What is LTE?

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the project name given to development of a high performance air interface for cellular
mobile communication systems. It is the last step toward the 4th generation (4G) of radio technologies designed to
increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks. While the former generation of mobile
telecommunication networks are collectively known as 2G or 3G, LTE is marketed as 4G.

According to 3GPP, a set of advanced requirements was identified:

 Reduced cost per bit

 Increased service provisioning – more services at lower cost with better user experience
 Flexibility of use of existing and new frequency bands
 Simplified architecture, Open interfaces
 Allow for reasonable terminal power consumption
Figure 1  :  Roadmap to 4G

Although there are major changes between LTE and its 3G predecessors, it is nevertheless looked upon as an
evolution of the UMTS / 3GPP 3G standards. LTE uses a different form of radio interface (OFDMA / SC-FDMA
instead of CDMA), but there are many similarities with the earlier forms of 3G architecture and opportunities for re-
use of some elements of 3G network architecture. LTE can be seen as providing an evolution of functionality,
increased speeds and general improved performance compared to 3G.

LTE and 3G/3.5G Specification (from NTT docomo Press Release)

3G WCDMA (R99) 3.5G HSPA LTE
Frequency Common frequency assigned for 3G
Bandwidth 5MHz 1.4/3/5/10/20 MHz
Radio Access DS-CDMA DL: OFDMA
UL: SC-FDMA
 Uplink Peak Rate 384kbps 5.7Mbps >50Mbps
Downlink Peak Rate 384kbps 14Mbps >100Mbps

LTE has introduced a number of new technologies when compared to previous cellular systems. They enable LTE
to operate more efficiently with respect to the use of spectrum, and also provide the much higher data rates that are
now required.

 OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex)

o OFDM technology has been incorporated into LTE because it enables high data bandwidths to be
transmitted efficiently while still providing a high degree of resilience to reflections and interference.
 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)
o One of the main problems that previous telecommunications systems have encountered is that of
multiple signals arising from the many reflections that are encountered in antenna deployments. By using MIMO,
these additional signal paths can be used to advantage and are able to be used to increase the throughput.
 SAE (System Architecture Evolution)
o With the very high data rate and low latency requirements for 3G LTE, the system architecture must
evolve to achieve the performance improvement benchmarks. One change is that a number of the functions
previously handled by the core network have been transferred out to the periphery. Essentially this provides a much
"flatter" form of network architecture. In this way latency times can be reduced and data can be routed more directly
to its destination.

What is LTE: Long Term Evolution Tutorial &

Overview
LTE Long Term Evolution was the 4G successor to 3G UMTS that provided
improved speeds and performance.

4G LTE includes:
What is LTE     LTE OFDMA / SCFDMA     MIMO     LTE Duplex     LTE frame & subframe     LTE data channels     
LTE frequency bands     LTE EARFCN     UE categories / classes     LTE-M (Machine to Machine)     LTE-LAA / LTE-
U     VoLTE     SRVCC    

LTE Advanced topics:     LTE Advanced introduction     Carrier aggregation     Coordinated multipoint     LTE
relay     Device to device, D2D    

LTE was the 4G successor to the 3G UMTS system which was developed to provide a further evolution of the
mobile telecommunications system available.
Providing much higher data speeds and greatly improved performance as well as lower operating costs, the
scheme started to be deployed in its basic form around 2008.

Initial deployments gave little improvement over 3G HSPA and were sometimes dubbed 3.5G or 3.99G, but
soon the full capability of LTE was realised it provided a full 4G level of performance.

The first deployments were simply known as LTE, but later deployments were designated 4G LTE Advanced
and later still 4G LTE Pro.

Not only was the radio access network improved for 4G LTE, but the network architecture was overhauled
enabling lower latency and much better interconnectivity between elements of the radio access network, RAN.

LTE beginnings
3GPP, the Third Generation Partnership Project that oversaw the development of the UMTS 3G system started
the work on the evolution of the 3G cellular technology with a workshop that was held in Toronto Canada in
November 2004. The work on LTE started with a feasibility study started in December 2004, which was
finalised for inclusion on 3GPP release 7. LTE core specifications were then included in release 8.

The workshop set down a number of high level requirements for the new technology:

 Reduced cost per bit

 Increased service provisioning - more services at lower cost with better user experience

 Flexibility of use of existing and new frequency bands

 Simplified architecture, Open interfaces

 Allow for reasonable terminal power consumption

In terms of actual figures, targets for the initial deployments of LTE included download rates of 100Mbps, and
upload rates of 50Mbps for every 20MHz of spectrum. In addition to this LTE was required to support at least
200 active users in every 5MHz cell. (i.e. 200 active phone calls). Targets were also set for the latency in IP
packet delivery. With the growing use of services including VoIP, gaming and many other applications where
latency is of concern, figures need to be set for this. As a result a figure of sub-10ms latency for small IP
packets has been set.
 4G LTE base station and antenna in Tonle Sap
Cambodia - base station is on stilts as the lake level rises considerably in the wet season

3G LTE evolution
Although there are major step changes between LTE and its 3G predecessors, it is nevertheless looked upon
as an evolution of the UMTS / 3GPP 3G standards. Although it uses a different form of radio interface, using
OFDMA / SC-FDMA instead of CDMA, there are many similarities with the earlier forms of 3G architecture and
there is scope for much re-use.

In determining what is LTE and how does it differ from other cellular systems, a quick look at the specifications
for the system can provide many answers. LTE can be seen for provide a further evolution of functionality,
increased speeds and general improved performance.

