Global LTE phone shipments will grow tenfold from 6.8 million units in 2011 to reach 67 million units in 2012, Strategy Analytics said last week. Companies leading the growth spurt will include Apple, Samsung, HTC and others. Major countries driving LTE growth this year will include the United States, Japan and South Korea. 

Multiple operators, such as Verizon Wireless, NTT Docomo and SK Telecom, are aggressively expanding their LTE networks, according to Neil Shah, Analyst at Strategy Analytics. Key vendors leading the push into LTE phones will include Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG, Nokia, Motorola, Pantech and Fujitsu, Neil added.

The LTE phone segment is expanding at a rapid rate this year, but there will undoubtedly be growing pains in this early phase. Many LTE phones and data plans will be relatively expensive, which means operators will need to invest generous subsidies to make 4G more affordable for subscribers. Meanwhile, consumers will be concerned about LTE usability issues, such as shortened battery life, excessive device weight, or sudden bill shock caused by high data consumption, said Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics.