Executive VP, head of Marketing Group, LG Electronics: “Global deployment of LTE is heading into the next stage of growth”

Following the successful LTE Awards 2013, we speak to Paul Bae, executive vice president and head of Marketing Group at LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, winners of the award for ‘Best LTE Device/Handset’.

Tell us more about your entry.

LG has maintained its 4G LTE leadership through long-term investment in, and the successful development of, the latest 4G LTE technologies and products. We are committed to offering consumers the many benefits of our groundbreaking 4G LTE advancements through a diverse range of high quality premium- to mid-tier LTE devices.

Based on a wealth of 4G LTE patents and expertise, LG will continue

to assert its dominance in the fast growing global 4G LTE market. Furthermore, we are also making all the necessary preparations to introduce the next stage of LTE technology; LTE-Advanced. Our participation in the Telecoms.com LTE Awards provides us with a great opportunity to clearly demonstrate our dedication to moving LTE technology forward.

What made your entry stand out from the crowd?

The LG Optimus G Pro is a differentiated device, which reflects our desire to enhance the user’s daily life through innovative technologies and features. Designed in response to consumer demand, the G Pro offers a stunning, 5.5-inch Full HD screen and is fully capable of delivering premium viewing and user experiences. LG’s unwavering efforts to set new standards in the continuously evolving world of LTE are clearly having a significant impact on the global market.

How will your product evolve and improve in the future?

LG plans to launch the new ‘G’ series, a top-tier premium smartphone. The next ‘G’ series model is even more advanced than the acclaimed Optimus G Pro, selected as the best smartphone in the Mobile World Congress 2013. The new ‘G’ series will redefine the smartphone experience, providing stunning performance, rich graphics and outstanding battery efficiency. Ultimately, these technological improvements result in super-fast LTE speeds; double of what users are currently able to experience. LG will continue to meet consumer needs in the fast growing global LTE market.

What lies ahead for LTE over the next 12 months?

The global deployment of LTE networks is finally heading into the next stage of growth, marked by accelerated subscribership and a dramatic increase in LTE handset shipments. The technology has definitely penetrated the mainstream wireless consumer market.

LTE has lived up to its great potential, becoming the global standard for 4G cellular technology over the course of the past year. The next step is to ensure sustained growth across the entire LTE landscape. As such, we see 2013 as a year in which LTE will continue to gather momentum. Although the majority of smartphone customers are still using 3G and 2.5G devices, the increasing presence of LTE handsets and networks will surely change this situation in the near future.

The cellular industry has witnessed a profound paradigm shift in mobile usage over the past several years. The move to mobile broadband has resulted in a greater appetite for mobile data services. Significantly, this has brought about the rise of the smartphone and the decline of the personal computer. Consequently, the amount of data being carried on cellular networks has grown exponentially.

LTE-Advanced has been developed to meet the needs of this new market, offering the speeds necessary for today’s mobile data applications, and providing consumers with an enhanced user experience. LTE-Advanced technologies are evolving out of necessity, due to the massive increase in mobile broadband data traffic. Additionally, it is expected that social networking applications with integrated video capabilities will put severe pressure on existing LTE networks in the short term.

What are the biggest challenges that LTE faces?

Today’s 3G networks are already facing major backhaul issues with the increased data transfer requirements of LTE. If a network doesn’t have enough backhaul capacity, its subscribers won’t receive the level of service they’re paying for. LTE is being presented as a viable solution to the problem, but without the necessary infrastructure to provide sufficient backhaul capacity, operators will continue to leave customers underwhelmed. If current network performance limitations are to be overcome, there will have to be a significant level of new investment in LTE technology and infrastructure.

Telecom operators have been preparing to commercialise new services with smartphone manufacturers for the era of 4G LTE converting from the 3G including VoLTE, HD TV Streaming, cloud services, home convergence etc. These services can be only possible to be shown to the market with the co-work between operators and manufacturers like LG. Therefore, LG, as the industry leading 4G LTE product manufacturer, will continue to invest in R&D for the successful development of the 4G LTE technologies and products. Through necessary enforcement of the infrastructure and outstanding technological competitiveness of LG, 4G LTE market will continue to move forward.

Has winning this award had any impact on your business?

Winning a Telecoms.com award has definitely strengthened LG’s premium brand image in the LTE segment. It has also reaffirmed LG’s status as a global leader in 4G LTE technologies and heightened consumer awareness of our advanced products.