In addition to China Mobile, Reliance Industries (RIL) looks set to deploy TD-LTE services in 2011 in India, the world's second-largest mobile market after China, giving a major boost to TD-LTE's global ambitions, the research house said in an announcement.

"TD-LTE services could also be launched in Malaysia, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Taiwan," says Nicole McCormick, Ovum's senior analyst.

However, it is not just WiMAX operators that are considering TD-LTE, with Japanese mobile operator Softbank Mobile investigating the deployment of TD-LTE services alongside its FD-LTE services in high-demand areas.

"For FDD mobile operators, the most likely scenario for TD-LTE is that it is deployed for capacity offload," says McCormick.

For its part, China Mobile has pursued an international strategy for TD-LTE that will see smartphones released that accommodate both TDD and FDD services. Ovum said this will make the technology more attractive to operators looking to deploy TD-LTE services by opening up domestic and global roaming opportunities.