Even though Long term evolution (LTE), the 4G mobile broadband standard, appears the clear choice for the next leap in wireless technology, a new report by In-Stat warns that the efficiency of 3G networks may hinder rapid network deployment.

The report ‘The Road to LTE: Is WiMAX Really the Enemy?' makes the case that WiMAX will certainly be an early competitor in the battle for ascendency in 4G early on but that fundamentally this battle is now largely resolved. Instead, In-Stat predicts that LTE's deployment will primarily be impeded by the success of 3G networks and HSPA and HSPA+ networks as mobile operators seek to leverage their installed infrastructure.

"LTE still has several glaring issues," explained Allen Nogee, In-Stat analyst. "These include lack of spectrum, signal-to-noise ratio, and non-established patent and royalty pool. It's clear that the shift toward 4G LTE will be gradual and protracted."

In-Stat stated that LTE deployments will effectively begin in 2010 with North America and Asia/Pacific the first regions to deploy, even though Telia Sonera unveiled an LTE network in late 2009.

It adds that LTE will ultimately become the 4G standard of choice despite the fact that mobile WiMAX is much more mature in deployment and has a distinct niche. And despite the fact that even by 2013, mobile WiMAX will likely claim more than five times as many global subscribers as LTE. Such deployments have given WiMAX chipset manufacturers, device manufacturers, and infrastructure suppliers real-world experience.

External clients, such as dongles, network cards, and USB dongles will likely be the first LTE subscriber devices sold, the analyst predicts, adding that LTE mobile handsets will not start shipping in major volumes until 2H12.