the Ministry of Digital Development Russian Federation intends to allocate frequencies for the development of cellular communications of the standard/and 4GLTE its subsequent modifications in the territory Luganskaya Donetsk and people's republics, as well as Zaporozhskaya Hersonskaya regions. We are talking about the 450 MHz band, which is expected to be provided to only one operator. More. here

2022

Modernization of the network in the Konakovsky district of the Tver region

MegaFon on July 12, 2022 announced that it had modernized the network in a developing tourist cluster in the Konakovsky district of the Tver region, where more than 250 thousand tourists come annually. The speed of mobile Internet in the resorts as a result increased by one and a half times. MegaFon expanded network coverage by installing new base stations in the most popular locations, as well as modernizing existing ones using the LTE1800 standard. Read more here.

Tatarstan halved the plan to launch LTE networks due to lack of equipment

At the end of May 2022, Tatarstan halved its plan to launch LTE networks due to a lack of telecommunications equipment. The shortage arose after the departure of large foreign manufacturers from Russia, including Nokia and Ericsson. Read more here.

MTS combined all LTE frequencies in Moscow and overclocked the Internet to 800 Mbps

At the end of May 2022, MTS combined all 4G frequencies To Moscow in and overclocked Internet to 800 Mbps. As noted in the company, thanks to the aggregation of frequency bands of the standard LTE , the operator will be able to more efficiently use the frequency resource and save up to 20% of costs when expanding the network. More. here

Russian operators were relieved of the need to expand LTE networks in 2022

As it became known at the end of March 2022, Russian telecom operators were exempted from the need to expand LTE networks by the end of the year. This decision was made at a meeting of the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH).

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, as part of the anti-crisis program to support telecom operators, by the end of 2022, introduces a moratorium on encumbrances on the coverage of LTE networks of federal highways and settlements with more than a thousand people, the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, the State Emergency Committee reported that the department plans to oblige cellular operators to build 4G networks in settlements with a population of 500-999 people and provide coverage for 99% of such settlements.

In addition, from 2023, operators will have to build LTE networks only on domestic equipment, and by 2030 LTE should also be covered with 99% of federal public roads, according to the draft decision of the State Committee for Emergency Situations. Earlier on the plans of the authorities to oblige operators to provide communication with federal highways.

In Russia, by March 2022, there are just over 5,000 settlements with a population of 500-1000 people. According to Vedomosti, the installation of an LTE base station in a village with a tower and an optical communication line cost 3-5 million rubles. In villages where there are none, this amount reached 7 million rubles. If we provide each small settlement with our own LTE base station, the costs of operators could range from 15 billion to 35 billion rubles.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Digital Development sent to the government a package of measures to support the domestic telecom industry, which the ministry prepared together with telecom operators. These measures are aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted and sustainable functioning of the telecommunications infrastructure in the context of the imposition of sanctions.^[4]

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies is preparing to simplify for cellular operators the requirements for covering regions with LTE networks

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) at its next meeting intends to consider simplifying the requirements for federal cellular operators to cover territories with fourth-generation (4G) LTE networks. This became known on January 31, 2022.

In 2011, the State Radio Broadcasting Company decided to submit four LTE frequency blocks in the 800 MHz bands (720-791 MHz and 791-862 MHz) and 2.5-2.7 GHz for the competition. In 2012 Roskomnadzor , he held a competition, the winners of which were the operators of the Big Four: "" VimpelCom(trade brand ""), Beeline"Mobile Television Systems" (), MTS "" and Megaphone"." Rostelecom Subsequently, Rostelecom transferred its cellular assets, including an LTE license, to a joint venture with T2 Mobile (trademark). Tele2 In 2020, Rostelecom fully consolidated T2 Mobile.

Licenses were issued for a period of 10 years. According to the license conditions, the winning operators of the competition had to build LTE networks in all Russian regions by 2019. Also, every year until 2019, each operator had to invest at least 15 billion rubles in the construction of LTE networks.

For each operator - the winner of the competition, a schedule was drawn up on the number of regions that were to be covered by LTE networks every year. The coverage of the region meant the presence of a network in all settlements with more than 50 thousand inhabitants. And the coverage of the settlement meant providing an Internet access service at a speed of at least 1 Mbps in all secondary and higher educational institutions on its territory.

In the first years, cellular operators reported on the fulfillment of the requirements for the number of regions in which LTE networks were launched. At the same time, launches were held in regions in which there are no settlements with more than 50 thousand inhabitants, for example, the Nenets and Chukotka Autonomous Okrugs.

Then cellular operators stopped reporting on this process. At the same time, it is known that T2 Mobile in the regions of the North Caucasus and a number of regions of the Far East does not have cellular networks in commercial operation at all.

The SCRC wants to make a change in its decision of 2011, according to which the requirement to provide communication services in the territory of all secondary and higher educational institutions in cities with a number of inhabitants from 50 thousand people can be fulfilled using frequencies in any bands, available to the cellular operator, and not only those received during the 2012 tenders, Roskomnadzor was advised to make appropriate changes when extending the validity period of LTE licenses.

The 800 MHz and 2.5-2.7 GHz bands, whose frequencies were distributed in 2012, were the first in which LTE networks began to be built in Russia. However, then the SCRF allowed the use of frequencies in other bands that were originally issued for other technologies for the construction of LTE networks. Thus, LTE networks for January 2022 can be built in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands (initially these bands were intended for the second generation GSM cellular technology) and in the 1.9-2.1 GHz band (originally intended for the third generation UMTS cellular technology).

In addition, Rostelecom in 2019 without a competition received frequencies in the 2.3-2.4 GHz range, on which it can build LTE networks to serve socially significant objects (SZO). Also, frequencies in the 450 MHz band can be used for LTE: initially these frequencies were intended for CDMA networks, in most regions the corresponding frequencies belong to T2 Mobile.

The press service of T2 Mobile assured that the company has fully fulfilled the conditions of LTE licenses in all regions of the country. The company considers the initiative itself to simplify the requirements for covering LTE networks positive, since "the client prioritizes the high quality of services, and not the range in which they find themselves."

The press service of Megafon also welcomed the alleged changes to the decision of the SCRC. VimpelCom declined to comment, MTS and the Ministry of Digital Development did not respond to inquiries on this issue.

It's just that in Russia the requirements were prescribed by the GKRCh solutions for one frequency band, and the available spectrum was in other permitted bands, says Poskakukhin. - This nonconformity must be eliminated. And this is rather not a help to operators, but a measure of common sense. It allows operators not to spend extra money to cover the place where their LTE networks already operate, but to direct resources to cover areas not yet served, which is especially important for sparsely populated areas and federal highways.

In 2022, LTE licenses issued in 2012 expire. Earlier, the SCRC decided to strengthen the requirements for covering territories when extending the validity of licenses. So, by September 8, 2024, all settlements with a population of 1 thousand people should be covered, and by September 8, 2031, 99.9% of the length of federal highways should be covered.

In addition, in the range of 694-790 MHz by 2028, 99% of settlements should be covered by the number of inhabitants from 500 to 999 people, and by 2030 - at least 99% of the length of public roads of regional importance. Another new condition will be the use of Russian telecommunications equipment operating under the control of Russian software. The ^[5].

2021

There are 30 private LTE and 5G networks in Russia

By the end of 2021, there were more than 30 private LTE and 5G networks in Russia. This was announced in December 2021 by analysts at J'son & Partners Consulting. Read more here.

Russian operator banned from installing foreign LTE base stations

In early August 2021, the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev announced the upcoming ban on the use of foreign base stations in Russian LTE networks. Read more here.

Operators extended permission for 4G frequencies, but with tolerances

On August 2, 2021, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) extended the validity of permits for the use of frequencies in the 800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands for the development of LTE networks for telecom operators for 10 years, but set several additional conditions. Read more here.

Operators of the Russian Federation are obliged to build LTE networks in villages to extend frequency rights

On July 9, 2021, it became known about the decision of the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) to oblige telecom operators to build LTE networks in villages. Telecommunications companies will have to fulfill this and some other conditions in order for them to renew permits to use 700, 800 MHz and 2.5-2.7 GHz frequencies for fourth-generation cellular networks.

Vedomosti writes about this with reference to the materials of the State Committee for Radio Broadcasting. It says that from 2023, operators will have to build LTE networks only on domestic equipment included in the unified register of Russian electronic products. Software that is used, for example, by base stations, must be entered into the register of domestic software.

Also, operators will have to expand the LTE coverage area to such an extent that by 2028 it covers 99% of settlements with a population of 500-999 people. In addition, by 2030, LTE technology should be available on 99% of federal public roads.

Experts interviewed by the publication explained that by July 2021 in Russia there are about 5 thousand settlements with a population of 500 to 1000 people. Operators spend up to 5 million rubles on installing an LTE base station in a village where there is a tower and an optical communication line, if there is no tower, 7 million rubles. In total, the costs of operators for new requirements can amount to 35 billion rubles. Since 2013, the CRRC has obliged operators to install base stations in villages with a population of more than 1000 people.

Permits for the use of frequencies 700, 800 MHz and 2.5-2.7 GHz, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies will issue and renew in August 2021. The permit will be issued for a ten-year period. The current (by July 9) permits issued in 2011 expire on September 8.^[6]

2019

MTS 4G network coverage in the Moscow region has reached the capital level

On February 28, 2020, MTS PJSC announced the results of the development of communication infrastructure in Moscow and the Moscow region. In 2019, the volume of mobile Internet traffic in the MTS 4G network increased by almost 65% in the Moscow agglomeration, which is comparable to the dynamics of 2018. MTS is one of the leaders in the capital region in terms of the total number of base stations, while 91% of the operator's sites are equipped with LTE base stations. Read more here.

Competition for cellular coverage of federal routes R-21 Kola, Vilyuy A-331, Lena A-360 and Kolyma R-504

On October 22, 2019, it became known that the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications announced four tenders for the provision of subsidies to cover transport infrastructure facilities with altitude networks with the possibility of calling emergency services. Read more here.

Growth in the number of LTE base stations in seven months by 34%

On September 9, 2019 Tele2 , the company announced that it was ahead of competitors in terms constructions of network pace. LTE In the to data Roskomnadzor seven months since the beginning of the year, the company has increased the number of fourth-generation base stations by 34% (to 69,689).

At the same time, in terms of the total number of LTE base stations, Tele2 came close to the operator occupying the second position - the gap narrowed to only 460 RES. According to Roskomnadzor for the first half of 2019, Tele2 retained the first place in terms of the overall pace of construction of network infrastructure. In January-June, the total number of Tele2 base stations increased by 34% to 170,958. Such dynamics is almost twice the result of the nearest competitor - the number of its RES increased by 8%. In terms of the total number of base stations, the operator ranks third in the industry.

The high dynamics of Tele2's technical development is due to a stable increase in traffic consumption by customers and a qualitative change in the subscriber base in favor of active Internet users. According to the results of the second quarter of 2019, their number increased by 52% year to year. In addition, in the spring of 2019, Tele2 launched 4G/3G/2G networks in the Yaroslavl and Ivanovo regions. Already at the start, they covered the territory where more than 95% of the population lives.

By investing in the technological development of the network, the operator contributes to an increase in the NPS index (the willingness of customers to recommend the operator to friends and friends). According to the results of the II quarter of 2019, the company showed NPS in 43%, with a margin from the nearest competitor in 14 p.

Tele2 almost overtook MTS in the number of base stations of the LTE standard

On June 20, 2019, it became known that T2 Mobile LLC (brand) Tele2 increased the number of base stations (BS) of the standard LTE from the beginning of the year by 25% to 65,056. RES Now Tele2 lags behind PJSC "" by MTS 2.9 thousand. LTE BS. At the same time, MTS's number of LTE base stations at the beginning of June decreased by 136 compared to the indicator of the beginning of May. According to the reporting statistics of the radio frequency service, since the Roskomnadzor beginning of the year, the total number of RES of all the standards of the Big Four operators has grown by 7% and amounted to 746,408 units as of June 1.

