Global 4G subscribers surpass 55m

The number of global LTE 4G network service subscriptions was more than 55 million as of November, with the United States taking the lead, Thomas Noren, Ericsson's vice-president, said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday.

LTE subscribers in the US account for almost half of the world's total, Noren said.

The US and the Canadian market had about 28 million subscribers in November, while South Korea and Japan had more than 24 million subscribers in the same period, Noren said.

"However, the rest of the world seems a little behind in terms of LTE development," Noren said.

Even though Sweden, where Ericsson is based, was the first country in the world to start the commercial rollout of its LTE network, the scale there is still small. Total subscriptions in Europe were at about 2.1 million in November.

In China, the Chinese government allocated spectrum for the development of the TD-LTE network in October.

Ericsson will be very committed to the development of the TD-LTE network in China, Noren added.