The acronym LTE is usually used with reference to the English expression Long Term Evolution , which is used in the field of telecommunications . LTE is a standard for high-speed wireless data transmission that represents the evolution of 3G , although without reaching the speed of 4G .
The system was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project ( 3GPP ), a group of telecommunications associations. Thanks to its characteristics, the various antenna technologies can be implemented more simply.
The LTE standard allows users to rely on Internet Protocol ( IP ) for data traffic. In this way, it supports services such as web browsing, online gaming, voice over IP ( VoIP ) and video streaming, for example.
Let's see below some of the characteristics of LTE, several of which could be considered advantages over other communication standards:
* its bandwidth is "adaptive", that is, it has the ability to adapt in a range that goes from 1.4 to 20 MHz, passing through 3, 5, 10 and 15;
* the possibility of working in a large number of different frequency bands;
* compatibility with different technologies of the 3GPP group;
* the high number of users per cell. Each one is 5 MHz and can contain more than two hundred users;
* High spectrum efficiency. Supports multi-antenna application in addition to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ( OFDM ) downlink and DFTS-OFDM uplink;
* its latency is really low, with values like 10 milliseconds for the user plane and 100 for the control plane . The user plane is also known as the “information plane,” among other names, and is what transmits user traffic on the network. The control plane, on the other hand, carries the signaling traffic;
* Through the use of open interfaces, LTE is capable of separating both the user and control planes;
* its protocol architecture is simple;
* can work in conjunction with different systems, such as CDMA2000 , a family of standards belonging to 3G that use a multiple access scheme to carry out their different functions;
* has OFDM single frequency network;
* its maximum download speed is 326.5 megabits per second in the case of 4×4 antennas and 172.8 megabits per second for 2×2 antennas;
* its maximum upload speed is 86.5 megabits per second;
* Its operation is perfect in motion if the speed does not exceed 15 km/h, although it can withstand up to 500 km/h;
* The ideal extension of the cells is 5 kilometers, but it can also measure between 100 and 500 kilometers, with modest degradations every 30 kilometers.
Despite all this, its use worldwide encountered certain limitations due to the limited availability of spectrum and terminals and the difficulties for operators in generating profitability.
Known as an LTE filter , on the other hand, is the filter that must be used in digital terrestrial television ( DTT ) reception facilities to avoid interference from this mobile telephone standard on the UHF antennas.
The name LTE Advanced , on the other hand, responds to a preliminary standard that was intended to improve LTE. It was registered at the end of 2009 and intended to exceed the requirements of the International Telecommunications Union , in addition to being compatible with LTE devices on the market. Among the advantages it sought were advanced network topology and the combination of low-power nodes with relay nodes.
LTE International Airways , finally, is the name of a Spanish airline that operated between 1987 and 2008 . When it stopped operating, it had a fleet of five Airbus A320-200 aircraft.