According to Roskomnadzor, the agency has recorded the highest growth rates of LTE standard RES (+ 25%) since the beginning of the year at Tele2. The total number of operator base stations increased by 13% to 167,654. Such dynamics are almost twice the result of the nearest competitor - the number of its RES increased by only 7%. In terms of the total number of base stations and RES of the LTE standard, Tele2 ranks third in the industry. The high dynamics of Tele2's technical development is due to a stable increase in traffic consumption by customers and a qualitative change in the subscriber base in favor of active Internet users (+ 24% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019).

Our leadership in the pace of construction is due to the organic development of the Tele2 network, - said Tele2 press secretary Daria Kolesnikova. - We are not chasing the number of stations, but we are focusing on high-quality network planning.

PJSC VimpelCom (Beeline brand) in second place. The operator increased the number of LTE BSs by 20% - to 52,318 RES. MegaFon PJSC grew by 12% to 98,111 BS LTE. MTS still ranks second among the Big Four operators in terms of the total number of LTE BSs - 67,929, but the company's network construction rate among players is the lowest (+ 9% since the beginning of the year).

The press service of Beeline said that they consider the development and modernization of the LTE network one of the main priorities of the company in 2019.

We have maintained a high rate of network development since last year. Construction in 2019 will be no less intensive. In addition to building new BSs, we are actively investing in network modernization. As of June 2019, 85% of the capital's network is already operating in 5G Ready. In Moscow, Beeline is implementing the Super Power program, an important part of which is the creation of a high-quality and progressive 5G network ready for implementation, "said Anna Aibasheva, Beeline spokeswoman.

Neither the pace nor the plans for the number of BSs are disclosed in the press service of MegaFon.

We strive to provide our customers with the best technical capabilities for using digital services, so constant work to improve the quality of communication and increase network coverage is one of the company's priorities, "says Dmitry Lukyanchikov, MegaFon Business Communications Manager.

MegaFon remains the leader in the number of base stations - 238,527. MTS has 183,250 base stations, Tele2 has 167,654 and Beeline has 156,977. Since the beginning of the year, Tele2 (+ 13%) and Beeline (+ 7%) are in the lead in terms of the development of mobile networks.

In total, more than 2 million RES of various radio communication services are operated in Russia.^[7]

2017

Roskomnadzor: MegaFon leads in the implementation of LTE networks in Russia

In 2017, the number of 4G base stations of the Big Four operators in Russia increased by 32% to 159.8 thousand objects, according to a report by Roskomnadzor. At the end of 2017, MegaFon has the largest number of 4G base stations - 65.9 thousand. This is followed by MTS - 45.2 thousand, VimpelCom - 26.3 thousand and T2 Mobile - 22.2 thousand. MegaFon is also the leader in the total number of base stations of all standards in 2017.

According to the results of speed tests conducted by Russian users through the Speedtest application, MegaFon became the operator with the best 4G mobile Internet, taking the first position in terms of data download speed to the device - 25.04 Mbps. In a study in Russia, Ookla analyzed data from more than 7,500,000 speed tests through the networks of all operators with 1,500,000 LTE-enabled devices.

The McWill communication standard for the Internet of Things will be tested in Russia

One of the Russian companies will receive frequencies to test the McWill (NG-1) communication standard. This standard provides data transmission at speeds up to 15 Mbps and can be used, among other things, for the Internet of Things, video transmission, corporate networks and mobile radio networks, although experts do not consider it a competitor to the current LTE.

According to Kommersant, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) on December 28, 2017 should decide on the allocation of the frequency band 1785-1805 MHz for six months of the Unisel company, which is part of the NIRIT Sinvey Telecom Technologies group (NSTT). During this period, tests of networks should be carried out - in the Voronezh region they will be conducted with civil RES, in several more regions the standard will be tested with military and special RES.

The McWill (NG-1) standard was approved as an international standard for broadband wireless access in 2010. It was developed by the Xinwei Telecom Enterprise group, whose structure is also NSTT. The Russian division began construction of McWill networks on its territory in 2016. A memorandum was also signed with the Tula Regional Corporation for the Development of Public-Private Partnership on the creation of an enterprise for the production of equipment for McWill.

Observers do not consider this standard a competitor to LTE, especially in the absence of a developed network. However, the frequencies in question are between the bands used for GSM and LTE. In many countries, this site is not used in any way, and the application of a new standard on it may be a suitable alternative.

Russian Railways will allocate 4G frequencies, subject to compatibility with the Chinese standard

The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) at a meeting on December 28, 2017 is preparing to consider the issue of allocating frequencies in the 1800 MHz band (1785-1805 MHz) to the Russian Railways (RZD) for trial operation. This follows from the draft decision of the commission at the disposal of CNews^[8].

Russian Railways wants to build a fourth generation cellular network (4G) of the LTE standard. In these frequencies, eLTE technology can work - a type of LTE standard that uses the principle of time division of channels (LTE-TDD).

RZD requests these frequencies to create a technological communication network along the railway transport. Earlier, Russian Railways, together with the Radio Research Institute (NIIR), tested this technology along the railway route in Moscow from Paveletsky railway station to Domodedovo airport.

MegaFon launches Gigabit LTE network

As it became known on August 8, MegaFon began commercial operation of the Gigabit LTE network. The peak download speed during the demonstration of capabilities on the current network was 979 Mbps.^[9]

Network testing was carried out using smartphone Sony the Xperia XZ Premium based on Qualcomm Snapdragon the 835 mobile platform with LTE modem X16. The base station used the existing Nokia Flexi Multiradio radio modules, which are equipped with most of MegaFon's sites To Moscow in both the region and the Nokia AirScale system module, ready for support. To 5G achieve a speed of 979 Mbit/s, 3-carrier aggregation was used (two 20 MHz 2600 FDD, one 20 MHz - 1800 FDD), 256 QAM modulation and 4x4 MIMO technology.

Gigabit LTE is a qualitatively new level of connection stability and data download speed for consumers. We are pleased that Russia has become one of the first European countries to have a commercial gigabit LTE network and a device that supports this technology, and MegaFon has the opportunity to offer its subscribers this incredible user experience. Gigabit LTE is the most important step towards 5G, "said Yulia Klebanova, vice president of business development at Qualcomm Europe Inc.

Nokia is constantly investing in the development of innovative technologies that provide increasingly high data transfer rates. Data transfer rates are becoming one of the key drivers of innovation. Today's demonstration, using the Nokia LTE-A Pro solution, is another important step towards the future launch of MegaFon's 5G networks. We are pleased with the joint cooperation in this project, the successful implementation of which will allow MegaFon subscribers to offer experience in using broadband services in the transition to 5G, "added Demetrio Russo, Vice President of Nokia in Eastern Europe.

The number of LTE base stations in May increased by 3.4%

The growth of the number of mobile base stations of the LTE standard and its subsequent modifications continued in May 2017. According Roskomnadzor to statistics, in general Russia , this month there was an increase in the number of such electronic means by 3.4%.

The largest increase is noted in Tele2"." The number of existing LTE mobile base stations of this company increased by 5.2%. Megaphone"" ranks second, the increase in this company was 4.5%. MTS increased the number of RES by 3.4% and ranks third.

VimpelCom is in fourth place among the main cellular telecom operators. The increase in the number of RES of the LTE standard of this company amounted to 0.4%.

Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications: A quarter of mobile communication base stations in Russia are already operating in the LTE standard

The Russian delegation led by the Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Nikolai Nikiforov took part in the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which takes place in Barcelona from February 27 to March 2. During the events, Nikolai Nikiforov made a report on the development of communications in Russia at the Ministerial Program of the World Mobile Congress.

The head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of Russia noted that the idea of ​ ​ developing a digital economy was approved at the highest political level. In his message to the Federal Assembly on December 1, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out the need to form a large-scale systemic program for the development of the economy of a new technological generation.

"It is impossible to develop the digital economy without providing the population with modern communication services," Nikolai Nikiforov said. - The ministry is faced with the task of increasing the availability of communication services, and since 2012 it has been systematically and successfully solved. So, if five years ago the penetration rate of broadband access services was about 50%, now it has already reached 70%. As part of the program to eliminate digital inequality, we are conducting large-scale construction of fiber-optic communication lines in settlements of 250-500 people. High-speed Internet has already arrived in almost four thousand settlements. "

It is important that the increase in the availability of communication services occurs with a constant decrease in prices, which is also reflected in international ratings, the minister noted. Thus, in a 2016 study by the World Economic Forum "Index of Readiness for a Network Society," Russia ranked second in the world in terms of mobile prices. Hong Kong is in first place in the ranking, but it obviously cannot compare with the length of the territory of Russia, Nikolai Nikiforov said. Russia also ranked tenth in the world in terms of availability of broadband Internet access services, one point ahead of the United States.

Among the measures that contribute to increasing the economic efficiency of operators, the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications named the introduction of the principle of technological neutrality in Russia, which allowed operators to use the most modern technologies in all frequency bands where mobile communication develops; Enable frequency sharing and communication infrastructure, enabling operators to optimize their costs and save on infrastructure development changing the approach to charging for the use of radio frequency spectrum, when operators pay not for the number of base stations, but for the amount of radio frequency resource they use.

Nikolay Nikiforov said that effective market regulation made it possible to transfer a significant number of base stations in Russia to the fourth generation LTE communication technology at an accelerated pace. So, according to the minister, at present, the number of base stations operating in the LTE standard in Russia is already about a quarter of the total number of consumer mobile base stations in the country.

2016

J'son & Partners: the number of subscribers of fixed broadband access increased by 1.5 %

According to J'son & Partners Consulting (Jason & Partners Consulting), the number of subscribers to fixed broadband access 2016 increased by 1.5% to 30.8 million.

Given the declining growth rates of the market, telecom operators are increasingly focusing on improving the quality of service, "life" and loyalty of subscribers. To do this, operators choose a multi-service development strategy for their business. Operators develop digital communication channels, introduce package offers, create co-branding tariff plans, offer a subscriber more modern broadband access equipment, develop additional services based on the Internet channel, such as a smart home, video surveillance, security alarm.

According to J'son & Partners Consulting estimates, in cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people, about 44% of households use package offers, and in the future their share will only grow due to a high share of package tariffs in new sales of operators. For example, among the new subscribers of the Rostelecom operator, two-thirds choose package offers.

In 2016, the development of tariff plans continued, including fixed and mobile services from one operator. In March 2016, VimpelCom brought to the market a convergent ALL-in-One offer, in November 2016 Rostelecom launched commercial operation of mobile communication services under its own brand. Er-Telecom has launched a joint project with MegaFon to package fixed and mobile services. Previously, similar projects were launched by MGTS and NETBYNET together with their parent companies. Such proposals are successful among the population. According to VimpelCom, 500 thousand families joined the ALL in One service in 10 months. At the end of 2016, more than 200,000 subscribers used mobile services from MGTS.

J'son & Partners Consulting estimates that in medium and large cities, 1-2% of families already use four communication services from one operator. The introduction of such solutions reduces the outflow of subscribers, increases customer loyalty and total revenue from one household. The operator "Er-Telecom" notes that when connecting the package "4 to 1" outflow is about 3-4 times less than when connecting the mono service. The downside of batch offers is the decrease in ARPU for each individual service included in the batch tariff plan.

In the domestic consumption of fixed broadband access services, operators note an increase in the share of online video in the structure of incoming traffic. According to AKADO Telecom, the share of online video in the traffic consumption structure of one subscriber in the operator's network is approximately 40%. The growth of traffic consumption stimulates the growth of speeds and the technological development of the network infrastructure of operators. More and more ultra-fast offers are emerging with Internet access speeds over 100 Mbps. According to J'son & Partners Consulting estimates, in medium and large cities, the share of ultra-fast tariff plans among users of fixed broadband access amounted to almost 10% in 2016.

