This article explains the technical concepts and development of LTE and broadband LTE-A, discusses how they are evolving the telecoms network and how future 5G and 6G technologies will impact our daily lives and industries.
LTE? Broadband LTE? What is it?
These days, mobile operators are touting LTE and broadband LTE as the best thing since sliced bread. While the average person doesn’t even know what LTE is, Company S is bragging about the launch of LTE-A, and Company K is advertising broadband LTE that supports existing LTE devices. Company U is touting the superiority of its frequency bands, emphasising 8ROM. Despite all these terms being thrown around, most people don’t really know what they mean.
So what is LTE? What else does broadband LTE mean? In this article, we’ll explain what LTE is, how the technology is evolving, and how different carriers are using it. The technical terms may seem overwhelming, but we’ll use simple analogies to help you understand.
The history of LTE
LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and refers to fourth-generation (4G) mobile phone technology. Mobile communications technology has evolved rapidly over the decades, and LTE is one of the latest advancements. In the past, 2G technology primarily supported voice calls, but with the introduction of 3G technology, data transmission became possible. However, 3G was not enough to keep up with the rapidly growing demand for data, which is where LTE came in.
LTE provides higher data transfer speeds, giving smartphone users a much better internet experience. Where it used to take minutes to download a video, it can now be done in seconds.
Let’s get to know LTE!
LTE is a technology that can theoretically deliver download speeds of 1 Gbps (1024 Mbps). However, current commercially available LTE download speeds are up to 75 Mbps, which falls far short of the theoretical speeds. This is due to the limitations of the frequency bands and the lack of technological development. This is where many people get confused about frequency bands, and it’s easy to understand by using the analogy of a road.
The movement of vehicles on a road is analogous to the movement of data on a telecoms network. The number of lanes on the road represents the frequency bandwidth, and the number of vehicles using the road corresponds to the number of people using the network. Just as the wider the lanes, the more vehicles can pass simultaneously, the wider the frequency bandwidth, the more data can be transmitted quickly.
But the speed of a network doesn’t just depend on frequency bands. Actual speeds can vary depending on what technologies carriers deploy and how they utilise the frequencies. Currently, carriers are introducing a variety of technologies to effectively use frequency bandwidth, which will help them overcome LTE’s limitations.
Further technological advances and their implications
In addition to the advancements in LTE technology, carriers are incorporating a number of new technologies to build faster networks. Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology and Multi Carrier (MC) technology are two of the most prominent. CA technology combines two different frequency bands together to create more bandwidth. It’s like adding an extra lane to a road. This technology has enabled carriers to offer download speeds of 150 Mbps, which is a huge leap forward from the past.
MC technology also avoids congested frequency bands, allowing other frequency bands to be used. This allows us to maintain stable speeds even during peak times. To use an analogy, if one road is blocked, another road can be used to take a detour. These two technologies allow LTE-A to deliver much higher speeds than traditional LTE, and thanks to these technological advances, smartphone users will be able to enjoy seamless data services anytime, anywhere.
Future mobile network changes
Telecommunications technology is constantly evolving, and in the future, 5G and even 6G technologies are expected to become a reality. 5G is a technology that can provide much higher speeds and lower latency than current LTE technology, and it is expected to be applied to various industries such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, 5G will enable ultra-high speed data transmission, as well as ultra-low latency and ultra-connectivity, enabling future technologies that have only been imagined so far to become a reality.
Therefore, we need to look beyond the current LTE technology and focus on how future networks will evolve. It’s also interesting to think about how these technological advances will impact our daily lives. With each new technology that is introduced, we will be able to enjoy a better mobile experience, which in turn will change the way we live.
