The demonstration occurred during a November 2017 event at lifecell’s headquarters with speed tests on the live LTE network that exceeded 450 Mbps. The tests demonstrated features that Ukrainian subscribers will be able to experience after the upcoming launch of the commercial LTE network.
According Ericsson’s 2017 Mobility Report, video accounts for 50 percent of all mobile data today, and is expected to grow to 75 percent until 2022. On current 3G networks this means subscribers are likely to encounter delays and buffering.
Anders Lundqvist, Head of Network Evolution at Ericsson says: “One may think that this is just a matter of seconds, but according to our research, 10 percent of users abort watching the video after only 4 seconds of waiting. Another 40 percent will close the application after 10 seconds of delay.”
Konstantin Sotnikov, Head of Technology Management and Control, lifecell, says: “We expect that it will take us just a few months to launch our 4G network into commercial operation because when we were purchasing 3G equipment, we ensured that it would be 4G-ready. Therefore, the transition will be much easier compared to the transition from 2G to 3G.”
New opportunities with IoT
Along with higher bitrates, the benefits of LTE will go far beyond a better user experience for subscribers. Widespread LTE availability also enables the possibility of massive IoT deployments.
Jonas Näslund, Head of Networks Strategy Development, Business Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “NB-IoT and CAT-M1 are two significant additions with LTE that enable a massive IoT. These standards enable cost attractive IoT devices with low power consumption (up to 10 years without battery replacement), and extended coverage. This means that IoT devices can remain online even in remote areas or in deep cellars where mobile broadband has typically been unavailable”.
Massive IoT deployments will benefit many industries including public services, utilities, urban infrastructure, healthcare, and manufacturing. For example, after the US city of Philadelphia connected 1,300 garbage cans it was able to save around USD 1 million annually. Connected manhole covers, like those demonstrated at the 2017 Mobile World Congress, can also help cities prevent theft and save people from unnecessary injury.
To compete on national and international markets, Ukrainian businesses must make efficiency a top priority. To support this, lifecell will offer additional digital services and products to their enterprise customers along with the introduction of LTE. These will cover all aspects of security (employees, devices, and data), as well as transforming communication models with customers.
Tetiana Skrychevska, B2B Marketing Manager, lifecell, says: “The number of enterprise customers in the lifecell network is growing twice as fast as other categories of users, and we expect that with the arrival of LTE we will grow in the corporate sector even faster.”
Setting new industry standards
LTE is just the beginning for what will be a complete transformation of industries. Ericsson has highlighted this through its research project conducted in cooperation with Boliden, the Swedish mining company, Boliden. The virtual reality demo placed participants into a mine replica to show how precise positioning and ultra-low latency will enable workers to interact with automated systems, control remote devices or exploit augmented reality technologies to increase safety and productivity.