However, operators go further in promoting high speeds for the user. With the growing number of mobile devices in the family, the speed of data transfer using Wi-Fi technology is becoming more and more relevant. On standard Wi-Fi equipment, ultra-high-speed tariff plans do not make sense due to the limitation of the wireless data transfer rate in it. To solve this problem, operators offer dual-band routers that operate at two frequencies - 2.4 and 5 GHz - and provide higher data transfer rates over Wi-Fi. The emerging trend in 2014-2015 continues to develop, and more and more operators are starting to offer advanced Wi-Fi equipment as part of their tariff plans for fixed broadband access.

Assessment of the competitive situation

According to preliminary estimates by J'son & Partners Consulting, according to the results of 2016, the top 5 operators served 70% of all subscribers of fixed broadband Internet access in the private segment. Over the year, the share of leaders in the market increased by 3.2% due to activity in the region M&A and organic growth.

According to preliminary estimates of J'son & Partners Consulting, in 2016 the total subscriber base of the top 5 players increased by almost 1.3 million subscribers, annual growth amounted to 6.3%. In 2016, Rostelecom, Er-Telecom and MTS"" showed steady growth - 56%, 24% and 16% of all new subscribers, respectively. Some of the new subscribers were obtained inorganically through the purchase of local operators. In 2016, Rostelecom bought the providers "" and STORK"." In Morton Telecom early 2016, the operator Er-Telecom completed the acquisition of "," and in Enforts August the company bought from the group "" Westcall business in the fixed-line segment in and (St. Petersburg Ryazan companies "" and "Intertelecom Enling Telecommunications").

There were no significant changes in the ranking of the top 5 fixed- broadband access operators in 2016. Rostelecom and Er-Telecom are still the leaders in the rating.

The main trends in the Russian fixed broadband Internet access market among private users

Development of packaged tariff plans and converged services

According to J'son & Partners Consulting, in cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people, about 44% of subscribers use package offers, and the total number of users at once four services from one company ("quadroplay") is estimated at 1-2%.

Growth of high-speed tariff plans (100 Mbps or more)

According to J'son & Partners Consulting, in medium and large cities, the share of ultra-fast tariff plans (more than 100 Mbps) among users of fixed broadband access amounted to almost 10% in 2016. More companies are offering dual-band routers to implement high speeds over Wi-Fi. Such a solution makes it possible to more effectively use the potential of such speeds.

Growth in optical connectivity, including PON

At the end of 2016, about half a million users connected to the Internet using PON technology. Due to the active development and connection of Rostelecom and MGTS subscribers using PON technology, the share of such customers in the total mass of broadband access users amounted to 10%.

M&A Operator Activity

In 2016, Rostelecom bought the providers AIST and Morton Telecom. In early 2016, the operator Er-Telecom completed the acquisition of Enforta, and in August the company bought the business in the fixed-line segment in St. Petersburg and Ryazan (InterTelecom and Enling Telecommunications) from the Westcall group. According to J'son & Partners Consulting estimates, about 20 independent providers with a subscriber base of more than 50 thousand remain in Russia.

MTS launches 4,5G networks

Mobile Telesystems (MTS) announced in December 2016 the launch of LTE Advanced Pro technology - the so-called 4,5G , a technology intermediate between the fifth and fourth generations of cellular communications. This technology provides the transfer of data download (downlink) at a speed of up to 700 Mbps^[10]

MTS began introducing LTE Advanced Pro in large cities. In Ufa, the company provides data transmission from base stations at speeds up to 700 Mbps, in Yakutsk up to 500 Mbps, in St. Petersburg over 400 Mbps, in Moscow - more than 300 Mbps.

To operate LTE Advanced Pro technology, MTS applied FDD frequency aggregation in 1800 MHz bands and with TDD frequencies in the 2.6 GHz band. In addition, MTs applied two other technological innovations - MIMO 4x4 and 256 QAM modulation.

MIMO 4x4 technology involves the use of four antennas for receiving and transmitting data. Now, in most cases, LTE technology uses the MIMO 2x2 solution. As for modulation, LTE networks now use 64 QAM modulation for the incoming data channel and 16 QAM for the outgoing.

Ministry of Communications: The number of LTE base stations in Russia exceeded 100 thousand

In December 2016, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation published information on the number of base stations of the fourth generation mobile radiotelephone communication network (LTE) and its subsequent modifications in Russia. According to statistics, for ten months of 2016, the number of base stations of the LTE cellular network increased by 32,230 (45%) since the beginning of the year and reached 104,208, which is almost 20% of the total number of consumer mobile base stations in Russia.

In 2013-2015, the Ministry of Communications of Russia carried out work aimed at liberalizing legislation in the field of mobile communications. The adopted set of measures made it possible to significantly increase the economic efficiency of the development of mobile networks in remote and hard-to-reach regions of Russia. Among the measures implemented by the ministry are the possibility of sharing frequencies and communication infrastructure, changing the principle of payment for the radio frequency spectrum, technological neutrality for various frequency bands.

The speed of mobile Internet in Moscow increased by 35-40% over the year

Average speeds in Moscow 3G and LTE networks increased by 35-40% in 2016, while in 2015 they showed a decrease to 15% compared to the previous period. At the end of 2016, Moscow ranks first in average and maximum speeds among all regions of Russia, according to a study by TelecomDaily. In ^[11]

Tele2 remains the leader in terms of speed characteristics in 3G networks in Moscow and the Moscow region. In LTE networks, MTS lost the palm to MegaFon in a year. Tele2, which had previously lagged behind, also caught up with large players, the agency notes.

The best quality for establishing connections was recorded among Tele2 and Beeline operators, who showed a minimum of locks and no breaks in voice calls. However, Tele2 and MegaFon took the first places in terms of connection time and speech quality coefficient.

A network of the standard has been launched in Russia LTE-450

In May 2016, the Minister of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation took part in the launch of the first LTE-450 mobile network in Russia. The standard allows you to organize coverage of modern communication services with high economic efficiency and solve the problem of digital inequality in certain regions of the country. The first regions where the LTE-450 network started working were the Tver and Novgorod regions.

The coverage radius of an LTE cell in the 450 MHz range is just under 20 km. The LTE-450 bandwidth for the 3 MHz band reaches 17 Mbps, for the 5 MHz band - 30 Mbps. At the start, consumers will have access to mobile Internet services, and subsequently the operator plans to provide voice services.

Nikolai Nikiforov noted that the Ministry of Communications of Russia in 2013-2015 carried out significant work aimed at liberalizing legislation in the field of mobile communications. This is a whole range of measures that made it possible to significantly increase the economic efficiency of the development of mobile networks in remote and hard-to-reach regions of Russia. Among the measures implemented by the ministry are the possibility of sharing frequencies and communication infrastructure, changing the principle of payment for the radio frequency spectrum, technological neutrality for various frequency bands. In particular, at a meeting of the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH), which took place on July 22, 2014, it was decided to use radio frequency bands in the range of 453-457.4 MHz and 463-467.4 MHz to create LTE communication networks and its subsequent modifications throughout the Russian Federation.

Internet speed in Russian 4G networks fell by 10%

The average data transfer rate in 4G networks in Russian cities with a population of one million decreased by 10-12%, according to Telecom Daily, which measured the quality of LTE in various cities between December 2014 and May-June 2016.

It is noted that if in December 2014 the average 4G data transfer rate was 10 Mbps, then at the end of spring 2016 it was already 9 Mbps.

The slowdown in 4G speed is associated with an increase in network load. So, two years ago, only 9.1 million subscribers used LTE-enabled devices, in 2015 their number was already 23.7 million. According to AC&M Consulting forecasts, this figure will increase by 17% by the end of 2016.

According to data as of June 2016, MTS LTE networks operated in all 15 Russian million-plus cities, MegaFon - in 14 (except Voronezh), VimpelCom (Beeline brand) - in 13 (except Voronezh and Perm).

MegaFon has the highest 4G access speed in six million-plus cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, VimpelCom in five cities, MTS in four or three

Combining FDD and TDD Carriers

On July 14, 2016, Nokia and MTS announced the introduction of technology for combining FDD and TDD carriers in a commercial LTE network in Moscow to expand coverage, increase network bandwidth and customer service quality.

Since the need for users to connect to mobile networks of various devices is constantly growing, carriers seek to use the frequency spectrum and radio resources at their disposal most efficiently. The Carrier aggregation technology used in the LTE-Advanced standard allows you to combine non-contiguous frequency bands and form wider channels for communication, which leads to an increase in data transfer rate and makes it possible to provide new services.

By deploying a fragment of a commercial network based on Nokia's solution to combine carriers with frequency and time duplex (FDD-TDD) in one of the business districts of Moscow, MTS subscribers gained access to transmission rates up to 187 Mbps (for comparison: the peak FDD-LTE speed in the 10 MHz band is 75 Mbps, TD-LTE - 112 Mbps). The introduction of this technology has improved the quality of indoor TD-LTE services.

Nokia and MTS have demonstrated a three-component unification of FDD-LTE carriers in the network of the city of Moscow and plan to use this technology in the future. Nokia and MTS continue to pilot and implement LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G technologies for a smooth transition in the future to fifth generation networks.

Nokia LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation, (2014)

After standardizing the functionality of combining FDD-TDD carriers for 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands with the support of Nokia as part of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and its inclusion in the 3GPP Release 13 specification of the LTE-Advanced Pro standard, telecom operators were able to fully use the resources available to them in these frequency bands.

Technical information

For carrier aggregation using LTE-Advanced FDD-TDD technology, Nokia Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station base stations and FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE software are used, while combining 10 MHz frequency bands in the 1800 MHz FDD band and 20 MHz in the 2600 MHz TDD band, which allows you to increase the speed to 187 Mbps. With three-component aggregation on the network, the total frequency band was 25 MHz (in the 1800 MHz range - 10 MHz, 2600 MHz - 10 MHz and 800 MHz - 5 MHz).

{{quote 'author
= Andrey Ushatsky, MTS Vice President for Technology and IT' We are constantly working to improve the quality and availability of LTE services, and cooperation with Nokia gives us the opportunity to provide innovative and reliable services to our subscribers. The unique aggregation of FDD and TDD for Russia will allow us to increase the average access speed for flagship smartphones by one and a half to two times. This technology is important for us, since its further implementation in Russia will increase the efficiency of using the frequency resource.

LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation technology enables operators to take network efficiency to the next level and improve customer experience by improving transmission speed. This project was another milestone in our long-standing cooperation with MTS, and we will continue our work to test technologies that will allow the operator to move along the path to 5G.}}

2015

J’son & Partners

The Russian market in terms of the number of fixed users of broadband access of ranks 1st in Europe and 4th in the world. There are more fixed broadband access users only in China, the USA and Japan. In terms of penetration, Russia ranks 8th among the 10 largest world markets for fixed broadband access, ahead of China and Brazil.

According to preliminary estimates by J'son & PartnersConsulting, in 2015 the number of users of fixed broadband access in Russia increased by 2%, to 30.3 million users.

Assessment of the competitive situation

The total subscriber base of the top 5 players increased by 490 thousand subscribers, an increase of 2.5%. In 2015, Rostelecom and MTS showed steady growth - 284 and 147 thousand subscribers, respectively. In its comments to this press release, Rostelecom notes that the high pace of network construction provides an increase in " subscribers at a rate higher than the market.

Rostelecom and Er-Telecom are still the leaders in the rating. In 2015, there were changes in the rating of broadband access operators. MTS took the third place in terms of the number of broadband access subscribers, displacing VimpelCom to the fourth position.

As noted in Er-Telecom in the comments below, the company managed to fulfill the planned indicators for revenue and subscriber base due to organic growth and transactions. M&A At the end of 2015, the subscriber base of the broadband access service reached 2.8 million. The company TRANSTELECOM reports that its subscriber base grew faster than the market - 6% in 2015. The operator "" AKADO Telecom also comments that, despite the dumping of the main players, in 2015 the company managed to maintain the customer base of broadband access and increase the share of users of complex services (+ Internet digital TV).

The main trends in the Russian fixed broadband Internet access market among private users:

Growth of high-speed tariff plans (100 Mbps or more)

Over the past 2 years, the share of users who chose tariff plans with a speed of 100 Mbps or more has doubled. Tariffs at a speed of 1 Mbps and below are practically a thing of the past, they account for no more than 3% of connections.

