Hefty LTE bill pressures mobile tel cos -study

* Network sharing could see boost from LTE costs -consultancy
* LTE deployment to cost U.S. carrier $1.78 bln in first year
* First yr cost seen at $880 mln in a large European country

By Tarmo Virki, European technology correspondent

HELSINKI, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Building mobile telecom
networks for next-generation LTE technology will be too costly
for many carriers and they will be forced to find new means,
like network sharing, to cut costs, telecoms consultancy Aircom
said on Wednesday.

There is increasing urgency worldwide for faster wireless
networks as growing demand for mobile data is driven by
smartphones like Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone and laptops with data
cards.

Aircom studied planned LTE launches in key markets around
the world and estimated a U.S. operator would need to invest
$1.78 billion in the first year of LTE roll-out.

Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications Inc
(VZ.N) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L), plans to start
installing LTE into its network later in 2009, ahead of AT&T
(T.N).

The world's telecom carriers are lining up infrastructure
vendors as they prepare to launch LTE technology, which will
enable faster uploads and downloads of movies, music and other
data to cellphones.

The cost would be around $880 million for a major operator
in a large European country like Germany, and $750 million in
Britain, Aircom said, adding the costs would be somewhat
smaller in most parts of the world at first.

From the investments, 25-40 percent will go to improving
fixed-line networks, which are used to connect mobile base
stations, Aircom said.

"Very few operators have the available resources or
shareholder freedom to meet these costs," said Margaret
Rice-Jones, chief executive of Aircom.

"This means that innovation within the mobile industry
needs to be redefined," she said, adding operators need to find
new technologies and approaches to manage their networks, which
will let them deliver services with lower costs.

The significant investment required for LTE deployment
could also see mobile operators globally embracing network
sharing as a means of reducing capital expenditure and
operating costs, Rice-Jones said.

First LTE services will be opened later this year, with
mass deployments seen in 2010.
(Reporting by Tarmo Virki, editing by Matthew Lewis)