What a connection lte. What is lte in iPhone? LTE support - what is it
Lately choosing a tablet or mobile phone you can come across an incomprehensible designation LTE. Moreover, it is presented like a superpower of a fantastic hero. Many mobile operators also with pathos broadcast about support for 4G networks. Let's take a closer look at what LTE is in, or a smartphone. And in general, is LTE needed in a tablet?
The LTE standard (aka 4G, fourth generation networks) stands for "long-term development". He collected all the best from the field of wireless data transmission using a modulated signal and modern local area network technologies. It uses frequency modulation to shape the signal. At the same time, packet data transmission is used. This allows you to achieve several advantages at once:
- Higher immunity to interference;
- Increasing the range of stable communication;
- It is possible to use data packing;
- Less redundancy of transmitted packets is used;
- The channel bandwidth is significantly expanded.
Testing of the new communication standard has shown that 4G can achieve a total bandwidth of 1 Gb / s for one device and a transmission range of up to 100 km in case of emergency. Such data were obtained using special high-power equipment.
Growth of indicators that the user will like
Briefly answering the question of what LTE means, then we can say that by using the new standard the buyer gets a really high data transfer rate. So high that it can plug the offerings of some cable ISPs. For example, the maximum transmission speed in 3G networks is 42 megabits per second. In reality, the user gets only 2, maximum 3 Mb / s. This happens due to the load of the mobile network and the rather long response time.
The 4G standard beats all of these metrics. Even now, at the dawn of the development of networks of this class, users of Megafon or Beeline in Moscow can receive data at a speed of 20 Mbit / s. And this is far from the limit. And the very low response time and transmission stability make using LTE indistinguishable from cable. It delivers smooth HD video streaming, not to mention that Skype connectivity rises to unprecedented heights.
A little about devices
If you want high speed when using the network, but this leads to buying a new expensive tablet, then you should first answer the question: LTE module - what is it?
In fact, it's not that scary. Structurally, this is the same digital modem only with new functionalities. If your tablet doesn't have them, you can easily use the external one. Megafon and MTS already offer devices that can use networks of all formats. The Scartel provider sells 4G modems that work in its network and the networks of other operators in the FDD format.
An LTE module or modem can also be used with a desktop PC. This is an easy way out for those who use a lot of stationary equipment (at work, at home, a laptop in the country, on the road) and want to get a high data transfer rate.
Current development and some pitfalls
It should be noted right away that the introduction of 4G networks is associated with high costs for equipment and information Support networks within coverage. Therefore, everything develops slowly. 4G exists today in large citiessuch as Moscow, St. Petersburg and so on. Slowly but surely, it is spreading to other regions. If you are buying an LTE-enabled tablet or laptop, check with your local mobile provider to see if this feature is available.
Another danger that the user may face is the incompatibility of standards. Although the LTE module works with clear technology, the frequency bands and signal conditioning methods differ in different countries... Therefore, such popular purchase routes as eBay, Amazon and various intermediaries for purchasing goods from Europe or China can play a cruel joke lately. A tablet equipped with import standard LTE simply won't work in mobile networks post-Soviet space. You need to buy a device focused on use in a particular country.
However, things are not so bleak. Upon purchase, the user receives a device that is capable of working on the latest generation networks. Plus it is fully backward compatible. The 4G module will also work confidently in the network and old 2G EDGE / GPRS networks. There will be no connection problems.
When buying a tablet with LTE, you can get guaranteed technical compliance with the latest communications technology. The LTE standard is called "long-term development" for a reason. Let's take a closer look at what this means.
Prospects for building LTE infrastructure
So far, 4G networks are reduced to a data transmission structure for mobile device... However, the widest bandwidth and networking capabilities are such that global integration is expected in the future. LTE networks will unite almost everything:
- mobile phones
- tablets and laptops
- multimedia devices
- security and alarm systems
- city \u200b\u200bsurveillance structures
- traffic control services
- services of ordering tickets, services
- online banking, ATMs and payment terminals
- emergency services, including those with automatic notification.