Growth in optical connectivity, including PON

The growth of video services on the Internet requires an increasing band for comfortable use of the broadband access service. In this regard, there is an active spread of optical technologies in the construction of data transmission networks (to the FTTH apartment, FTTB building, etc.). FTTH/B subscriber growth was 12% in 2015, according to J'son & Partners Consulting. ADSL technology continues to lose ground. Thus, in the 2nd quarter of 2015, a significant event was the predominance of "optical" users over "copper" at Rostelecom, which clearly shows the obsolescence of ADSL and the gradual departure of this technology from the Russian broadband access market.

Increase in penetration of broadband access devices and their diversity (Multiscreen)

In Russia, a variety of access devices is growing and the gradual replacement of desktop computers with laptops continues. According to J'son & Partners Consulting, in Russia in 2015, 53% families used desktop PCs, and 63% laptops. In addition, over the past three years, the average retail price of a smartphone and tablet PC has decreased, even taking into account price increases in 2015. These devices have become available to people with almost any level of income, and their sales have increased significantly. Thus, different family members began to actively use broadband access from different devices and often at the same time.

Roskomnadzor

At the end of 2015, MTS has the largest number of LTE base stations - almost one and a half thousand base stations are ahead of the nearest competitor - subscribers are served by 27,365 stations in all regions of MTS presence.

At the end of 2015, MTS was the first among Russian operators to launch LTE networks in all regions of presence and today it is also the largest LTE operator Russia in - speeds 4G from MTS are available to residents of 83 regions of Russia. MTS has the best coverage due to the use of LTE-1800 base stations, the coverage of which is 3-4 times more than that of conventional BSs.

2014

Launch of the world's fastest LTE network

On February 25, 2014 , MegaFon announced the launch of the LTE-Advanced network, which provides mobile Internet speeds up to 300 Mbps. According to the Global Association of Mobile Equipment Providers (GSA), at the time of launch, this mobile Internet speed is the highest in the world.

As of February, the new network operates within the Garden Ring of Moscow, and during 2014 the entire territory inside the Moscow Ring Road should enter the coverage area of ​ ​ the network, the operator promises. In the future, the company plans to cover the high-speed network of the largest cities in Russia.

To build the network of the new standard, MegaFon uses in the 2600 MHz range a unique combination of its own spectrum band and the frequency resource of the Yota network - as a virtual operator (MVNO). The cost of data services in the new network will be equal to the cost of services in 3G and 4G networks.

The manufacturer of network infrastructure, as well as subscriber equipment for MegaFon's new network, is Huawei. MegaFon notes that 14 of the 37 test or planned LTE-Advanced networks are built on the equipment of the latter.

Specifically for working in the LTE-Advanced network, Huawei also developed the MegaFon Space (R300-1) router, which is capable of providing Wi-Fi access to the LTE-Advanced network for 32 devices at the same time. The cost of the router will be about 12 thousand rubles. when connecting the "Internet XL" option for a period of one or more months.

The first demonstration of the capabilities of the new network took place during the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, where high-speed LTE-Advanced capabilities were demonstrated in the MegaFon pavilion in the Olympic Park. During the Olympic Games, MegaFon and Huawei specialists tested the operation of the new network in the conditions of high loads typical of mass events. MegaFon says that the results of these tests will be used to build and modernize the latest standard network in the capital and other regions.

Russian army needs improved 4G on battlefield

By 2016, the Russian army wants a battlefield wireless communication system powered by LTE Advanced technology - more modern than that developed by civilian LTE mobile operators - the fourth generation of cellular communications. According to the terms of reference of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Izvestia has it), in 2016 tests of a prototype should begin - a mobile base station, three subscriber terminals and a network controller. 160 million rubles are allocated for development work ^[12].

The download speed of all types of multimedia information (sound, video, cartography) will be from 100 Mbps. The network will be adaptive - if interference or collisions occur, the transmitter and receiver will switch to a different frequency. It will also help avoid exposure to enemy jammers.

The broadband network should be encrypted and still support the operation in the networks of commercial operators. Now the frequencies allocated for LTE networks in Russia are in joint use with the state and cellular operators.

The base station to which the subscribers of the network are connected will be mobile. Similar stations based on KamAZ trucks are already available to commercial operators, said the National Radio Engineering Bureau CJSC (provides advisory services for military and commercial telecom operators).

• There are mobile base stations based on KamAZ trucks. For example, MegaFon"" will use them during the Olympics in. Sochi They provide communication at a distance of 1-1.5 km, - said a company representative.

At the same time, the company employee stressed that it is not yet possible to produce equipment for LTE networks completely in Russia: we need microcircuits, etc., which we do not make.

Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications: LTE networks have become available to 40% of the Russian population

LTE networks as of the beginning of November 2014 operate in 79 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and cover 40% of the country's population, the number of active users exceeds 3 million people, said the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolai Nikiforov, speaking at a government hour in the Federation Council. The transcript of the speech is posted on the website of the Ministry of^[13] of the^[14].

Nikiforov noted that the priorities for the ministry include improving the quality of communication services, distributing the latest information and communication technologies, creating conditions for the development of communication infrastructure.

"An increase in the level of penetration of Internet access services at high speed by 10% creates the potential for GDP growth by 1.5%," he said.

According to the minister, next year it is planned to solve the problem of the so-called digital inequality - to provide small settlements with fiber-optic communication lines - in the Astrakhan region, the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Republic of Adygea, Ingushetia, Kalmykia, Karelia, North Ossetia, Tuva, Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts.

J’son & Partners

According to J'son & Partners Consulting, as of December 31, 2014, LTE commercial networks operated in all regions of Russia, with the exception of Kamchatka Territory, Magadan Region, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as Crimea and Sevastopol. MTS leads in the number of regions covered by commercial 4G networks (76 regions), followed by MegaFon (72 regions) with a slight lag and closes the top three VimpelCom (44 regions). Tele2 has launched the only commercial LTE network in Tula. Each of the local operators - Vainakh Telecom, Motive and Tattelecom launched an LTE network in one region - the Chechen Republic, the Sverdlovsk Region and the Republic of Tatarstan, respectively.

According to a preliminary estimate by J'son & Partners Consulting, 4G was in the lead in terms of the number of base stations (BS) at the end of 2014. " MegaFon Together with its subsidiary Yota (Scartel)"" (Yota), the operator deployed about 15 thousand base stations, or about 41% of all LTE base stations in Russia. This is followed by MTS (about 13.6 thousand. BS, 37%) and ^[15] (about 7 thousand BS, 19%).

MTS managed to bypass MegaFon in terms of the number of 4G base stations in the Central and North-Western Federal Districts. According to a preliminary estimate by J'son & Partners Consulting, MTS has deployed more than 5 thousand and 1.5 thousand base stations in these macro-regions, respectively.

In total, according to J'son & Partners Consulting, by the end of 2014, 36.7 thousand LTE base stations were built in Russia, which is almost 3 times higher than in 2013.

Among the leading regions in terms of the number of base stations, Moscow is the leader by a wide margin, where more than 22% of all existing LTE stations in Russia are concentrated. The top three also included St. Petersburg and the Moscow region, where 2.7 thousand and 1.9 thousand base stations were built, respectively (Table 1). The largest cities of federal significance (Moscow and St. Petersburg) are leading by a wide margin in such an indicator as the number of base stations per 1000 inhabitants - 0.56 and 0.52, respectively. The five other regions in terms of the specific number of base stations per population also included the Altai Republic, the Amur Region and the Jewish Autonomous Region with indicators of 0.48; 0.46 and 0.45, respectively (Table 2).

Among the outsider regions in terms of the number of LTE base stations in each of the macro-regions are the Kostroma Region (Central Federal District), the Republic of Karelia (Northwestern Federal District), the Republic of Adygea (Southern Federal District), the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (North Ossetia Federal District), the Ulyanovsk Region (Volga Federal District), the Kurgan Region (Ural Federal District), the KemRegion (Siberian Federal District) and the Sakhalin Region Region Region (Far).

The largest number of LTE base stations were deployed in the Central, Volga and North-Western Federal Districts.

The main prospects for the development of LTE networks in the near future (2015-2016) include:

1. Emergence of a new federal LTE operator. In 2015, a new federal LTE operator is expected to launch, which provides services under the Tele2 brand. At the end of 2014, the operator launched the first commercial 4G network in Tula, in 2015 LTE networks under the Tele2 brand were planned to be launched in 20 regions.
2. Use Network Sharing to reduce operator costs. At the end of 2014, MTS and VimpelCom signed an agreement on the provision of comprehensive services in the field of planning, joint development and operation of LTE communication networks, according to which in 2014-2016. MTS ensures the construction of jointly operated 4G networks in 19 regions, and VimpelCom builds base stations in 17 regions of Russia. The agreement is designed for 7 years, during which operators will provide each other with base stations, sites, their infrastructure and transport network resources in these regions. At the same time, companies can independently build networks for the development of individual LTE coverage. MegaFon, in turn, is ready to share network elements only in remote sparsely populated regions, where the construction of its network is difficult to recoup.
3. Use the lower 1800 MHz and 800 MHz bands to reduce costs. From January 1, 2015, MTS launched an LTE network in the 1800 MHz band in Moscow. In 2015, the operator plans to implement the LTE-1800 standard at several thousand base stations. The main goal of the operator is to reduce costs compared to the introduction of new base stations in the 2600 MHz range. As of January 2015, MegaFon LTE BSs in Moscow and Volgograd operate in the 1800 MHz band. The LTE-1800 network from Tele2 operates in Tula. Also in June 2014, Tattelecom commissioned a network of LTE-1800 in Tatarstan (in Kazan and in more than 30 cities and municipal districts of the republic). At the end of January, MTS also launched a LTE-800 network in the capital region. The company estimates that using the 800 MHz band provides 4 times more coverage compared to traditional LTE-2600 networks.
4. LTE-Advanced launches. The fastest LTE-Advanced networks - LTE Cat.6, up to 300 Mbps in the direct channel - were launched at MegaFon in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The operator also launched the LTE Cat.4 network (up to 150 Mbps) in Chelyabinsk. VimpelCom launched the LTE-Advanced network in Moscow (up to 110 Mbps).
5. Growth of 4G subscriber base. In 2014, the dynamics of the LTE subscriber base remained high. For example, according to MegaFon, the operator's 4G subscriber base grew almost 2 times over the year and reached 3 million subscribers by the end of the 2014 quarter of 2.6. According to J'son & Partners Consulting forecasts, the number of LTE subscribers in Russia will grow from 7 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2018. The main growth drivers will be:
6. Expand the coverage area of ​ ​ LTE networks
7. Entering the market of new players
8. Increase in sales of LTE-enabled devices, decrease in their average cost in dollar terms

Roskomnadzor

According to statistics, Roskomnadzor the number of operating base stations of this standard increased 3.4 times - from 12,364 in 2013 to 42,047 in 2014. 2014 is characterized by the dynamic development of the Russian Federation of LTE technology on the territory of mobile radiotelephone (cellular) networks.

According to Roskomnadzor statistics, the number of operating base stations of this standard increased 3.4 times - from 12,364 in 2013 to 42,047 in 2014.

The largest number of LTE base stations was recorded in Moscow (7742), Moscow Region (3109), St. Petersburg (3034), Krasnodar Territory (1722), Rostov Region (1648) and the Republic of Tatarstan (1642).

The leader in the number of commissioned base stations of this most modern mobile communication standard is OJSC Megaphone"." Together with Yota LLC, it has 18.2 thousand base stations (44%). This is followed by OJSC MTS"" - 14.8 (35%), OJSC VimpelCom"" - 7.3 thousand (17%).

Other operators with licenses for the provision of communication services in this standard are significantly lagging behind. Thus, according to the results of 2014, SMARTS Kazan CJSC, which is in fourth place, had only 788 LTE technology base stations (1.9% of the total).

The most popular for the development of LTE communication networks is the range of radio frequencies 2620-2690 MHz (77.5% of base stations).

