Mobile carriers plug into 4G

Spending on fourth-generation equipment ramping up, reports ABI

Capital expenditure by mobile operators on 4G base station gateways and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) carrier equipment will approach $850m in 2013, experts predict.

The capital expenditure will be spread between FMC platforms, 4G base stations and the 4G gateways that aggregate their traffic, according to ABI Research.

The analyst firm believes that FMC will be widely deployed by carriers as a means of reducing stress on network capacity.

The technology routes traffic through customers' wired broadband connections when they are at home, thereby taking the pressure off the cellular network.

"FMC is not just about relieving voice traffic congestion, but about data too," said principal ABI analyst Philip Solis.

"3G handsets with Wi-Fi, laptops that often feature cellular connections, the new class of mobile internet devices, and other mobile broadband-enabled consumer electronic products all add to network load.

"Operators' needs for FMC and 4G equipment to meet that extra demand creates real opportunities for vendors."