LTE Advanced vs. LTE Advanced Pro: Key Differences Explained

This article breaks down the differences between LTE Advanced and LTE Advanced Pro, two key advancements in mobile broadband technology.

LTE: The Foundation

• Introduced in 2012, LTE was designed to deliver high-speed mobile broadband.
• The main goal was to provide data rates ten times faster than 3G.
• LTE offers speeds up to 100 Mbps.
• It was initially specified in 3GPP Release 8.
• LTE supports carrier bandwidths of up to 20 MHz.

LTE Advanced: Taking it Further

• LTE Advanced is an enhanced version of LTE, significantly boosting data rates.
• It supports carrier aggregation and advanced MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) techniques.
• LTE Advanced delivers downlink data rates of up to 1 Gbps (from the eNB, or base station, to the user equipment, or UE) and uplink speeds of up to 500 Mbps (from the UE to the eNB).

LTE Advanced Pro: The Next Generation

• LTE Advanced Pro is an even more advanced version, pushing data rates beyond 3 Gbps.
• It aims for increased bandwidth, improved efficiency, and reduced latency.
• It uses both licensed (400 MHz to 3.8 GHz) and unlicensed (5 GHz) spectrum, supporting up to 32 carriers, each with a bandwidth of 20 MHz.
• LTE Advanced Pro maintains backward compatibility with existing LTE and LTE Advanced devices.
• It optimizes spectrum usage by increasing the number of antenna paths and employing multi-beam approaches. This can serve a single radio cell with 16 to 64 antenna paths.
• It boosts network capacity by approximately 200% without requiring additional spectrum or base stations.
• It aims to increase battery life by roughly ten times compared to LTE.

Applications of LTE Advanced Pro

LTE Advanced Pro is suitable for a range of applications, including:

• Mission-critical public safety communications.
• Cost-effective connectivity for IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
• Close integration with 5G technology, paving the way for a more programmable and connected world.

LTE Advanced vs. LTE Advanced Pro: A Comparison Table