A new report by ABI Research is predicting that 2011 will be the year when LTE goes live in a big way, as major operators such as Verizon in the US and DoCoMo in Japan begin wide-scale roll-outs by the end of 2010.

The analyst say that it has identified 132 networks have reported trials or plans to launch LTE commercially, 32 more than the end of 2009. This would give LTE a tremendous fillip as it battles with WiMAX to be the dominant 4G wireless broadband technology offering throughputs and bandwidth capable of supporting high quality mobile video and TV sessions.

ABI's report "Wireless Spectrum, Services and Technology Deployment Market Data" points out that The threat that WiMAX will face will come from TD-LTE, an alternative technology championed by China and Qualcomm that can operate on the same bandwidth as existing WiMAX networks.

If this technology proves successful, it could see several WiMAX operators migrate to the LTE standard yet it would be unwise to underestimate WiMAX said ABI analyst Bhavya Khanna Khanna. "Don't expect WiMAX to bow out just yet. Despite setbacks including Russia's Yota switching to LTE, 188 WiMAX networks are now in trial or commercial operation worldwide.

"With India's wireless broadband spectrum auction recently concluded, expect that number to grow in 2011. Clearwire, a WiMAX service provider in the US, continues to build out its network and add subscribers, buoyed by the launch of a popular WiMAX-capable handset, the HTC EVO 4G."

As the technology battle plays out, ABI advises incumbent operators not to ignore their legacy 3G networks. It adds that technology upgrades such as HSPA+ for WCDMA networks are also proving popular, helping incumbents cope with demands for increasing speeds and bandwidth efficiency.