LTE becomes mainstream, as the focus shifts to capacity: Year in Review 2013

In 2013 LTE became more mainstream in the US market as all four Tier 1 carriers strengthened their nationwide LTE networks by adding capacity and coverage. The carriers cemented the country as a leader of LTE networks and finally gave consumers four credible options for accessing LTE service across the country. Though Verizon and AT&T continue to lead in coverage, T-Mobile has started to catch up fast and says it will soon rival its larger peers on speed.

The shift toward adding capacity to LTE networks is perhaps even more important than the ongoing macro buildouts. As the networks get built out and attract more users -- 66 percent of Verizon's mobile data traffic now goes over LTE, for example -- carriers will need additional capacity to make sure their networks do not break down under the stress. That is what is underlying Verizon's push to use AWS spectrum and T-Mobile's move toward wider channels. It is also the core of Sprint's network strategy for 2014 and beyond. For now, Sprint is lagging its competitors both in LTE network breadth and depth, yet if its Spark network materializes and Sprint uses its 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings to deliver 50-60 Mbps real-world speeds, the wait might just be worth it.