DALLAS, TX – August 18, 2014 – North America, globally the largest market for LTE subscriptions, will continue to see a rise in LTE subscribers throughout the coming years according to forecasts. LTE connections in North America grew to 115 million subscriptions, representing 30 percent of the 387 million total mobile subscriptions in the region at the end of the first quarter of 2014 alone. LTE connections are expected to hit about 131 million with a 33 percent share of mobile subscriptions when reporting is finalized for the second quarter. With four nationwide service providers achieving widespread coverage, the North American market remains in the leadership position of LTE market share worldwide. Operators are upgrading their networks with Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Self-Organizing Networks (SON), the beginning of Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV), plus the launch of LTE-Advanced and its many feature sets. Serving as a platform to discuss the next steps for LTE to meet increasing data traffic demands, LTE North America 2014, the leading 4G event in the region, will take place later this year from November 18 to 20 in Dallas.

The conference and exhibition will bring together key experts and decision makers across North America to discuss the latest topics facing the industry including: monetizing LTE, network optimization, LTE-Advanced and its feature sets such as carrier aggregation, service innovation, mobile backhaul and public safety LTE.

“LTE-Advanced provides a lot of runway for our next generation networks to support the huge upsurge in data traffic and connected devices,” stated Chris Pearson, President of 4G Americas. “With 13 LTE-Advanced commercial networks today and an expected 40 to 50 by the end of this year, there is great value to be derived from discussions at LTE North America,” Pearson added. “With 5G anticipated sometime in 2020 or later, the evolution of LTE beyond 3GPP Release 10 still has a tremendously innovative road ahead.”

Chris Pearson kicks off the conference with a keynote presentation on the data demand challenge and the important solutions offered by LTE-Advanced and beyond. Ron Marquardt, Vice President of Technology, Sprint Corporation, will also address the expansion and upgrading of LTE networks.

The conference boasts an impressive speaker line up including:

· Ron Marquardt, VP of Technology, Sprint Corporation

· Yasmin Karimli, Director of Radio Technology Development, T-Mobile USA

· JR Wilson, Vice President, Partnerships & Alliance, AT&T

· Carlos Sanchez, VP, Antenna Solutions Group, AT&T

· TJ Kennedy, Acting General Manager, First Responder Network Authority

· Julie Knapp, Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC

· Sue Monahan, CEO, Small Cells Forum

· Chris Pearson, President, 4G Americas

· Paula Doublin, AVP – Construction and Engineering, AT&T

· Patty Tikkala, VP Spectrum, Sprint

· Chih-Lin I, Chief Scientist, Wireless Technologies, China Mobile Research Institute

· Philippe Andrès, Group Marketing North America Vice President, Orange

· Scott McCloud, Sr. VP & CTO, Bluegrass

· Dean Hardy, CTO, NetSet Communications

The conference will include tracks on public safety LTE as well as LTE Carrier Mindshare, an opportunity for the region’s carriers to come together and discuss the challenges they are facing with their networks. Signalling and Antenna Evolution Focus Days, along with discovery sessions on 5G and monetizing LTE will also be offered during the conference.

The LTE North America Awards will take place on the evening of November 19 to reward the organizations in the industry who have excelled in the innovation of products and services through a variety of LTE focused categories.

LTE North America will be held at the InterContinental Hotel in Dallas, TX on November 18 to 20. To plan your visit and view the full event program, or to register for the event, please visit http://americas.lteconference.com. Alternatively, keep up-to-date with the event on Twitter using @LTEWorldSeries or #LTENA. Service providers may attend the conference at no charge.

4G Americas is an official endorsing organization of LTE North America. Members of 4G Americas are eligible for a special conference rate.