You can go on for a long time. In the future, everything, including household appliances, will be connected into a single digital space using LTE networks. For example, even now you can display the baby monitor signal on the tablet and be always sure that everything is in order with the child. And after a few years, this will be perceived as naturally as turning on the light at nightfall.
Answering the question: "What does LTE mean in?" we can say simply. By purchasing a device with LTE, the user gets the opportunity to keep up with the times for a long time and confidently. It's really new standard communication that will develop and be used for a very long time. It has every chance of becoming a global communications tool.
4G or LTE? Maybe 4G LTE? What is hidden behind these terms, let's figure it out together with CHIP.
Is there a difference between 4G and LTE?
Before the introduction of LTE and 4G, mobile Internet was used primarily through standards mobile communication UMTS and HSDPA. UMTS and HSDPA are also often referred to as 3G for short.
LTE means the same thing, and there is no technical difference between these terms. LTE refers to mobile communication technologies that enable data rates of up to 100 Mbps. The term 4G only means that the fourth generation of cellular standards is used.
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G: What's the Difference?
2G: with GPRS and EDGE, data rates up to 53.6 Kbps and 220 Kbps are achieved. The abbreviation 2G is practically not used in this case.
3G: with UMTS, data transfer rates have become available up to 384 Kbps. 3G is still the most popular generation of mobile communication standards.
3.5G: The 3G standard continued to evolve continuously, giving rise to HSDPA, HSDPA +, HSPA, and HSPA +. Here speeds were already reached up to 42 Mbit / s. Android devices for 3.5G display "H", iPhone remains 3G display.
4G: currently on the rise, the maximum data transfer rate with this technology is 100 Mbps.
4.5G: with LTE Advanced, devices reach speeds of up to 1 Gbps - at least in theory. But in practice, it will be a long time before such speeds are available around the world.
5G: already in 2020, leading cellular companies want to introduce mobile standards. This will make possible speeds from 10 to 20 Gbps. But while the fifth generation is at the stage
Previously, many questions were asked about LTE. Today the most important remained: when? When will this happiness come to us, to Russia? A month ago, I did not know what to answer people. I was very complex about this, because I was so close to the topic. I doubted whether it was the end of 2012, or the beginning of 2013. No certainty! But now, after the historic decision of the SCRF of September 8, everything finally became clear.
I'm a slop, what is LTE?
LTE - Long Term Evolution (English, long-term evolution). When scientists brought to mind 3G (aka UMTS, aka WCDMA) in the framework of the 3GPP project, they "paid off for the first or second." Half of them began to "twist" 3G to HSPA: these were minor modifications of the radio interface while maintaining the basis - the principle of code division of channels (CDMA). Planned to finish quickly, so they called it short-term evolution. The other half were concerned with the question: what if subscribers want mobile internet at speeds an order of magnitude higher than in 3G? Such issues are not quickly resolved. Here you need to think hard and long. Hence the long-term evolution - LTE. Marketers, by the way, are often referred to as LTE 4G.About iron
LTE base stations do not contain anything supernatural. There are radio modules (they are also transceivers, TRXs), a digital signal processing unit (BBU), interface cards (FE / GE ports, electrical, optical). There are remote radio modules - RRU. They are mounted close to the antenna (to reduce losses in the HF-feeder), they are connected to the BBU on the feedback (CPRI standard). Everything is like in BS 3G, but they are called beautifully - evolved NodeB (literally - the product of the evolution of "Node B", ie BS 3G proper).
Base station 
Base station
And since BS of different standards are more similar than different, manufacturers quickly figured out to do everything "in one bottle." The solution is called SingleRAN. One BS for 3 standards: GSM, 3G and LTE. It is very convenient for the operator in terms of saving space and power on the site, reducing installation time, and so on. We have already begun to purchase and install these on the network. So, as soon as possible ...