WHAT IS 4G LTE?
COMPARISON WITH OTHER MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
 
  WCDMA HSPA HSPA+ LTE
(UMTS) HSDPA / HSUPA
Max downlink speed 384 k 14 M 28 M 100M
bps
Max uplink speed 128 k 5.7 M 11 M 50 M
bps
Latency 150 ms 100 ms 50ms (max) ~10 ms
round trip time
approx
3GPP releases Rel 99/4 Rel 5 / 6 Rel 7 Rel 8
 WHAT IS 4G LTE?
COMPARISON WITH OTHER MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
 
  WCDMA HSPA HSPA+ LTE
(UMTS) HSDPA / HSUPA
Approx years of initial roll out 2003 / 4 2005 / 6 HSDPA 2008 / 9 2009 / 10
2007 / 8 HSUPA
Access methodology CDMA CDMA CDMA OFDMA / SC-FDMA
In addition to this, LTE is an all IP based network, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6.

LTE (Long Term Evolution)

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By

 Kevin Beaver, Principle Logic, LLC

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a standard for 4G wireless broadband technology that offers
increased network capacity and speed to mobile device users.

LTE offers higher peak data transfer rates -- up to 100 Mbps downstream and 30 Mbps
upstream. It also provides reduced latency, scalable bandwidth capacity and backward-
compatibility with existing GSM and UMTS technology. Future developments could yield
peak throughput on the order of 300 Mbps.

History/development
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a collaborative industry trade group,
developed GSM, a 2G standard; UMTS, the 3G technologies based on GSM; and,
eventually, LTE. 3GPP engineers named the technology Long Term Evolution because it
represented the next step in the process.

Despite the development of GSM in the late 1980s, there wasn't a globally unified
standard for wireless broadband. GSM caught on in parts of Asia and Europe, but other
countries, including the U.S. and Canada, adopted the competing standard, code-division
multiple access (CDMA). LTE aimed to merge a fragmented market and offer a more
efficient network for network operators.

In 2004, NTT DoCoMo, a major mobile phone operator in Japan, proposed making LTE
the next international standard for wireless broadband. During a live demonstration two
years later, Nokia Networks simultaneously downloaded HD video and uploaded a game
via LTE.

Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications company, demonstrated LTE with a bit rate of

144 Mbps in 2007. At Mobile World Congress in 2008, Ericsson demonstrated the first
LTE end-to-end phone call. That same year, LTE was finalized. In 2009, TeliaSonera, a
Swedish mobile network operator, made the service available in Oslo and Stockholm.

How large LTE is around the world

Various telephone companies launched LTE at different times in different countries. Some
European countries adopted the standard as early as 2009, while North American
countries adopted it in 2010 and 2011. As of this writing, South Korea has the best LTE
penetration with 97.5% of the country covered by LTE service. The U.S. has 90.3% LTE
penetration.

Outside of the U.S. telecommunications market, GSM is the dominant mobile standard,
covering more than 80% of the world's cellular phone users. As a result, HSDPA and LTE
are likely the wireless broadband technologies of choice for most users.

Voice-over-LTE
Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) is a new technology with which users can place phone calls over the LTE network as data

packets instead of as typical phone calls. This is called packet voice, and it can share packets along a network of several

phone conversations.

VoLTE can support many callers and reallocate bandwidth as needed to support it. Pauses in conversation on phone calls

won't waste bandwidth. Packet voice also allows the user to view if the person they intend to call is currently busy or if

their phone is available.

Nortel and other telecommunications infrastructure vendors are focusing significant

research and development efforts on the creation of LTE base stations -- or equipment
that enables devices to wirelessly communicate with a network -- to meet the expected
demand. When implemented, LTE has the potential to bring pervasive computing to a
global audience with a seamless experience for mobile users everywhere.

Key features
Users enjoy the benefits of the LTE standard compared to older standards, such as 3G
and HSPA. Users can see improved streaming, downloads and even uploads. Globally,
the average LTE download speed is 13.5 Mbps.

An overview of 4G LTE and why it is so

important in mobile communications

As a result, mobile device carriers can expect consumers to burn through data more
quickly, which can lead to overage charges on data plans. LTE can also connect
consumers with services in real time. Users can talk to others without experiencing any
lag or stutters.

The upper layers of LTE are based on TCP/IP, which will likely result in an all-IP network
similar to the current state of wired communications. LTE supports mixed data, voice,
video and messaging traffic.

LTE uses OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) and, in later

releases, MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antenna technology similar to that used in
the IEEE 802.11n wireless local area network (WLAN) standard. The higher signal-to-
noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver enabled by MIMO, along with OFDM, provides improved
wireless network coverage and throughput, especially in dense urban areas.
LTE advanced
LTE Advanced (LTE-A), which was meant to improve the current standard, was first tested
in 2011 in Spain. LTE-A improves upon the radio technology and architecture of LTE.
LTE-A has been tested to show that the download and upload speeds are around two to
three times faster than standard LTE. 3GPP made sure that all LTE-A devices would be
backward-compatible with standard LTE.

LTE-A supports carrier aggregation for improved speed and reliability. Carrier aggregation
improves network capacity by adding more bandwidth of up to 100 MHz across five
component carriers with 20 MHz bandwidth each. LTE-A handsets combine frequencies
from multiple component carriers to improve signal and speed.

LTE-A requires devices with a special chip designed to work with LTE-A. Qualcomm,
Nvidia and Broadcom all manufacture chips that support LTE-A.

Many new flagship mobile devices support the standard. Apple supports it on the iPhone 8
and above. Many Google Android phones released in the last year support the standard,
as well.