2013

LTE goes to small Russian cities

On September 12, 2013, the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolay Nikiforov reported at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on the current state and plans to ensure the availability of modern communication services for Russian citizens .

The meeting was also attended by the heads of the presidential administration and the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, the heads of leading television companies and specialized holdings, as well as the main shareholders of the "Big Three" mobile operators.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications said in a statement about the meeting that during its course Nikiforov announced the decision of VimpelCom (operating under the Beeline brand ), Megafon and MTS, which received LTE licenses in 2012, to provide communication in settlements ranging from 10 thousand to 50 thousand inhabitants within their own investment programs.

This project will potentially provide modern communication services to 23 million people living in these settlements, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications notes.

The department recalled that the licensing requirements within the framework of the competition for the distribution of LTE frequencies dated May 3, 2012 prescribed to provide communication only to cities with a population of more than 50 thousand inhabitants. About 79 million people live in such settlements, which is 55% of the country's population.

In addition, telecom operators, together with the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, agreed on a preliminary estimate of the additional costs of providing modern communication services to about 5 thousand settlements of the size of the population from 500 to 10 thousand inhabitants. Such a set of measures will provide broadband access to the network of 133 million residents of Russia (about 93% of the total population).

At a meeting with the president , Rostelecom also presented a "promising plan" for the development of communications in small settlements with a size of more than 250 residents within the framework of the universal service reserve fund.

J'son & Partners Forecast

According to the optimistic forecast of J'son & Partners, by 2018, 20 million LTE subscribers will appear in Russia, according to the conservative one - only 10 million. According to the results of 2013, the Russian share in sales of LTE devices will grow from 0.6% to 2^[16]

By this time, according to J'son & Partners, the share of sales of smartphones with LTE support will be 15% in total smartphone sales, the share of sales of LTE tablets - 8% of the total Russian tablet sales, and of the USB modems sold, 30% will support LTE.

Analysts call the main obstacles to the development of LTE technology in Russia. These are high prices for subscriber devices with its support, insufficient user awareness about LTE and a group of technological problems, including problems with standardizing voice transmission in LTE networks, harmonizing the frequency spectrum in various countries to provide services roaming in, etc.

The vision of J'son & Partners has three scenarios for the development of LTE technology in Russia: conservative, basic and optimistic.

According to the conservative scenario, the base of Russian LTE users by 2018 will not exceed 10 million, and the range of smartphones with LTE support will be limited until 2014-2015.

According to the basic scenario, the subscriber base will reach 15 million users by 2018, and according to the optimistic scenario, the subscriber base will approach 20 million.

2012: LTE strides across Russia

• On February 2, 2012, it became known that Roskomnadzor issued MTS a license to provide communication services in LTE networks. The license is valid until the end of 2016, it is necessary to start providing services no later than the end of 2013. In Moscow, the LTE network is already ready, MTS will turn it on as soon as it receives permission from Roskomnadzor, says the operator's representative Valery Kuzmenko. Just recently, the company completed the modernization of the capital's network, replacing base stations at 3000 sites with Nokia Networks (formerly NSN) (NSN) equipment operating on GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE technologies. The cost of the project (taking into account the replacement of 1,500 base stations in the Moscow region in 2012) is about $50 million.

But MTS will be able to launch the network in Moscow only after competitions for federal frequency sets for LTE (791-862 MHz) are held - this condition was set in September 2011 by the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH). The contests were supposed to be held before February 1, 2012, but their conditions have not yet even been announced. Roskomnadzor is waiting for the release of a government decree with changes to the frequency distribution table, the representative of the supervisory authority explained.

According to the September decision of the SCRC, not one MTS has the right to build LTE networks in the capital, but also Yota (Scartel) a (Yota brand) and Megafon. Yota began upgrading its WiMax network in Moscow before the New Year and intended to begin commercial use of the LTE network in March 2012. But a hitch arose due to the Ministry of Defense - the ministry has not yet agreed on the use of the frequencies necessary for LTE, a source in one of the telecom operators explains. Although the license, which allows you to work in the LTE standard throughout the country, "Yota" received back in November 2011, notes its general director Denis Sverdlov. And in December 2011, the operator launched the first LTE network in Russia - in Novosibirsk. At the same time, he sent applications for the use of frequencies in Moscow to the Main Radio Frequency Center and is waiting for the results of the examination, says Sverdlov.

Megafon is only designing an LTE network in Moscow so far - most likely, it will also be built on NSN equipment. The design stage should end in March 2012, one of the operator's contractors knows. Megafon has already sent documents to Roskomnadzor for an LTE license in the Moscow region and expects to receive it in mid-February, says Dmitry Smirkin, head of its press service. Megafon has already built an experimental LTE network in Sochi, where the company received frequencies as a telecommunications partner of the Olympic Games. According to a source in the company, Megafon plans to launch networks in Moscow and Sochi into commercial operation in 2012.

First of all, MTS will include LTE in places where traffic accumulates, for example, in shopping centers, its vice president for technology Andrei Ushatsky told reporters the other day. According to him, the company is not faced with the task of providing carpeting in Moscow: thanks to the "backward compatibility" of the equipment (it can switch from 3G to LTE and vice versa), if the LTE signal is lost, the subscriber will imperceptibly "fall" into the 3G network. The presence of 3G- and GSM networks and the possibility of a seamless transition between them and the LTE network is a competitive advantage of MTS over Yota, which does not have such networks, adds Kuzmenko.

VimpelCom has no frequencies for LTE in Moscow, it expects to win them at the competition. But the company has the necessary resources and expertise, and equipment in Moscow for the most part already supports the LTE standard, says VimpelCom spokeswoman Anna Aibasheva^[17].

• In April 2012, it became known that Megafon would be the first of the Big Three to launch fourth-generation LTE mobile communications. On April 23, the first network was launched - in Novosibirsk, said Deputy General Director of Megafon Valery Ermakov^[18].

This is the first experience of Megafon's cooperation with Yota in the development of fourth-generation (4G) communications. Each operator will serve its subscribers on its own terms, but in a common network.

At the beginning of 2012, Yota, which owns 2.5-2.7 GHz frequencies throughout the country, allowed Megafon to use its base stations, and it provided Yota with its infrastructure, access to sites for base stations, to backbone channels, as well as data centers. Prices are uniform throughout the country at the market level, says Ermakov. The conditions depend on the region, but the prices are market, adds an employee of the press service "Yota."

Most mobile operators are forced to wait for the competition, for which Roskomnadzor promised to put up four federal sets of frequencies for LTE. The State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) instructed the supervisory authority to hold this competition until February 1, 2012, but it has not even been announced yet. The Yota was given the necessary frequencies by the SCRC in September 2011, three months later the operator launched the Novosibirsk network in test mode, the full launch starts today.

In the LTE network of Megafon, you can only exchange data, but not talk: the operator offers Huawei modems operating in all ranges and standards of mobile Internet access - and 2G (GSM), and 3G, and 4G LTE. Yermakov considers compatibility with 2G and 3G networks to be the main technological advantage of Megafon's LTE network: owners of devices that support LTE, when leaving the coverage area of ​ ​ the new network, will be automatically intercepted by 3G and 2G networks, albeit at lower speeds.

Now 150 LTE base stations have been installed in Novosibirsk, by the end of 2012 there will be 250 of them, they will 100% cover the cities and partially the region, Ermakov promises.

Next in line are both Megafon and Yota Moscow: Yota will launch the LTE network here on May 10, and Megafon on May 14. According to Yota, there are already 1,200 4G base stations in Moscow. Enough to cover the area inside the Third Transport Ring, says Yermakov.

Yota Internet access is charged depending on the speed, the subscriber chooses it himself: the faster - the more expensive. For 900 rubles. per month, the subscriber receives unlimited access at a speed of 5 Mbps (instead of 2.1 Mbps in the previous Yota Wimax network).

And subscribers of "Megafon" in the first two months after the start of 4G in Novosibirsk will be able to enter the Internet for free (including in 2G and 3G networks), you will only have to pay for a modem - 2990 rubles. (the Yota modem costs the same). How to tariff the service later has not yet been decided.

There are two charging models in the world: European, where access through the LTE network is significantly more expensive than through 3G, and American, where LTE is a mass service, knows iKS-Consulting analyst Maxim Savvatin.

In Russia, effective demand is limited, Savvatin believes, high tariffs are unlikely to be beneficial to Megafon. Ermakov is also not inclined to turn LTE network services into premium ones: on the contrary, it could take on part of the increasing load on 3G networks.

One hundred and fifty Novosibirsk base stations cost about $10 million, said Denis Sverdlov, general director of Yota (Scartel) a in December 2011. In Moscow, the operator could need about $80 million. Megafon has almost all the costs - these are payments to Yota, direct capital investments are minimal, says Ermakov.

Rostelecom also agreed on the joint provision of LTE services based on Yota frequencies. In the summer, it will test the Moscow LTE network, and on September 1 it will begin commercial operation, promises its representative Kira Kiryukhina. MTS hopes to participate in the Roskomnadzor competition - MTS equipment in all major cities is already capable of operating in the LTE standard, says MTS press secretary Valeria Kuzmenko. VimpelCom is also waiting for a competition for frequencies for LTE, says its press secretary Anna Aibasheva.

• In May 2012, MegaFon launched LTE-FDD commercial services in the Moscow region. A few days earlier, Yota (Scartel) launched its LTE network in the capital, and in the same frequency range as MegaFon. In February 2012, these two operators entered into an agreement on the joint development of 4G network infrastructure in Moscow. As part of the agreement, MegaFon provided Yota with its sites for hosting 4G base stations, channels to these base stations, transport on the main sections, space in DPC to accommodate Yota equipment, as well as the ability for Yota customers to use second and MegaFon third generation networks for data transmission. "Yota," in turn, provided "" To MegaFon access to its radio network, converted from WiMAX to LTE.

As explained by Valery Ermakov, Deputy Director of MegaFon for Operations, when using a common frequency resource by two operators, the quality of service will not suffer. The average access speed will be several times higher than 3 Mbps in the current UMTS network of MegaFon, and the peak will be able to reach 50 Mbps.

According to Ermakov, mobile data services have "huge potential for growth." Indeed, 3.5 million unique subscribers using the mobile data service have already been registered in the third-generation Moscow network, and in 2011 the branch's networks missed 4.5 times more mobile traffic than in 2010.

According to Natalya Spitsyna, commercial director of the capital's branch of MegaFon, now the 4G network covers Moscow and its nearest satellite cities - in total, about one thousand LTE base stations are involved. By the end of 2012, their number will increase to 3 thousand. The operator's investments in this project over the past six months amounted to about 700 million rubles. The plans are to actively promote LTE services outside the capital, by the end of 2012 it was decided to cover almost all large cities of the Moscow region.

Spitsyna also believes that LTE is waiting for commercial success. She draws attention to the fact that at the time of the start of MegaFon's 3G network, the company's branded Moscow salons sold an average of one 3G modem per day. And as of June 2012, at the launch of LTE, each salon sells an average of five modems per day. "This suggests that the market is on the eve of a new evolutionary step in the development of the network, waiting for the mobile high-speed Internet," she stressed. At the time of the launch of LTE, the company sold more than a thousand E392 modems.

Until July 14, modem buyers could use MegaFon's 4G mobile Internet for free and without speed and volume restrictions. Services then became paid. A preliminary tariff schedule has already been announced. The first two tariffs will be unlimited in terms of traffic volume, but with bandwidth restrictions. In the lightest tariff (monthly payments of 950 rubles are provided), the maximum access speed is 6 Mbps. When paying 1200 rubles. per month, the upper bar rises to 10 Mbps. And for 1,500 rubles. customers will be able to use broadband mobile Internet without restrictions on traffic volume and connection speed. By the end of the year, the Moscow branch of MegaFon plans to connect 50 thousand LTE subscribers.

• In July 2012, frequencies for the construction of fourth-generation networks were won at the MTS, VimpelCom, MegaFon and Rostelecom competition. Even before that, the frequencies for LTE were received by Yota, Osnova Telecom and Antares.

