The world has 503 commercially launched LTE networks in 167 countries, said GSA (Global mobile Suppliers Association).
Telecom operators launched 500 commercially LTE networks in 77 months from first service launch, almost 5 years less than the time taken by 3G/WCDMA systems, and 6 months faster than HSPA systems.
There will be at least 550 commercially launched LTE networks by end 2016, GSA forecasts.
Around 25 percent of LTE operators have launched LTE-Advanced systems, said GSA. Investment in LTE-Advanced Pro systems can support peak downlink speeds up to 1 Gbps and beyond.
The number of LTE and LTE-Advanced subscriptions reached 1.068 billion by end 2015. LTE is responsible for 1 in 7 mobile subscriptions worldwide.
Source: http://www.telecomlead.com/4g-lte/lte-networks-number-reach-503-167-countries-69181