Posted by Scott Kent-Collins
Telstra recently announced plans to upgrade their wireless network to 4G using a technology called LTE (Long Term Evolution). This post will not to descend into the "wireless v fibre" debate, but rather will introduce you to LTE and some of its benefits. In fact, it's more instructive to consider LTE in light of existing wireless services (such as Telstra's Next G network) than to compare it with fibre.
What is LTE?
LTE is a technology developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a consortium of telecommunication standards bodies. 3GPP's goals for LTE were rather simple:
- better speeds via efficient spectrum utilisation
- reduced latency
- an "all IP" network
- integration with existing technologies
- lower costs and improved services
So how fast is it?
Telstra's Next G network has a "peak" download speed of about 21Mbps (except for a few areas which have been boosted up to 42Mbps). That "peak" speed is shared amongst wireless users, so end users like you and me see "real" speeds of around 1Mbps to 3Mbps. LTE networks are scaleable and so are their "peak" download speeds (anywhere from 80Mbps to 320Mbps), but the proposed LTE network will have a "peak" download speed of about 100Mbps. If that were divided amongst the users they would each see "real" speeds of around 5Mbps to 15Mbps. On this basis LTE should be about 5 times faster than Next G. [1] [2] [8]
What about latency?
Latency is how long it takes something to respond. It's like seeing the delay during a satellite interview on TV. The latency on the Next G network is often around 250ms - 400ms, but on an LTE network that would likely drop to between 5ms to 80ms and average around 20ms to 30ms. That makes LTE latency similar to fixed line broadband (copper and fibre) - which should allow the viewing of streaming video and the use of real time applications with no appreciable stuttering or delay. [3] [4] [5] [8]
What is an "all IP" network?
Internet protocol (or "IP") was originally designed by the US Department of Defence to create secure and robust network communications. By utilising the IP standard, LTE adopts a direct and robust method for connecting to the internet. This is by contrast with existing 3G wireless networks, which use different standards that require translation into IP before they are able to connect to the internet. [6] [8]
Does LTE integrate with existing technologies?
LTE is designed to be backwardly compatible with GSM (2G) and WCDMA/HSPA (3G) wireless networks. This means that companies should be able to install or upgrade to LTE with little disruption to existing 2G/3G services and should also be able to support future LTE-based solutions. [7] [8]
What are some of the advantages of LTE?
LTE is designed to carry more data, be faster, and require less power to operate (resulting in lower running costs). LTE networks are also smarter. They can determine if a mobile tower is overloaded or inoperative and re-route traffic to nearby towers or other IP based networks (like Wi-Fi). Most importantly, though, they can optimise data traffic by preventing unused data from being sent or received, which in turn increases data capacity. [12]
What will LTE mean for me?
As the LTE network settles, expect to see speeds to be about 5 times what you currently receive on 3G, as well as more reliable and responsive connections.
Will my current 2G/3G phone still work?
LTE is designed to be backwardly compatible, so all mobile devices that currently use 2G/3G should work on LTE. [7]
Who currently uses LTE?
The main networks are TeliaSonera (Sweden and Norway) who were the first to the market in late 2009, and Verizon in the USA who installed the largest LTE network in late 2010. Both are using special LTE-designed USB modems. Mobile phone makers are now racing to produce the first LTE devices. [17] [18]
When can I buy an LTE mobile device?
Verizon are poised to release the first LTE smartphone designed by HTC (known as the Thunderbolt). Rumours are also circulating that Apple's next iPhone will be released mid-year and will cater for LTE. By the time Telstra's LTE network is up and running (planned for late 2011) there should be a number of LTE devices to choose from. [13] [14] [16]
You've heard about LTE ... now for LTE-Advanced!
LTE is a foundation step for LTE-A (Advanced) - the "true" 4G technology (4G in marketing speak isn't the same as 4G as defined by the International Telecommunications Union). LTE-Advanced requires a more dedicated wireless spectrum, so it will most likely only eventuate once the analog TV spectrum becomes available in 2014. LTE-Advanced can increase "peak" download speeds to more than 1Gbps (yes, that's 1 gigabyte per second) - which means that it will be about 10 times faster than LTE, with "real" end user speeds of around 50Mbps to 150Mbps. [13] [14]
Overall ...
... it's an exciting time for broadband. Faster and more stable internet via fixed-line and wireless connections are coming, giving us significantly improved access to the vast, interconnected, ever increasing store of human knowledge we call the internet.
Partner: Paul Kallenbach
[2] http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/market/23334-some-answers-to-telstra-21mbps-next-g-questions
[3] http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/792758
[4] http://byteside.com/byteblog/2009/09/australian-iphone-data-test-which-network-is-best/
[5] http://apcmag.com/4g-is-coming.htm
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol
[7] http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/lte.htm
[8] http://www.rysavy.com/Articles/2010_09_HSPA_LTE_Advanced.pdf
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3GPP_Long_Term_Evolution
[10] http://sites.google.com/site/lteencyclopedia/
[11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_Advanced
[12] http://www.wirelessindustrynews.org/news-nov-2010/2186-110110-win-news.html
[13] http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/cell-phones/htc-thunderbolt-release-date-leaked/11761.html
[14] http://www.htc.com/us/products/thunderbolt-verizon
[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcell
[16] http://www.ecanadanow.com/technology/2011/02/20/iphone-5-features-release-date-rumors/
[17] http://www.intomobile.com/2010/11/17/teliasonera-lte-usage/
[18] http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/verizon-could-be-launching-unlimited-4g-lte-data-plan/22033
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