The first LTE networks were deployed in a number of cities (Novosibirsk, Moscow, Samara, Ufa, Vladivostok, cities of the Krasnodar Territory) by Yota. On August 30, Yota launched LTE in Kazan, at the same time MegaFon and MTS began working on its networks as virtual operators, on August 31, Yota's LTE became available in St. Petersburg, and on the same day it launched 4G and MegaFon on its networks. MTS plans to launch 4G in St. Petersburg in early 2013.

Beeline plans to join the LTE club only in early 2013. Rostelecom is in talks with Yota to launch 4G in Moscow as a virtual Internet operator^[19].

According to the GSA as of May 2013, there were 175 commercial LTE networks in 70 countries worldwide. By the end of 2013, it is projected that 248 such networks will be deployed in 87 countries.

The first commercial LTE network in Russia was launched in early 2012. By March 2013, the Scartel network (Yota trademark), in addition to Moscow and St. Petersburg, covered another 93 cities in 27 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In addition, MTS and MegaFon launched their own networks in the unpaired spectrum (TDD-LTE) in Moscow. Mainly commercial LTE networks are concentrated in the cities of the European part of Russia, and only a few cities are covered in Siberia and the Far East.

According to J'son & Partners Consulting estimates, in 2012 the number of LTE subscribers in Russia exceeded 850 thousand or less than 1% of the global figure (about 100 million). At the same time, 4G penetration in Russia amounted to no more than 0.4% of the number of active mobile SIM cards. The market is actually monopolized by Yota and MegaFon, which account for up to 99% of LTE subscribers in Russia.

One of the main restraining factors in the development of the LTE market in Russia, according to analysts, is limited competition (including due to the inability of operators to agree on conditions within the framework of the MVNO project with Yota) and, as a result, high tariffs for LTE.

As of September 2012, the following LTE networks operate in Russia:

• Megaphone: Moscow, Novosibirsk,. Krasnodar Preparing for the launch of the network in Sochi,,, To Samara, To Ufa To Kostroma St. Petersburg. By the end of 2012, MegaFon plans to commission LTE networks in several dozen major Russian cities.

• Yota: Moscow, St. Petersburg (Megafon as a virtual operator), Sochi, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Samara, Krasnodar and the cities of the region, Vladivostok Kazan (at the same time in Kazan, "and" began working as virtual operators MegaFon). MTS

• MTS: Moscow. MTS plans to launch 4G in St. Petersburg in early 2013.

The launch of LTE in the Chechen Republic was scheduled for August 2012, according to Adam Yaragiev, chairman of the board of the Vainakh Telecom telecommunications company.

• Beeline plans to join the LTE club only in early 2013.

• Rostelecom is in talks with Yota to launch 4G in Moscow as a virtual operator.

According to J'son Partners forecasts, in 2012 the number of Russian LTE users may be 1 million, and by 2015 it can reach 13.5 million people.

2011

Creation and collapse of LTE alliance based on Yota

• On March 3, 2011, in the presence of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, an agreement was signed between the mobile operators VimpelCom, Megafon, MTS, Rostelecom and the WiMAX operator Yota (Scartel) (Yota), according to which operators will have access to the future LTE infrastructure of the Yota network.

Under the terms of the agreement until 2014, Yota must build an LTE network at its own expense. And the Big Three and Rostelecom will commercially lease the capacity of the built network from Yota to provide their services. The agreement of intent provides for the possibility of buying out the Big Three and Rostelecom of an equal number of Yota shares from the current sole owner, Rostechnologies. Thus, all participants will be able to become owners of 20% of the LTE network.

The benefits of this approach seemed certain. According to Yota CEO Denis Sverdlov, his company by 2014 was ready to build an LTE network in 180 cities of Russia, spending $2 billion on this. It was assumed that the project participants would reimburse Yota for these costs by paying for the use of the network. At the same time, each of them will save on capital investments compared to if he built the network himself. As a result of the project, the question of extremely scarce radio frequencies for LTE would also be resolved: it is obviously easier to find them for one network than for three to four, even smaller in capacity.

The sharing of communication networks has so far had no precedent in Russia. It is no coincidence that when signing the agreement, the head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications Igor Shchegolev and representatives of the owners of the companies participating in the agreement were present: President of Alfa Bank Pyotr Aven, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AFK Sistema Vladimir Yevtushenkov, General Director of the state corporation Rostec (state corporation) Sergei Chemezov.

• In April 2011, the Osnova-Telecom company, created with the participation of the Ministry of Defense, demonstrated to President Dmitry Medvedev the work of the first LTE test network in Russia. In the city of Kubinka near Moscow, via LTE, video communication was organized between three cars moving at a speed of 120 km/h and a stationary control center. The president was in one of the cars and watched the network work on the monitor. Minister of Communications and Mass Media Igor Shchegolev, Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov and his deputy Dmitry Chushkin also took part in the demonstration. The network is deployed in the 2.3-2.4 GHz range using TDD LTE technology, which involves the separation of resources between subscribers over temporary channels. Earlier, Osnova Telecom conducted comparative testing of WiMAX and LTE equipment from various manufacturers, as a result of which the company preferred LTE solutions from Motorola and Huawei.

• On April 25, 2011, it became known that the Moscow Arbitration Court banned the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) from issuing frequencies in the 2.3-2.4 GHz range until a decision was made on the claim of Saturn, Module and Stroyresurs. This is stated in the court ruling posted on its website#^[18]

Back in February 2008, these three companies submitted applications to the State Committee for Radio Frequency to use these frequencies throughout Russia for the construction of a WiMax network, follows from the court ruling. But the SCRC did not consider them. The three companies have now sued the commission to compel it to do so. In addition, each of the companies requires 300 million rubles. compensation. A preliminary hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled for May 11, 2011.

The address of Saturn, Module and Stroyresurs indicated on the court's website coincides with the address of the Antares group companies owned by businessman Yevgeny Roitman, who specializes in wireless communications, in particular. All three companies are owned by Reutman, a source close to him confirms.

Reutman's companies fear the commission could issue these frequencies for continued use to other applicants "despite having earlier applications," so asked for interim measures, the court ruling said. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications does not know about interim measures, says its representative.

Rostelecom is the only legitimate contender for frequencies of 2.3-2.4 GHz, says its representative Oleg Rumyantsev.

• On September 8, 2011, the report of the Big Four consortium formed the basis of the GKRCH's decision to play 790-862 MHz frequencies at a competition between four applicants, give the winners more bands in the 2.5-2.7 GHz band and oblige them to independently finance the conversion of frequencies occupied by the military. The question of whether it is possible to build LTE networks in the 900/1800 MHz bands available to all GSM operators was postponed by GKRCH to the second quarter of 2012.

At the same meeting, Naum Marder scolded the members of the consortium for the fact that, contrary to the recommendations of the CRRC, it remained closed to new members.

• On September 28, 2011, it became known that Soyuz LTE, established by the cellular Big Four and developed the principles for allocating frequencies to fourth-generation mobile communications (4G), fulfilled its functions and the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications no longer needed. The state will think about the possibility of building 4G networks in the 900/1800 MHz bands, now occupied by GSM networks.

The operator consortium "Union LTE" fulfilled its function - it investigated the possibility of building 4G networks of the LTE standard in different bands, Deputy Minister of Communications Naum Marder said at the Telecom Networks 2.0^[18] conference^[18]. It remains to study the feasibility of creating LTE networks in the 900 and 1800 MHz bands, but these works will be carried out by the state without a consortium, he added.

The LTE Union is finally registered - this happened on August 30, 2011, its CEO Gulnara Khasyanova said on September 28, 2011. Everyone who showed a desire to join it was informed about the possibility of applying for membership: Transtelecom was notified by the consortium itself, and Tele2 and SMARTS by Rostelecom, she said. But so far there is not a single application, Khasyanova is surprised. Representatives of Transtelecom, Tele2 and SMARTS claim that they have not received any notifications. "The news that now the consortium can be entered, of course, is pleasant, but here the saying" The road is a spoon to dinner "is more useful than ever," says SMARTS CEO Andrei Girev. Moreover, nothing else is required from the "LTE Union." SMARTS, according to Girev, has not yet decided whether to join the consortium. Since this association has already fulfilled its task, it is perhaps not worth joining it, a source in Transtelecom agrees. And the representative of Tele2 limited himself to saying that the company is ready to cooperate on the implementation of LTE in Russia with any organizations.

If we consider the task of the consortium to prepare a solution to the CRCC, then it has been completed, Malis agrees. But he considers it wrong to disband it: the LTE Union has proven to be an effective tool, and it can be used to solve other industry problems, such as those related to conversion. The consortium also plans to investigate the possibility of using 900/1800 MHz frequencies for LTE networks, Khasyanova said yesterday. The consortium will continue to work on the release of frequencies, confirms the representative of MTS Valery Kuzmenko. VimpelCom does not plan to leave the consortium, said its spokeswoman Anna Aibasheva: the introduction of LTE will be a long-term project and may repeatedly require the involvement of operators. Representatives of Megafon and Rostelecom declined to comment.

• As of October 10, 2011, the project of sharing the LTE wireless broadband network by the four largest Russian operators, which should be built by Skartel (Yota), is more dead than alive. Despite the fact that all four - Rostelecom, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), VimpelCom (Beeline) and Megafon - do not say "no" aloud to this project, the lack of any progress towards its implementation for seven months speaks for itself. But they will not be able to just keep silent. The fact is that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was present at the signing ceremony of the agreement of intent on the joint LTE network. According to his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, having assumed obligations in the presence of the prime minister, the signatories will no longer be able to evade their implementation.

The participants had to sign a binding agreement on the terms of sharing the network and the possible redemption of shares in it in June 2011. But this has not happened so far. Signs that almost none of the Big Four will rush to join the LTE cooperative appeared a few days after the signing of the agreement of intent. Representatives of mobile operators who announced plans to join the cooperation, in a conversation with "Marker.ru," said that before signing a binding agreement, it is necessary to solve a number of problems: agree on the terms of options for buying out shares in the general network and the price that "Yota" will have to pay for using the network before redemption. In addition, the participants were concerned about the uncertainty of the conditions for joint operation of the network and the problem of the lack of radio frequency resource for the LTE network "Yota."

Even then, the parties to the deal did not express much optimism that all these issues would find an adequate solution.

Even when the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (GKRCH) in September 2011 provided Yota with a continuous 60 MHz frequency band, increasing its frequency resource by 1.5-2 times depending on the region, this did not impress the parties to the agreement and did not encourage them to take more action. Most likely, they initially counted more on independent work on LTE than on a common network. By that time, the troika of mobile operators and Rostelecom, according to the decision of the State Committee for Radio Broadcasting, had formed the "4G Consortium (Union ­ LTE)," which was supposed to develop proposals for the development of LTE in Russia and submit them for the adoption of relevant decisions by the State Commission. All members of the consortium clearly hoped that they would receive some preferences in the distribution of frequencies for LTE, and together declared the priority of their participation in the consortium. As a result, GKRCH decided to put the frequencies on an open competition, making an exception only for Yota, expanding its resource. Despite this , Rostelecom and cellular companies paid more attention to work in the consortium and almost none to preparing an agreement with Yota.

As of October 10, 2011, most likely, the parties to the agreement only pretend that the project is progressing. Rostelecom and VimpelCom declare seemingly ongoing work on the preparation of a binding agreement, but they cannot say anything about what has been practically done in this direction. As for the possible purchase of shares in the Yota network, this question is either not commented on, or from the answers it follows that there is no agreement on an acceptable price for this purchase, a source in Rostelecom said. MTS spokeswoman Elena Kokhanovskaya also said that consultations on a binding agreement on a joint network based on Yota are ongoing. However, before signing it, MTS needs to analyze in general its prospects for entering the LTE market. It will be possible to move on to concluding an agreement with Yota only after MTS has decided on its LTE strategy, including the possibility of building its own network. Representatives of Megafon do not say anything at all about the progress of the preparation of the joint network agreement.