No special antennas are needed for LTE. Conventional cross-polarized panel antennas are fine. They are, for example, used in GSM and 3G networks. True, if in GSM and 3G two polarizations are usually used for reception, and only one for transmission (2Rx / 1Tx scheme), then in LTE both polarizations are fully involved, both for reception and transmission (2Rx / 2Tx scheme). This is necessary to implement the MIMO2x2 technology. At the first stage of LTE implementation, this will be enough. Further, the sector's throughput can be increased by adding one more cross-pole antenna. The result is a 4Rx / 4Tx and MIMO4x4 scheme. The main thing is to separate the antennas in space at a sufficient distance (about 10 wavelengths).
What else is "iron"? There is no access network controller (like BSC in GSM, or RNC in 3G) as a separate physical and logical node in the LTE network, BSs are connected directly to Core nodes, and exclusively via IP. Core is only used in batch. Called EPC (evolved Packet Core). Fortunately for us, the relatively new regular Packet Core is being converted into an EPC through a software upgrade. The MME (Mobility Management Node in LTE) functionality can be rolled onto the SGSN used for GPRS / 3G, and the GGSN must be able to handle the PGW / SGW functions. I will not say that all SGSN / GGSNs of Beeline are HW-ready for LTE, but we are confidently moving in this direction.
Plus SAE-HSS (subscriber profile store), which also rises on the existing HW-platform ngHLR "a. That's, in fact, the whole LTE network.
LTE architecture
About transport
GE ports on the BS. This, as Winnie the Pooh used to say, is not without reason: you probably understand what a backbone should be with such a backhaul "e! If any of your dear readers have several free billions of dollars, I can tell you how to spend them profitably ...About frequencies
Unlike other mobile communication standards, LTE is not tied to a specific frequency band. This is his strength. Developers (3GPP) have identified over 30 bands for which manufacturers can release standard LTE radio equipment. This includes both frequencies that are now used under other standards (for example, 900, 1800 (GSM), 2100 (UMTS), 2500 (WiMAX), and “new”, for example 700-800 MHz (the so-called “digital dividend”). It is clear that not all of the possible ranges will be widespread in the world. Most likely, as a result, no more than 4-5 ranges will survive. It is very difficult to implement a larger number in one subscriber device, and this is already a problem for providing global roaming. ask which ranges to bet on, my preferences are as follows:- 800 MHz (3GPP band 20) - allocated or planned for LTE in almost all European countries, including Russia; beneficial in terms of the cost of providing continuous coverage; equipment is manufactured by all leading manufacturers;
- 2.5 GHz (3GPP band 7) - allocated or planned for LTE in almost all countries of Europe and Asia, including Russia; beneficial in providing capacity in hot spots; the equipment is produced by all leading manufacturers.
- 1800 MHz (3GPP band 3) - will be released as the number of GSM-only phones decreases and 3G coverage expands (so that there is where to transfer voice); good in terms of ensuring a balance between capacity and coverage in the network; GSM operators will be able to save money by reusing the infrastructure of the access network (transceivers, antennas); equipment is produced by almost all leading manufacturers
About speed
Maximum data rates are a key indicator of the coolness of the standard for end users. And LTE is really cool! We can talk for a long time about the theoretical possibilities of different standards, the prospects for their development, and so on, but the fact that subscribers in already operating LTE networks have access to speeds of more than 100 Mbit / s is a fact. And this is only the beginning of a bright future: I am sure that reaching speeds of up to 1 Gbps in LTE networks is a matter of several years. Let's see further. Most likely you will need another breakthrough, both in the theory of radio communication, and in the technology of production of the element base.About coverage
The coverage area of \u200b\u200bone BS in LTE can be completely different. What does it depend on first of all? Correctly! From the frequency range used. If we compare the extreme options, then the coverage area of \u200b\u200bone eNodeB operating in the lowest LTE band (700 MHz) turns out, all other things being equal, 5-6 times larger than for a base operating at 2.5 GHz. In the conditions of urban development, the radius of the cell, thus, can be from several hundred meters to several kilometers. As for the record for the range of LTE BS, it was set during the trail of the Greek operator Cosmote on Huawei equipment at the beginning of this year - at a distance of 102 km from the BS, a transmission speed of 135 Mbit / s was obtained. Of course, it was line of sight and one subscriber in the cell. But from the point of view of the limiting possibilities of the standard, it is quite convincing.About gadgets
LTE-enabled subscriber devices currently available on the market include (by type):
USB modems (pictured - Huawei E398) 
Smartphones (pictured - HTC Thunderbolt, OS Android) 
Tablet (pictured - Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, OS Android) 
Portable LTE / Wi-Fi Hotspot (pictured - Samsung SCH-LC11) 
Laptop (HP Pavilion DM1-3010NR pictured)
At the moment, more than 100 subscriber devices with LTE support are already available on the market, and this number is growing every day. The main players in this market are our old acquaintances: Samsung, LG, HTC, ZTE, Huawei.
