RFLTE vs LTE Advanced: Key Differences Explained
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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:
| Specifications | LTE | LTE Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3GPP Release 9 | 3GPP Release 10 |
| Bandwidth Support | 1.4MHz, 3.0MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz | 70MHz Downlink (DL), 40MHz Uplink (UL) |
| Data Rate | 300 Mbps Downlink (DL) 4x4 MIMO and 20MHz, 75 Mbps Uplink (UL) | 1 Gbps Downlink (DL), 500 Mbps Uplink (UL) |
| Theoretical Throughput | About 100Mbps for single chain(20MHz,100RB,64QAM), 400Mbps for 4x4 MIMO. 25% overhead for control/signaling | 2 times than LTE |
| Maximum No. of Layers | 2 (category-3) and 4 (category-4,5) in the downlink, 1 in the uplink | 8 in the downlink, 4 in the uplink |
| Maximum No. of codewords | 2 in the downlink, 1 in the uplink | 2 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 Uplink | 30 for 8x8 MIMO in the downlink, 15 for 4x4 MIMO in the Uplink |
| PUSCH and PUCCH transmission | Simultaneously not allowed | Simultaneously allowed |
| Modulation schemes supported | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM | QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM |
| Access technique | OFDMA (DL), DFTS-OFDM (UL) | Hybrid OFDMA(DL), SC-FDMA(UL) |
| Carrier aggregation | Not supported | Supported |
| Applications | Mobile broadband and VOIP | Mobile broadband and VOIP |