The complete silence of the most interested party in this whole story, Yota, is especially indicative. Its representative completely declined to comment on the fate of the joint network project. Yota is unlikely to be able to independently "raise" $2 billion of investments on LTE with a long payback period, and even in conditions of fierce competition with much larger companies represented by Rostelecom and the cellular Big Three. But the signing of an agreement on a joint network would mean guaranteed financing for Yota for the next three years and, therefore, a secure future. Apparently, all parties to the agreement, except Yota, are not averse to letting the question go on the brakes.

However, it will be extremely difficult to do so. The prime minister's presence at the signing gives the agreement exceptional status. Indeed, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Marker.ru that the government is constantly monitoring the situation with the implementation of the agreement of intent for the joint operation of the LTE network based on the infrastructure of Yota. According to him, the signatories have undertaken obligations in the presence of Vladimir Putin and are unlikely to now refuse to fulfill them. As Peskov emphasized, the government sees attempts by some parties to the agreement to move away from the project, "but such their actions cannot be called correct."

• On November 30, 2011, it became known that the union of four LTE operators, concluded in the presence of Vladimir Putin, collapsed^[20]. Megafon and Rostelecom are ready to conclude a separate agreement with the only LTE builder today - Yota (Scartel). This means that their subscribers will receive fourth-generation communication a year earlier than MTS and VimpelCom

In March 2012, the first fourth generation networks (LTE) should be launched in Russia, which are now being built in Moscow and Novosibirsk by the Skartel operator (Yota brand). The main advantage of LTE is high-speed Internet access (up to 173 Mbps). Most likely, Yota will not provide services alone, but with Rostelecom and Megafon - negotiations on this are almost completed, sources in these companies told Vedomosti. Megafon and Rostelecom will become virtual LTE operators: they will lease the capacity of Yota and will work for them under their brands.

It is assumed that the costs of building networks will fall entirely on Yota: in Moscow alone, it plans to install 1,550 Huawei base stations. Based on the scale of the project, one base station can cost about $30,000, estimates Konstantin Ankilov, partner at iKS-Consulting, so that costs in Moscow will reach $46.5 million.

Yota is the only Russian operator with a federal set of frequencies for the construction of LTE networks (in the 2.5-2.7 GHz range) and the right to use them. He received this right in September 2011 from the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCRF). At the same time, the CRCH allowed the construction of LTE networks by Osnova Telecom (74.9% of which belongs to the son of former Energy Minister Igor Yusufov Vitaly, and 25.1% to Voentelecom, controlled by the Ministry of Defense) - in all regions in the range of 2.3-2.4 GHz. But Osnova is still testing the equipment and is in no hurry to build: there are a few subscriber devices that support LTE at 2.3-2.4 GHz, a company representative explains.

In March 2010, he won frequencies in the same range at Rostelecom contests, but only in 39 regions (Moscow is not among them, Novosibirsk is); in addition, these frequencies were issued for the construction of WiMax networks, and not LTE. Therefore, Rostelecom, like the operators of the cellular Big Three - MTS, Megafon and VimpelCom - has hopes for contests in which Roskomnadzor promises to play four sets of LTE frequencies in the 791-862 MHz range, and then give the winners another 20 MHz in the 2.5-2.7 GHz range.

Contests should be held in the first quarter of 2012, but even by winning them, operators will not be able to immediately start building networks - first they will have to free up the won frequencies, now occupied by other users (primarily the military). The costs of converting frequencies 791-862 MHz will amount to 52 billion rubles, the Soyuz LTE consortium, established by Rostelecom, MTS, VimpelCom and Megafon, estimated in the summer.

The realistic period for clearing frequencies and building an LTE network is a year from the moment the results of the competition are summed up, the top manager of one of the Big Three operators estimated. True, in Moscow, MTS (and Megafon) have 25 MHz each in the 2.5-2.7 GHz range, on which LTE can be launched if desired.

In fact, all four named operators were supposed to gain access to the Yota network. But the binding agreement was never signed: the shareholders of MTS and VimpelCom had doubts about the adequacy of the conditions proposed by Yota, sources close to the negotiators said. Therefore, Rostelecom and Megafon began separate negotiations with Yota and succeeded. Thus, Megafon can offer 4G subscribers a year earlier than competitors. And Rostelecom will enter the Moscow mobile market for the first time.

For both companies, this will be "good PR," but subscribers will not receive radical advantages, according to a source in one of the competing companies. If only because not a single phone, tablet computer or laptop with LTE support is still officially imported into Russia, says Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group. But modems operating in 3G and 4G are already being sold, and over time phones will appear, because LTE networks are already operating in more than 10 countries, a source in one of the cellular operators parries. For example, Samsung produces five mobile devices that support LTE, and as soon as a commercial LTE network appears in Russia, it is ready to start importing them here, says Sergey Pevnev, commercial director of the company.

• In September 2011, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies (SCRF) allowed the use of the 2.3-2.4 GHz band for LTE-based networks. At the end of 2011, it was not known whether the condition for the use of Russian equipment would apply for these networks, or not. If this requirement for LTE networks is canceled, then all efforts to develop criteria for telecommunications equipment of Russian origin may be in vain: now there are no other cases when these criteria would be required.

• On December 2, 2011, it became known that Rostelecom and Yota signed an agreement on the joint development and use of fourth-generation (4G) wireless communication networks. The agreement was signed by Rostelecom President Alexander Provotorov and Yota Director Denis Sverdlov^[17].

Under the signed agreement, Yota grants Rostelecom the right to use wireless channels of its network and provide customers with communication services using the MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) mechanism, as well as use the sites available to Yota to accommodate telecommunications equipment and wired communication channels to these sites.

Rostelecom, in turn, grants Yota the right to use wired communication channels to telecommunication equipment sites, Internet connection channels, main communication channels between cities, Rostelecom sites for telecommunications equipment and its data centers.

According to Rostelecom President Alexander Provotorov, "the joint development and use of infrastructure will allow companies to significantly reduce the construction time of 4G networks, while reducing capital costs, as well as significantly reduce operating costs. All this will make it possible not only to start providing 4G network services as soon as possible, but also to increase the number of Russian residents who can use them. "

Cost of network construction in Russia

Investments in the construction of 4G networks will amount to 85.7 billion rubles. ($2.9 billion) for each operator, follows from the report of the Soyuz LTE consortium of operators sent to the State Commission on Radio Frequencies^[21]. Part of the funds will go to the conversion of the 690-880 MHz range - 52 billion rubles. The calculations were based on the assumption that operators will build a dual-band network (690-880 and 2500-2700 MHz), and the spectrum available for construction of networks will be divided between four companies. It is such a frequency spectrum separation scheme that Soyuz LTE offers, which now includes only four operators: MTS, Megafon, VimpelCom and Rostelecom. The consortium suggested that LTE networks should cover settlements with more than 1000 residents. To do this, each of the operators must install 20,810 base stations throughout Russia.

According to the consortium, the LTE network operator will receive its first revenue in 2014. In another year it will reach a positive OIBDA indicator, and in the second year of operation its OIBDA margin will be 53% (higher than the Big Four operators now). And by 2020, when, according to the consortium's forecasts, LTE traffic will completely displace 3G, the LTE operator's OIBDA margin will be 68%. But investments in the construction of LTE networks will pay off only in 6.7 years, the report says, and the full costs in 7.7 years. Under favorable conditions, the construction of the LTE network can pay off in 2.5-3 years after its commissioning, says a representative Tele2 (building an LTE network in) Sweden Alexander Bakhorin. The payback period for such networks in the world is about seven years, in Russia it will be no less, suggests the general director of the Volga operator SMARTS Andrei Girev.

The Swedish-Finnish Telia­Sone­ra, the world's first to launch LTE network in Stockholm and Oslo, does not disclose the financial performance of this project. But investments in LTE turned out to be much lower than in 3G, since the infrastructure for these networks is already ready, says TeliaSonera spokesman Thomas Jonsson. The payback period and LTE costs can be less if you build networks at the frequencies that are used by GSM networks, says Tele2's Bakhorin. And SMARTS, if the principle of technological neutrality is introduced, expects to start building LTE networks at the existing GSM frequencies in 2012, says Girev. True, the LTE consortium believes that it is now impractical to allow the use of GSM frequencies for LTE.

The consortium also considered the possibility of building 10 single-band networks (in different bands), which would allow more operators to build LTE. Built in the "lower" range, such networks, according to the calculations of the consortium, will cost less - 63 billion rubles. per operator ($2.14 billion), but will pay off only in 16 years: due to lower capacity, revenue will be lower. And to cover the whole of Russia with a full-fledged network in the range of 2300-2400 MHz would cost operators 653.7 billion rubles. ($22.2 billion) and would hardly pay off, the report says. This coincides with Rostelecom's calculations: according to a source close to it, the cost of building a federal LTE network in this range from scratch is about $20 billion. But Rostelecom already has a mobile business, so it will not have to build a network from scratch. Unlike another contender for these frequencies - "Basics of Telecom," which, according to the Ministry of Defense, will build an LTE network for government agencies on them.

2008-2010: Battle over frequencies for LTE networks

• The 2.3-2.4 GHz range is suitable for the construction of not only WiMax networks, but also fourth-generation cellular networks in the LTE standard. In April 2008, the CRRC decided to allocate frequencies in this range without restrictions, but already in January 2009 it suspended the consideration of applications, since this resource was declared limited.

• In August 2009, GKRCH decided that frequencies in the 2.3-2.4 GHz band were enough for the construction of a network of only one operator, and frequencies in 40 regions were put up for competition. In March 2010, most of the contests were won by Svyazinvest (later merged on the basis of Rostelecom). But in December 2010, GKRCH issued these frequencies for the construction of an experimental network of Osnova Telecom, 74.9% of which belongs to Vitaly Yusufov, and 25.1% to Voentelecom, controlled by the Ministry of Defense. Moreover, the Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov asked for the provision of these frequencies to the "Basis" of President Dmitry Medvedev. And Deputy Minister of Communications Naum Marder did not rule out that according to the results of the tests, the results of the March competitions could be canceled.

• At the end of December 2010, the State Commission on Radio Frequencies () SCRF invited four operators - To Rostelecom"," "" and MTSTo the megaphone"" - to To VimpelCom create a consortium open to all interested parties to find out at what frequencies it is optimal to build LTE networks in. But Russia no one, except the members of the Big Four, had a chance to participate in the work of the consortium - neither rushed there, nor Tele2 SMARTS"." To Transtelecom Oleg Malis, Chairman of the Council of the LTE Union, explained this by a technical reason - the consortium was conceived as a non-profit organization, the registration procedure of which is very long. However, the protracted process of registration of the "Union of LTE" did not prevent four market leaders from creating a temporary association, conducting frequency studies, developing proposals for the terms of tenders and submitting all this to the State Committee for Radio Broadcasting.

LTE Benefits for Subscribers

LTE launch leads to 50 percent traffic growth

In the summer of 2012, the analytical agency Informa Telecoms & Media and the developer of applications for smartphones Mobidia prepared a study on trends in the field of mobile data. The authors of the report analyzed information received from 1.5 million users who downloaded the Mobidia My Data Manager mobile application. Thus, the study involved subscribers of more than 600 cellular operators around the world.

The main pattern noted by analysts is that the deployment of LTE networks and the distribution of relevant devices leads to an increase in Internet traffic by 50% or more. At the same time, high speeds in fourth-generation mobile networks allow phone owners to use applications that were previously limited to Wi-Fi networks.

For the summer of 2012, mobile users prefer to go online using Wi-Fi hot spots. This is best seen in the example of iPhone owners: they have a imbalance in traffic through cellular networks and Wi-Fi can reach gigantic values, for example, in Germany the difference is 10 times, the report says.

To keep the mobile Internet market, cellular operators need to invest in the infrastructure of high-speed LTE networks, concludes Thomas Vemeyer, lead analyst at Informa. Communication providers should also promote mobile applications that, due to the continuity of the LTE cellular network, give users additional opportunities, the expert recommends. Finally, it is necessary to correctly form a pricing policy so that subscribers use the cellular Internet more actively.

