LTE, short for “Long-Term Evolution,” is a wireless broadband standard for mobile communication and data transfer that is built on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), the Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), and other existing mobile technologies. LTE is an improvement to existing technologies in terms of bandwidth capacity and transfer speed.
So, what is LTE? Simply put, LTE is, today, the fastest enabler of mobile communication.
Read More about LTE
Did you know that LTE was initially introduced in 2008? Learn more about LTE’s meaning, history, how it works, its features, and more here.
A Brief History of LTE
LTE is the latest cellular access system with a high transmission rate, greater-than-average data transfer rate, a short round trip time, and increased speed and data rate flexibility. It performs better in terms of frequency, latency, battery capacity, and cost-effectiveness and continues to improve with time.
Created by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the standard is considered the next stage in the evolution of mobile telecommunications, following 2G GSM and 3G UMTS. It is also known as “4G LTE,” which, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is a cellular standard capable of transmitting data at 1 Gbps to a fixed customer and 100 Mbps to a mobile user.
LTE provides faster peak data transmission rate than 3G. It has an initial speed of up to 100 Mbps downstream and 30 Mbps upstream. It has better connectivity, optimized bandwidth capacity, and backward integration of GSM and UMTS technologies. LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) has an even greater peak throughput of 300 Mbps. You can compare LTE bandwidth with present-day, regular fast cable modem at home. For wide areas, LTE can provide a downlink speed of 150 Mbps and an uplink speed of 50 Mbps.
LTE played a part in forming 5G, also known as “5G New Radio.” Take a look at LTE’s evolution below.
At present, we are using LTE Release 19, which is also known as “5G-Advanced.”
How Does LTE Work?
LTE is a means to upgrade from a 3G to a 4G network. It uses the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) schematics to break data transmission bits and reassemble them at the receiving point.
Think IKEA furniture that gets disassembled for efficient shipping. Once at the desired destination, the piece gets assembled. LTE delivers multiple data packets to an Internet Protocol system (IPS) using multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna technologies.
What Are the Features of LTE?
LTE has several features, including the following:
- Audio and video streaming: LTE has faster download and upload speeds than 2G and 3G.
- Real-time connection: Voice over LTE lets users talk to others without experiencing lag or jitter.
- Even faster with LTE-A: Download and upload speeds with LTE-A are 2–3 times faster than standard LTE. All LTE-A devices are backward-compatible with standard LTE.
- Carrier aggregation: LTE-A has improved network capacity, adding bandwidth of up to 100 MHz across five component carriers (bands) with 20 MHz bandwidth each. The handsets combine frequencies from multiple component carriers to improve signal, speed, and reliability.
What Is a Private LTE Network?
While LTE is primarily used for public networks, “private LTE” is another deployment option. A private mobile network or private LTE network is a small wireless network that operates using the same protocols and technology as public LTE. It uses licensed, unlicensed, or shared spectrums to deliver coverage for mobile phones and other devices. Mobile network operators (MNOs), for instance, can license spectrums and deploy isolated private LTE networks on them.
Private LTE is an affordable solution for geographically defined sites like remote oil fields or mining sites. It is also useful in confined areas like large factories or seaports. These places can benefit from the near-constant uptime made possible by private LTE.
What Is Voice over LTE?
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) lets users place phone calls over an LTE network as data packets instead of typical voice calls. So-called “packet voice” is shared as packets along a network of several phone conversations.
VoLTE can support as many callers as needed. To do that, it optimizes bandwidth and enables users to see if the phones they intend to call are busy or available.
What Are the Applications of LTE?
Upon its conception, LTE was designed to aid in various sectors.
1. Transportation
Buses, trains, and other types of public transportation rely on LTE data and connections to deliver data on vehicle performance and passenger levels. It also provides access to dispatchers and network administrators. To top it all off, it gives access to passengers.
2. Smart Cities
Smart cities use sensors, machine-to-machine (M2M) technology, wireless connection, and data powered by LTE to improve efficiency, save costs for taxpayers, preserve the environment, and help improve people’s lives. Smart lights for streets and public spaces automatically turn on and off as needed.
3. Manufacturing
LTE enables process management and review, production automation, and predictive maintenance in factories and industrial settings. These wireless applications need access points to make communication and accessibility possible.
4. Large Enterprises
Since the pandemic, the number of employees working remotely has gone up. Most of them do not even work from home but wherever they may wish to be—in a rented beach house, for example. They need to be able to access files—large ones, more often than not—to do their jobs. LTE enables that.
