As of July, the number of new LTE user devices launched this year has doubled, reported Telecompaper.com on July 15, 2014, citing a report by the GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association). In July, there were 1,889 LTE-enabled user devices, put out by 168 manufacturers, on the market worldwide. The figure, which includes all operator and frequency variants, is up from 1,371 in January.

Smartphones made up the largest category of devices. There were 835 LTE-enabled smartphones in July, with the market share growing to over 44 percent of all LTE device types. The number of LTE-enabled tablets available rose to 175, representing 9.2 percent of all LTE devices, with 43 more products now on the market than in March.

The 1800 MHz (3GPP band 3) continues to be the most frequently used band for LTE network deployments globally (43 percent). The 1800 MHz band has the largest LTE user devices ecosystem as well, with 769 LTE1800 user devices announced, achieving 170 percent year-on-year growth. Over 40 percent of all LTE devices can operate in 1800 MHz (band 3).

While the majority of terminals operate in the FDD mode, support for the TDD mode (TD-LTE) has significantly strengthened due to deployments in China. About 530 devices are now able to operate in the LTE TDD (TD-LTE) mode, up 330 from the year earlier.

Meanwhile, the number of VoLTE-enabled terminals has growth, with 92 smartphones (including carrier and frequency variants) now able to support VoLTE. Worldwide, at least 308 LTE networks have launched commercially. GSA predicts that this number will grow to at least 350 networks in commercial service by the end of the year.