LTE (4G) in Industry 4.0

Main article LTE (4G) in Industry 4.0

Criticism of LTE

Mobile broadband pioneers such as Japan's NTT DoCoMo are full of optimism about 4G's commercial prospects. But as of June 2012, a number of experts draw attention to the fact that the LTE ecosystem is not yet mature enough and many aspects of the transition to the fourth generation of mobile communications need additional development.

Telecom operators are concerned about such problems as:

• standardization of voice services in LTE networks,
• harmonizing spectrum in different countries to provide services in, roaming
• integration of mandatory public safety services,
• return on investment in 4G infrastructure and, of course,
• prospects for the development of the LTE standard.

Vulnerabilities in 4G LTE allow you to track subscriber traffic and spoof data

A joint team of researchers from Ruhr and New York universities published^[22] in the summer of 2018, which described three types of attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the 4G LTE standard. Two of them are passive and allow you to track LTE traffic and find out various details about the target. With the help of a third, called aLTEr, attackers can replace data sent to the device and determine which sites the victim visits from the gadget^[23]

The researchers tested the aLTEr attack in a series of experiments in which they managed to redirect users to malicious sites by replacing DNS packets. A video showing the process is presented below:

All three vulnerabilities affect the Data Link layer (2 layer) of 4G LTE. The problems are related to the lack of proper integrity check when transmitting packets, which provides attackers with the ability to intercept and modify encrypted 4G data packets and then relay them to cellular towers. Attacks cannot be carried out remotely - an attacker must be close and force the user to connect to his device.

According to experts, vulnerabilities also affect the 5G standard in its current form. Although the standard provides additional security features that protect against an aLTEr attack, they are currently optional.

The team has already transmitted information about the vulnerabilities of the International Association of Mobile Operators (GSM Association), the 3GPP consortium (develops specifications for mobile telephony) and a number of telecom companies.

Different process modes

One of the main advantages of this technology - the ability to use a wide range of frequencies - turned into big problems for market participants. LTE supports several dozen operating bands and two technological modes - duplex with frequency division (FDD) and duplex with time division (TDD) channels. Different operators within the same country (or in different countries) implement different LTE options based on local conditions of radio frequency spectrum load and regulator regulations. In this multi-frequency chaos, providing seamless roaming for subscribers becomes the most difficult, and sometimes impossible, task. It is unlikely that any of the terminal manufacturers will start producing devices with support for several, albeit the most popular, LTE frequency bands and modes - FDD and TDD. For example, iPad3 tablets with LTE support are focused mainly on the American market, and their owners in Russia will not be able to connect to 4G networks of domestic operators.

Inability to transmit voice

As of June 2012, 63 companies have introduced 347 terminals to the global market for LTE networks, and the vast majority of them are modems, routers, femtocells, laptops and tablets for wireless Internet access and other data services. Only 64 models of the devices on the market are smartphones. But they cannot transmit voice traffic over LTE networks (with the exception of VoIP applications). The lack of standard approaches to voice transmission is the Achilles heel of LTE.

Economics vs. LTE

And yet the main obstacle to the massive introduction of LTE is the lack of guarantees of return on investment. Gulnara Khasyanova, executive director of the Russian LTE Union, recalled in May 2012 that domestic operators have not yet completed the third generation networks and did not have time to justify investments in them.

Indeed, the Big Three operators report that about 75% of the Russian population is in the range of 3G networks. But if you look at the number of settlements in which third-generation services are available, we will see that there are no more than 15% of the total number of Russian cities and villages. At the same time, the income of all cellular operators in Russia from mobile data services, according to Khasyanova, amounted to about $2.3 billion in 2011 instead of the projected $4.7 billion. Meanwhile, each of the Big Three operators annually invests $2 billion in the construction of 3G infrastructure (over the past few years). Obviously, investments in 3G will not pay off soon, Khasyanov concludes. She shares analysts' forecasts that in the coming years, voice mobile services based on 2G and 3G networks will continue to dominate the revenue structure of operators, surpassing mobile Internet revenues by four times.

"Operators will deploy expensive LTE infrastructure, but will not receive significant returns from it. And a significant part of the revenue from data services will be formed in 3G networks, the coverage of which in the next four to five years will be wider than that of LTE. It turns out a paradox: everyone shouts "let's launch 4G," but these projects do not have a proper economic justification, "Khasyanova said

.

At the same time, she clarified that data traffic in mobile networks is growing exponentially and the volume of data consumption in mobile networks is striving to the volume of consumption of fixed networks by subscribers. Operators are forced to reckon with this trend. Therefore, the transition to LTE is not dictated by economic feasibility, it is a forced response to user requests requiring an increase in access speed and unlimited tariffs for mobile data transmission. The share of LTE services in the income of Russian operators will be approximately 10% in 2015, Khasyanova summarizes.

Optimists, however, have their own arguments. First of all, they are counting on the rapid growth of new markets, such as M2M. This segment is just emerging, but it has huge prospects.

J'son & Partners Consulting predicts an 8.5-fold increase in the number of M2M devices in Russia by 2015 compared to 2010 - up to 18.4 million devices, while the share of M2M devices will reach 6% of the total number of mobile subscribers. The volume of the Russian market for M2M solutions will grow by 3.1 times by 2015, to 107.5 billion rubles. Presumably, of this amount, the cost of communication services will amount to 14.4 billion rubles.

LTE will also draw revenues in segments such as mobile telemedicine, mobile TV, mobile games, and finally in the fixed access segment, although it is not yet very well developed in Russia.

But in any case, the LTE implementation business model, suitable for operators in the USA, Japan and Western Europe, should be significantly redesigned and adapted to unique Russian conditions, Khasyanov concludes.

The history of the launch of networks in the world

2020: Work begins to launch 4G on the moon

In October 2020, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed an agreement with Nokia for the construction of a 4G LTE telecommunications network on the moon. The contract value is $14.1 million. Read more here.

2017: Record speed - over 1Gbps

In August 2017, it became known about the achievement of a record data transfer rate in fourth generation networks (4G) - more than 1 Gbps. It was installed by Verizon, Qualcomm  and Ericsson in North America.

The companies achieved a speed of 1.07 Gbps in the downstream channel thanks to the use of LAA technology in the Gigabit LTE network and the aggregation of only three carriers with a width of 20 MHz in the FDD band. Thus, a new level of efficiency in using the frequency spectrum in a commercial network and devices has been achieved, Ericsson said in a statement.

The tests involved LTE radio systems and software from Ericsson, as well as the first LTE modem on the market with support for Category 18 speeds - Qualcomm Snapdragon X20. Data was transmitted by 12 streams simultaneously, giving a 20% increase in peak speed, as well as an increase in bandwidth and average data rates in the network. 

A 4x4 MIMO configuration was employed on each carrier using multiple antennas on each cell tower and user devices to optimize rates.

Modulation of 256 QAMs on each carrier allowed large amounts of data to be exchanged between user devices and the network, allowing more data to be transmitted on each transmission and allowing for significant rate increases. 

Cooperation with Verizon and Ericsson helped us first overcome the 1 Gbps speed barrier using our Snapdragon X20 LTE modem. This is an important step towards 5G, which will provide higher average data speeds for all subscribers and take the user experience to the next level, said Mike Finley, Qualcomm in North America[24]

2016: OpenSignal: The fastest 4G Internet in the post-Soviet space in Lithuania, the slowest in Russia

These are the results of the OpenSignal agency's report, which reflects the development of LTE networks for 2016 in the world.

The OpenSignal agency published a report in which it displayed the state of development of LTE networks for 2016 in the world. Estimates were made based on data from more than 500 thousand users who came Internet out of 17 million points from July 1 to September 30, 2016.

The table shows the indicators of the countries of the post-Soviet space. For comparison, South Korea is the leader in LTE coverage in the world - 95.71% of the territory, the minimum indicator for Sri Lanka is 40.27%. Singapore leads in speed - 45.86MB/s, and closes the rating of Costa Rica - 5.82MB/s.

Coverage and speed of LTE networks in the post-Soviet space

In a similar study a year earlier (at the end of September 2015), comparable indicators are given, however, "tied" to operators. That is, within the framework of one country, all operators who own LTE networks are considered. The table shows the maximum indicator of one country operator for 2015, and not averaged, as in the 2016 report ^[25].

The LTE market is very mobile, the situation is changing rapidly both in individual regions and in the world as a whole. For example, last year, New Zealand was the leader in 4G networks in the world with an indicator of 29 MB/s, which is 1.5 times lower than the speed of this year's leader. Similarly, the situation is developing in the post-Soviet space, in some countries (Georgia, Kazakhstan) as networks develop over the year, the speed has increased more than 2 times.

2012:72 commercial networks deployed

As of June 2012, according to the global association of mobile equipment suppliers GSA, 72 commercial LTE networks have been deployed in 37 countries, but there are not so many large networks. There are only a dozen megacities on the planet where 4G services are available to subscribers, and Moscow is among them. In total, 319 operators in 97 countries have already invested in LTE in the world. Of these, 258 operators are preparing to start commercial operation of LTE networks in the near future; 61 companies are conducting test tests of their networks.

2011

Operating networks in the world

• As of March 2011, 17 operators have already started commercial operation of LTE networks in Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, USA and Uzbekistan.

• According to the Global Mobile Supplier Association (GSA) LTE Development Report for October 12, 2011, there are 35 commercial LTE networks in the world - 18 of them use Huawei's integrated SingleRAN LTE solution.

Analytical Report: LTE Global Outlook and Forecasts, 2010-2014 BMI

Network launch plans: 196 operators worldwide invest in technology

As of March 2011, 196 operators in the world are investing in the creation of wireless broadband networks using LTE technology, according to a study by the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)^[26].

Commitments to deploy commercial LTE networks were made by 140 operators in 56 countries. Over the year, the number of such operators has grown more than 2 times.

Another 56 operators have begun test operation of LTE networks.

Thus, according to the study, 196 telecom operators in 75 countries as of March 2011 are investing in the development of new wireless communication technology.

According to the GSA forecast, 73 new LTE networks will be put into commercial operation by the end of 2012.

Geographically, out of 140 networks that have confirmed commercial launch, there are 29 LTE networks in America, 64 in Europe, and 33 LTE networks in the Middle East and Africa region - 14 and Asia-Pacific and Oceania.

In spring 2011, a number of countries are expected to hold contests on LTE licenses in the 2.6 GHz frequency band and digital dividend frequencies/700, 800 MHz/.

According to Juniper Research's forecast, by 2015 the number of subscribers using LTE communication services will increase 600 times to 300 million compared to 500 thousand in 2010. At the same time, 90% of all LTE subscribers by 2015 will fall on three regions: North America, Western Europe, and the Far East, which includes China, Japan, and Korea.

2010: Launch of Verizon LTE network in the United States

One of the first LTE networks was launched by the American company Verizon. As of early December 2010, the network covered 38 American cities, offering data rates of 5-12 Mbps in the downlink and 2-5 Mbps in the uplink.

Following the modems, the first smartphones with LTE support appeared on sale. One of them was the HTC Thunderbolt 4G with a 1 GHz processor and a 4.3-inch display. During 2011, some vendors plan to release the first tablets with support for the new standard.

2009: Launch of the world's first LTE network in Stockholm

On December 14, 2009 , the world's first Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network was launched. The network was commissioned by Telia Company (formerly TeliaSonera) operator Sonera in central Stockholm. Telecommunications equipment was provided by the Swedish company Ericsson as part of a contract concluded in early 2009. Initially, it was planned to carry out the commercial launch of the world's first LTE network in 2010, but the parties managed to get ahead of schedule. Ericsson provided base stations, support equipment, switches, operation and control system. All solutions were created on the basis of standards established by the world organization 3GPP. Stockholm residents can use the new technology through Samsung LTE modems tested for performance on the TeliaSonera network in October 2009. To connect to laptops, the modems have a USB interface. According to TeliaSonera officials, the LTE network they launched makes it easy to use services such as "video on demand," providing video streaming without delays in HD resolution.

Notes