In a webcast briefing yesterday, John Stefanac of Qualcomm Southeast Asia & Pacific said 3G penetration in Southeast Asia stood at 20 percent, much lower than the 100 percent penetration in advanced countries.
Hence, there is still a significant room for growth that should be utilized before moving to LTE, he said.
The National Telecommunications Commission has awarded the 3G frequency in 2005 to four telecom operators, namely, Smart Communications Inc., Globe Globe Telecom Inc., Sun Cellular, and Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprise. The last 3G frequency remains unallocated.
Last month, Smart started testing the LTE technology, which offers up to 100 mbps internet speed. Globe Telecom plans to offer the LTE next year after the successful launch of its 4G network.
Telecom firms continue to allocate significant portions of their capex for the expansion of their 2G and 3G networks to address the expected high demand for broadband both in wireless and fixed lines.
Stefanac said the success of the LTE in the country would depend on full 3G deployment.
"We are seeing a lot of growth, from migration from 2G to 3G, in South Asia, including the Philippines," he added. "There’s still a lot of growth for 3G before going to LTE."
He said Qualcomm expects that the majority of broadband data services will be carried over to 3G mobile networks in 2014 and that further deployment and competition within the 3G market will increase broadband penetration.
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