About experiments
I wanted to see how LTE works live for a long time. The first time happened at the beginning of last year in Stockholm. Thanks to colleagues from Ericsson, they invited me to look at the world's first commercial LTE network - Telia-Sonera. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. Speeds, while driving around the city in a minibus, ranged from 0 to 8 Mbps. In addition, the connection was constantly breaking. Colleagues justified themselves by the fact that the network has not yet been optimized, the BS is small, the range is high - 2.5 GHz. Everything, of course, is understandable, but I wanted a miracle.Upon arrival from Sweden, we decided to build a pilot LTE network in one of our countries. The easiest way to agree with the Regulator on the allocation (for the time of the pilot) frequencies for LTE turned out to be in Kazakhstan. The frequency range was chosen as the lowest available - 700 MHz (more precisely, band 13, exactly the same ratings on which the American Verizon network is building). By the end of October 2010, in cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent, networks were built in two main cities of Kazakhstan (Astana and Almaty). What happened was shown to officials, journalists, and the most interested potential clients. You can read more details.
About the voice
Do you need voice over LTE? On the one hand, it seems indecent for the mobile communication standard, which claims to be a global one, without a basic communication service. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine that LTE coverage will appear where there is no GSM or 3G. That is, the subscriber will not be left without a voice.Sooner or later LTE-Advanced will come, additional frequencies will be required. And where can I get them if not from GSM and 3G networks? Then LTE will be left face to face with the subscriber, who, as before, will need to talk - which means that there will be voice in LTE, a matter of time. Now in the first commercial networks, the CS Fallback function is implemented to provide voice calls. Having received a message about an incoming call via the service channel in the LTE network, the subscriber device switches to GSM or 3G mode and informs the network about the readiness to accept the call. After that, the call is connected via GSM / 3G CS Core.
CS Fallback in action
In the future, with the transition to all-IP architecture, voice in mobile networks will remain only in the form of VoIP. Then the question of choosing a radio access network through which voice calls will go will be reduced to capacitive characteristics - the greater the sector's bandwidth, the more simultaneous calls it can serve.
Wireless communication today, without exaggeration, is one of the fastest growing industries.
New technical and technological solutions appear literally every year, and what last year was a novelty and the pinnacle of technological progress, today it often turns out to be a necessity for every user. One of these new products, the value of which has not yet been appreciated by all users, is LTE technology.
What does the word LTE mean?
Recently, we all have repeatedly encountered the letters LTE in advertising texts dedicated to modern systems communication. This is an abbreviation for an English expression Long Term Evolution, which in translation into Russian means "Long term evolution".
So they call it today new technology data transmission in wireless telephone and Internet networks.
What is LTE in a phone?
For regular phones other than smartphones, LTE is not available. Those. those who use simple phones that provide only mobile connectivity and a few simple functions will not be able to connect to the LTE network. 
