Swedish telecom-equipment maker Ericsson
This agreement is for three years and will cover an area that includes 14 cities with a total population of approximately 100 million people. The plan is for the LTE service to go online in the second quarter of 2012.
There are two flavors of LTE available. The first is LTE--FDD, which stands for Long Term Evolution -- Frequency Division Duplex, which is what Verizon
The second flavor is what's known as LTE-TDD, or LTE -- Time Division Duplex. That's the type that Ericsson will be providing in India. LTE-TDD is the version that the world's largest wireless carrier, China Mobile
The two LTEs are not compatible.
The potential for equipment sales and service contracts in India is immense, and the major infrastructure names, such as Nokia Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent
Ericsson's entry into India first is a real coup, and the other Indian wireless carriers, as well as the equipment vendors, are going to be keeping a close eye on the outcome of this venture. I think it will be well worth the trouble for us to also keep an eye on the companies mentioned here. It's easy to do by putting them in My Watchlist.