The next big thing in mobile broadband is LTE. LTE is an acronym that stands for Long Term Evolution. Basically, it is supposed to be something like a wireless version of ADSL. It requires that mobile broadcast providers install a lot of new hardware to their transmitting stations. The adoption of this new technology might be a little bit slow for this reason. Once it will become available, the possible uses are impressive though.
 

The biggest advantage of LTE is certainly its speed. The shift from UMTS to LTE will be similar to the shift from ADSL to VDSL. The much extended bandwidth will allow mobile devices to be used like today’s stationary DSL accesses. You will be able to stream high quality video and audio to your smart phone and will be able to download huge files to a laptop that is connected via a LTE stick.

Another advantage is the improve network coverage of LTE. This will have a significant impact in rural areas that lack a decent supply with ADSL or VDSL. Households that are situated to far from the next DSL connection point can be reached much more easily through LTE. The installation of LTE transmitting station in rural will be a lucrative investment for mobile broadband providers.

The low costs of upgrading existing mobile transmitting stations to LTE will likely be the main reason for it to prevail among other concurrent future technologies. However, expect a few years to pass until you will be able to make use of it.