To do this, you need to buy a new smartphone that supports this technology. Since it is intended, first of all, to realize all the possibilities wireless internet, then the owners of simple phones, in general, do not need it.
What is LTE in a smartphone?
If your smartphone has LTE support, you will be able to use this network, which provides much better communication services. To connect, you need a special SIM card that allows you to use the LTE network. Not all telecom operators can offer it yet, and it is not implemented throughout our country.
LTE provides high speed data packet exchange, reaching 10 Mbps or even higher. This allows operators to provide wireless Internet services from high quality and at a substantially lower price.
LTE network users from their smartphones get unlimited access to multimedia Internet content, online games, Internet TV, Internet telephony, video communication, and all this in a quality similar to wired Internet.
What is LTE in iPhone?
IPhones of the latest generations, starting with 5C and 5S, have the ability to work in LTE networks. However, initially in software A limitation was built in for iPhones, prohibiting them from connecting to Russian networks.
Only after the Russian operators directly contacted Apple's management did the matter get off the ground. Today, subscribers of Beeline and Megafon have received the opportunity to connect iPhones to their LTE network. 
It is quite possible that soon other Russian telecom operators, including regional ones, will implement the connection of iPhones to their LTE networks. In the Beeline network, for example, the data exchange rate is impressive over 50 Mbps.
What's the difference between LTE and 4G?
Wireless standards are defined by a reputable organization, the International Telecommunication Union. In 2008, it adopted standards for the next generation of 4G communications. According to them, the network bandwidth should be 100 Mbps for moving devices and 1 Gbps for stationary ones.
LTE networks do not fully meet these requirements (apart from LTE-Advanced), so they are not strictly speaking 4Generation networks. Nevertheless, today it is the most modern high-speed wireless communication standard, massively implemented not only in our country, but also in many countries of Europe and the world.
What is the difference between LTE and 3G?
In relation to 3G, the LTE wireless communication standard is much better and faster. It provides an increase in the speed of data exchange by about 10 times, which undoubtedly provides more comfort for users. 
The most advanced version of this standard, LTE-Advanced, is already a full-fledged 4G network, but ordinary LTE is head and shoulders above the capabilities of 3G.
Today, Russian cellular operators are actively expanding the coverage of fourth-generation networks. LTE is a term used to refer to networks with a bandwidth of at least 10 Mbps. 4G networks are a new communication standard characterized, first of all, by speed of connection and high quality of voice calls.
List of LTE frequencies used by Russian cellular operators
4G networks of each domestic operator are located in a certain frequency range. The presented table contains information about LTE bands (from the English Band), which are supported in our country:
| Band name | Frequency |
| Band 3 | 1800-1880 MHz |
| Band 7 | 2620-2690 MHz |
| Band 20 | 790-820 MHz |
| Band 31 | 450 MHz |
| Band 38 | 2570-2620 MHz |
The LTE standard is not compatible with second and third generation networks, so special data transmission channels were allocated for it. Band is the frequency bands of any LTE network. The band number indicates the period of the beginning of the use of this range in the world (now there are 44 ranges).
The bands presented in the table are used by each cellular operator. It should be noted that these frequency ranges are constantly expanding, which allows providers to provide Internet connections for a larger number of users.
In some cases, operators unite to build cell towers: a similar agreement was concluded in 2016 by Beeline and Megafon. Another example of cooperation was the agreement between Beeline and MTS, according to which operators use common frequencies on the territory of some constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Bend frequencies are acquired by open bidding, on which providers buy the right to broadcast their signal on certain channels. MTS, for example, spent 4 billion rubles on the 2500 MHz band, which is widespread throughout Russian Federation except for the Moscow region and Crimea. Tele2 was the first to launch 4G in the Kaliningrad region and a number of other regions of our country at 450 MHz.