5. Agriculture
LTE-enabled irrigation equipment and other infrastructural facilities can save farmers substantial time and money. Farm planting, farm produce logistics, and other data can be gathered by and posted to the system, hastening data exchange for better yield.
6. Water and Wastewater Management
Internet of Things (IoT) apps with LTE allow wireless surveillance for wells, lift channels, sewers, and other water supply and wastewater system components 24 x 7. Industrial water and wastewater applications also benefit from LTE wireless communications, which helps deliver dependability and safety.
7. Retail and Advertising
Cellular connection allows LTE signage to be quickly put everywhere for as long as needed. Businesses can also use LTE to supplement their existing Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections. Apart from not requiring cables, devices will not be dependent on landline connections. As such, uptime is maximized, which is critical for meeting media content providers’ service-level agreements (SLAs).
8. Autonomous Vehicle Production
While autonomous cars can drive themselves to intended destinations, they cannot do so without sensors, cameras, infrared, radar, Global Positioning System (GPS), and built-in tools that need LTE.
9. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR), which mimics physicality in the actual world by replicating an environment, and augmented reality (AR), which superimposes computer-generated images on users’ view of the real world, thus providing a composite view, require fast data rate. They may not function without access that is at least as fast as LTE-A.
LTE and the Internet of Things
LTE networks are used heavily by IoT solutions as you have seen above. It connects machinery and equipment and lets them send and receive data. While IoT existed before LTE’s introduction, the higher speed and throughput of the technology made it possible for IoT systems to control larger and more complex systems with greater precision.
How Does LTE Differ from 4G?
LTE was introduced to address the limitations of 3G networks, such as slower data transfer rates and higher latency. Though LTE originally also fell short of the strict technical requirements set by the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) for true 4G standards, it delivered better user experience and helped mobile networks advertise 4G speeds without having the technology available.
| LTE | 4G | |
| Speed | Offers only 100 Mbps although LTE-A offers 1,000 Mbps | Offers up to 1,000 Mbps |
| Coverage | Widespread and accessible via most modern devices | Still remains unusable to some people who do not have 4G-enabled devices |
| Latency | Offers a latency of 10 milliseconds | Offers a latency of 5 milliseconds |
| Signal strength | Provides poorer voice and video call quality | Provides much better voice and video call quality |
So, you see, while LTE is a significant improvement to 3G, it still has not reached true 4G levels.
Is LTE Needed for 5G?
Continuing LTE development is needed if we are to smoothly roll out 5G. In fact, LTE and 5G networks will coexist for at least a decade until the world can build a full 5G infrastructure. Even then, however, LTE will be critical to providing fallback connectivity in areas with limited 5G coverage. In addition, LTE will remain significantly cheaper than 5G for most applications.
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how LTE will support 5G.
When Will 5G Phase Out 4G LTE?
5G requires new hardware. Network operators must thus install new hardware in all transmission towers, which will be a lengthy, labor-intensive process. But since network operators started deploying new 5G infrastructure years ago, back when 5G was still being defined. A simple software update, therefore, will allow LTE infrastructure to support 5G and 4G LTE simultaneously.
Are LTE and 5G on Separate Bands?
No, 5G can share the same spectrum with 4G LTE using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). DSS will let us use 5G sooner and extend the life of 4G LTE networks. Note, though, that 5G also uses a “fresh” spectrum exclusive to it.
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When asked “What is LTE?,” tell them it is the latest in mobile technology and has made great strides in improving our present lives.
Key Takeaways
- LTE is short for “Long-Term Evolution.”
- It is a wireless broadband standard for mobile communication and data transfer built on GSM, UMTS, and other existing mobile technologies.
- It is an improvement to existing technologies in terms of bandwidth capacity and transfer speed.
- Created by 3GPP, the standard is the next stage in the evolution of mobile telecommunications, following 2G GSM and 3G UMTS.
- It has an initial speed of up to 100 Mbps downstream and 30 Mbps upstream.
- It enables audio and video streaming, real-time connection, and carrier aggregation.
- It has applications in various sectors, notably transportation, IoT, and manufacturing.
- While it has improved much from 3G, it still has not reached true 4G levels in terms of speed, coverage, latency, and signal strength.
- Its continuous development will play a critical role in 5G rollout.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)
- https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/networking/articles/what-is-long-term-evolution/
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-lte-definition-speed-network.html
- https://www.t-mobile.com/resources/what-is-lte
- https://www.verizon.com/articles/internet-essentials/network-speed-comparison/
