Ranjan SharmaDirector-Wireless Technical Sales, ZTE "As multiple networks traditionally mean dealing with individual operating costs since the equipment is specific to the technology, deploying SON functionality may ease complexity."

LTE is the preferred technology by operators as it can reduce user delay (enhance end user experience), can handle higher user data rates (i.e., the overall cost of delivering a bit is lower), and can be smoothly evolved from 3GPP and 3GPP2 technologies. However, these advantages need to be tapped by guaranteeing successful commercialization of LTE networks by taking on challenges in terms of network deployment, maintenance, and implementation. Self-organization is a newly introduced network concept that improves the intelligence of LTE networks. SON is characterized by self-configuration, self-optimization, and self-healing.

A typical network deployment uses several radio technologies - two or more of GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, and LTE - operating on different frequency bands - in short, a highly complex operating environment. In India, there are many operators who are running multiple cellular networks on GSM, CDMA, UMTS, and WiMAX or will be deploying mobile cellular networks based on LTE. This may be attributed to India being able to leapfrog from 2G to 4G due to multiple spectrum allocations, which happened in the past few years. India is a growing mobile communications market, and mobile operators and investors are keen on making investments in technologies that are being deployed worldwide. Although this ushering has put India at par with global mobile communication networks on the world map, it has also complicated operational and maintenance areas, which need to be consolidated for optimal functioning.

Multiple networks traditionally mean dealing with individual operating costs since the equipment is specific to the technology. This results in additional footprint, multiplication of operational requirements such as power backup, site maintenance, floor area, transmission requirements, tower loading constraints, monitoring, and overall daily operations. Solutions based on unified platforms, which can either support multiple technologies or can be software upgraded entirely or partially are what operators should seriously consider before making investments in any new deployments.

High spectrum costs leave the operator cash strapped for the initial period before fresh investments can be made, availability of enough spectrum at a reasonable price can help operators launching new networks reducing the huge CapEx investment.

From a customer perspective, the higher speeds and lower latency enabled by technologies deployed in the sub 1 GHz band are expected to have a definite advantage in terms of coverage both indoor and outdoor. With the new technologies, which are targeted at data services, India presently have been allocated the above 1 GHz band. With target customers being data subscribers the majority users will be indoor users with expectations of getting lighting fast data speeds from 4G. Indoor coverage must be one of the benchmarking criteria how an operator evaluates their networks if they want to deliver the user the claims that come with 4G technologies.

In the coming couple of months, the Indian telecom market seems to headed for consolidation and defining strategy, which may be considered as a second phase in the India telecom revolution, with the emphasis on acquiring spectrum, reducing non-profitable networks, probable partnerships allowed under the NTP 2012, the wireless equipment market may take a little backstage for the coming couple of months, which will be definitely followed by new rollouts giving the wireless equipment market the much needed impetus.