Military and tactical LTE eNodeB installed base to reach 15,000 by 2020

Military organizations worldwide are increasingly moving away from proprietary, one-off, unique communication systems that are expensive in favor of similar, and often more advanced, systems readily available in the commercial marketplace at reduced costs from a variety of vendors.

Within the context of tactical radio systems, LTE offers a cost-effective alternative as an advanced commercial replacement for proprietary systems. Furthermore, the higher data rates offered by LTE can accelerate the deployment of advanced applications such as mobile video and situational awareness.

Several military establishments are already trialing and deploying LTE, throughout Europe, the Middle East and North America. Analysts estimate that as much as 15% of all public safety LTE investments will be military centric tactical deployments by 2020, and will represent an installed base of over 15,000 LTE eNodeB base stations worldwide. These tactical base stations will comprise a number of form factors including Cell in a Box (CIAB), Cell on Wheels (COW) as well as airborne cells.