Now you can familiarize yourself with the table, which presents the current characteristics of the fourth generation networks in the Russian Federation.
| Operator | Duplex | Strip | |
| Yota | 2500-2530 / 2620-2650 | FDD | Band 7 |
| Megafon | 2530-2540 / 2650-2660 | FDD | Band 7 |
| Megafon | 2575-2595 | TDD | Band 38 |
| MTS | 2540-2550 / 2660-2670 | FDD | Band 7 |
| MTS | 2595-2615 | TDD | Band 38 |
| Beeline | 2550-2560 / 2670-2680 | FDD | Band 7 |
| Tele2 | 2560-2570 / 2680-2690 | FDD | Band 7 |
| MTS | 1710-1785 / 1805-1880 | FDD | Band 3 |
| Tele2 | 832-839.5 / 791-798.5 | FDD | Band 20 |
| MTS | 839.5-847 / 798.5-806 | FDD | Band 20 |
| Megafon | 847-854.5 / 806-813.5 | FDD | Band 20 |
| Beeline | 854.5-862 / 813.5-821 | FDD | Band 20 |
In addition to five federal operators, there are also regional ones, each of which has its own frequency network.
Treble and Bass
From a financial point of view, the development of LTE networks at lower frequencies (less than 2000 MHz) is most beneficial for operators. Such frequencies penetrate buildings better, but are not able to provide high-speed connection to areas with a high population density.
The treble functions are the opposite of the bass, so the best option a high-quality connection is a combination of both frequency channels, which allows you to get rid of "shadow" areas in large areas.
Also in metropolitan areas, there is a tendency to install special devices on the roofs of office buildings to help spread the high-speed network inside the premises.
Main modes of LTE
The LTE standard is divided into two types: TDD and FDD.
The first one implies time (from the English. Time) division of the signal, and the second - frequency (from the English. Frequency). FDD is a more convenient communication mode as it is more stable from the point of view of everyday use.
The difference between these concepts lies in the way data is loaded and unloaded. Thanks to FDD, inbound and outbound Internet traffic is processed in parallel.
Imagine a user watching a YouTube video and simultaneously uploading an entire album of photos to the cloud storage. Watching a video will be considered a download operation, and sending a photo will be an upload, and in FDD mode the gadget distributes both operations to different frequency channels.
For example, LTE from the Russian Megafon operates at a frequency of 17 MHz, 11 of which can be used for downloading content, and the remaining 6 for downloading.
Separate traffic processing increases the stability of the speed of each individual process, thereby providing a better connection.
TDD processes traffic sequentially. In other words, download and upload of data will be carried out over the same 17 MHz - but without division, but alternately in the same channel. The disadvantage of this mode is the possible "jumps" in speed.
Currently, Russian cellular operators are trying to combine the work of TDD and FDD stations. By combining the modes into one network, providers increase the overall connection speed.
LTE-advanced technology (4G +)
LTE-advanced is an "advanced" 4G network and is designated by Russian operators as 4G +. Although this name emphasizes the increase in the speed of the new standard, it is not correct, since LTE-A in real terms is conventional 4G. What is called 4G in Russia is significantly inferior to the nominal standards of fourth-generation networks.
The advantage of the advanced standard is the summation of all frequencies belonging to the cellular operator, which reduces the coefficient of "drawdown" in the data transmission channel. By merging several bands of band 7 into one, Megafon was able to increase the theoretical connection speed up to 300 Mbps.
If we add the frequencies of band 3 to the frequencies of band 7, then the data transfer rate will be 450 Mbit / s (40 MHz + 20 MHz \u003d 300 Mbit / s + 150 Mbit / s). Unfortunately, the real bandwidth of the advanced channels is lower than the declared one and corresponds only to the nominal 4G standards.
Anyone can use different frequency channels mobile operatorlicensed and necessary equipment... Now there is a trend of expansion bandwidth channels, the volumes of which just depend on the frequency range. It is also worth noting that in order to support LTE-A, the user's device must have special technical characteristics.