LTE Advanced: 3GPP Solution for IMT-Advanced

1.3 LTE Capabilities

LTE Release 8 offers peak data rate of 150 Mbps in downlink by using 20 MHz of bandwidth and 2 × 2 MIMO. The first LTE devices support up to 100 Mbps while the network capability is up to 150 Mbps. The average data rates in the commercial networks range between 20 and 40 Mbps in downlink and 10–20 Mbps in uplink with 20 MHz bandwidth. Example drive test results are shown in Figure 1.3. Practical LTE data rates in many cases are higher than the available data rates in fixed Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL). LTE has been deployed using number of different bandwidths: most networks use bandwidth from 5 to 20 MHz. If the LTE bandwidth is smaller than 20 MHz, the data rates scale down correspondingly. LTE has been rolled out both with Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex) TDD variants. LTE has the benefit that both the FDD and TDD modes are highly harmonized in standardization.

Figure 1.3 Example drive test data rates in LTE network with 20 MHz bandwidth.

The end user performance is also enhanced by low latency: the LTE networks can offer round trip times of 10–20 ms. The LTE connections support full mobility including seamless intra-frequency LTE handovers and inter-RAT (Radio Access Technology) mobility between LTE and legacy radio networks. The terminal power consumption is optimized by using discontinuous reception and transmission ...