LTE (Long Term Evolution technology)
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the technical designation for your 4G or fourth generation, the next generation of radio technologies that will eventually replace the 3G radio that’s dominating the current bandwidth of mobile telephony.
LTE defines a technology specification enhancing the UMTS or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is planned to be introduced in the 3GPP or 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8. Adopting the new 4G mobile telecommunications technology with an all-IP network architecture will be the focus on the new release. The flat IP network will replace the GPRS network currently used by mobile phone carriers. The LTE specifies standards that will allow seamless mobility and support between it and legacy non 3GPP systems like GPRS and Wi-Max.
As of last August, the European Commission is investing some ₤18 million into exploring the different options for LTE deployment.
What’s the Advantage?
The LTE technical data sheet specifies minimum downlink peak rates of 100 Mbps and uplink rates of 50 Mbps. The main advantages are lower latencies, high data transfer throughput, plug and play, enhanced user experience and a simplified network architecture that costs lower to operate and maintain. LTE will have no problem with older mobile networks as it supports seamless passing to GSM, CDMA and UMTS cell towers. To sum up the benefits, LTE offers utmost flexibility in frequency allocation and efficiency in spectrum utilization.
Going LTE Soon?
Mobile network providers in the US and Europe have already started embarking with plans to upgrade their mobile networks to LTE marking 2009 as the start. Are we seeing the end of 3G? Not in the next 5 years. Even with the spate of 3G-equipped mobile phones out there, the 2G radio technologies such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS are pretty much still in use.
LTE (Long Term Evolution technology) for New Mobile Handsets
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the technical designation for your 4G or fourth generation, the next generation of radio technologies that will eventually replace the 3G radio that’s dominating the current bandwidth of mobile telephony.
LTE defines a technology specification enhancing the UMTS or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is planned to be introduced in the 3GPP or 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8. Adopting the new 4G mobile telecommunications technology with an all-IP network architecture will be the focus on the new release. The flat IP network will replace the GPRS network currently used by mobile phone carriers. The LTE specifies standards that will allow seamless mobility and support between it and legacy non 3GPP systems like GPRS and Wi-Max.
As of last August, the European Commission is investing some ₤18 million into exploring the different options for LTE deployment.
What’s the Advantage?
The LTE technical data sheet specifies minimum downlink peak rates of 100 Mbps and uplink rates of 50 Mbps. The main advantages are lower latencies, high data transfer throughput, plug and play, enhanced user experience and a simplified network architecture that costs lower to operate and maintain. LTE will have no problem with older mobile networks as it supports seamless passing to GSM, CDMA and UMTS cell towers. To sum up the benefits, LTE offers utmost flexibility in frequency allocation and efficiency in spectrum utilization.
Going LTE Soon?
Mobile network providers in the US and Europe have already started embarking with plans to upgrade their mobile networks to LTE marking 2009 as the start. Are we seeing the end of 3G? Not in the next 5 years. Even with the spate of 3G-equipped mobile phones out there, the 2G radio technologies such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS are pretty much still in use.
LTE Seen as Better Data Access Technology
Industry experts speaking at United Kingdoms’ Wireless 2.0 conference expressed their view that LTE or Long Term Evolution technology will not have problems competing with today’s fixed broadband connections in future markets.
Professor Michael Walker, director of Vodafone UK’s research and development group, said that the new data technology coined Long Term Evolution or LTE will be able to match or even surpass the connection speeds of current hard line regular fixed broadband connections.
The mobility and heightened experience of wireless internet combined with the high speeds of today’s fixed line broadband speeds will results in a richer and higher quality experience, said the professor. By matching land based fixed broadband lines with wireless connections former concerns of data speeds and reliability will be put to rest.
Long Term Evolution, WiMax, and FTTH or Fiber to the Home are now competing technologies vying for market share in the United Kingdom. This competition is key to learning the future of broadband technology in the country. Currently Vodafone’s stance is clear that LTE is their choice for future broadband connections.
Current HSPA networks employed by the United Kingdom’s mobile broadband operators use a lower spectrum that is less efficient in data transmission. Long Term Evolution will use the 20 MHz spectrum which can carry a download speed of 15 Megabits per second. Field trials of the technology has shown 20 Megabits per second transfer speeds at the center of a Long Term Evolution cell and 1.3 Megabits per second transfer rates at the edges.
Learning from its mistakes using 3G technology, Vodafone’s says that it will ensure the viability of Long Term Evolution before purchasing a radio spectrum. "3G was going to give 1Mbit/s but in some places you were lucky to get 300Kbit/s. It's not going to be like that with LTE." said the professor.
