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LTE vs LTE Advanced: Key Differences Explained

lte lte advanced 4g data rate carrier aggregation

This article explores the differences between LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE Advanced, both 4G wireless technologies designed for high-speed broadband internet access. These technologies are specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Overview

  • LTE: Specified in 3GPP Release 8.
  • LTE Advanced: Specified in 3GPP Release 10.

Both utilize FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) and TDD (Time Division Duplex) modes for communication between user equipment (UEs) and the evolved NodeB (eNodeB), which is essentially the base station in LTE networks. LTE supports various bandwidths, and physical layer configurations adapt to these bandwidths for efficient communication.

LTE employs OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) in the downlink (eNodeB to UEs) and SC-FDMA (Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access) in the uplink (UEs to eNodeB). Physical and logical channels are designed to handle both data and control information.

The theoretical peak data rates for LTE are 300 Mbps in the downlink and 75 Mbps in the uplink.

LTE-Advanced: An Upgrade

LTE-Advanced is an enhanced version of LTE, aiming for even higher peak data rates: approximately 1 Gbps in the downlink and 500 Mbps in the uplink. To achieve this, LTE-Advanced leverages a greater number of antennas and introduces the carrier aggregation feature.

Key Differences: LTE vs. LTE Advanced

The following table summarizes the key differences between the two technologies:

SpecificationsLTELTE Advanced
Standard3GPP Release 93GPP Release 10
Bandwidth Support1.4MHz, 3.0MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz70MHz Downlink (DL), 40MHz Uplink (UL)
Data Rate300 Mbps Downlink (DL) 4x4 MIMO and 20MHz, 75 Mbps Uplink (UL)1 Gbps Downlink (DL), 500 Mbps Uplink (UL)
Theoretical ThroughputAbout 100Mbps for single chain(20MHz,100RB,64QAM), 400Mbps for 4x4 MIMO. 25% overhead for control/signaling2 times than LTE
Maximum No. of Layers2 (category-3) and 4 (category-4,5) in the downlink, 1 in the uplink8 in the downlink, 4 in the uplink
Maximum No. of codewords2 in the downlink, 1 in the uplink2 in the downlink, 2 in the uplink
Spectral Efficiency (peak, b/s/Hz)16.3 for 4x4 MIMO in the downlink, 4.32 for 64QAM SISO case in the Uplink30 for 8x8 MIMO in the downlink, 15 for 4x4 MIMO in the Uplink
PUSCH and PUCCH transmissionSimultaneously not allowedSimultaneously allowed
Modulation schemes supportedQPSK, 16QAM, 64QAMQPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM
Access techniqueOFDMA (DL), DFTS-OFDM (UL)Hybrid OFDMA(DL), SC-FDMA(UL)
Carrier aggregationNot supportedSupported
ApplicationsMobile broadband and VOIPMobile broadband and VOIP