LTE
Long Term Evolution or LTE is the first step towards true 4G technologies. To be a truly 4G technology, download speeds of 100 Mb/s and 1Gb/s should be available from moving (i.e. in a car) or pedestrian points respectively. It was however widely decided across the world that companies could market LTE as "4G LTE" due to some having already taken that step and to avoid further consumer confusion with the terms 3.5G or 3.9G that were starting to surface.
LTE offers maximum download speeds of 299.6 Mb/s although there has been controversy over the speeds some operators running LTE networks are providing, sometimes being lower than the supposedly 'inferior' HSPA (plus) technology. Commercially available speeds vary wildly and using the (at the time of writing) recently launched UK LTE network, tests have shown anywhere in between 8-50 Mb/s in available areas. LTE requires brand new network technology and masts / radios. This also means that the devices that support LTE will also need to have a compatible receiver.
Much like the available 3G technologies, connection to an LTE signal will cause an extra strain on your device's battery and it is recommended to manage your connections.
LTE frequency bands vary quite a lot across the world and as a result it is very possible that an LTE compatible device may work in one territory but not another. Due to the difference in frequency bands this could even happen within territories (with different network providers supporting different bands) and is possibly more likely than with previous GSM based technologies where frequency issues existed but were less likely to cause a problem unless you travelled internationally.
Long Term Evolution or LTE is the first step towards true 4G technologies. To be a truly 4G technology, download speeds of 100 Mb/s and 1Gb/s should be available from moving (i.e. in a car) or pedestrian points respectively. It was however widely decided across the world that companies could market LTE as "4G LTE" due to some having already taken that step and to avoid further consumer confusion with the terms 3.5G or 3.9G that were starting to surface.
LTE offers maximum download speeds of 299.6 Mb/s although there has been controversy over the speeds some operators running LTE networks are providing, sometimes being lower than the supposedly 'inferior' HSPA (plus) technology. Commercially available speeds vary wildly and using the (at the time of writing) recently launched UK LTE network, tests have shown anywhere in between 8-50 Mb/s in available areas. LTE requires brand new network technology and masts / radios. This also means that the devices that support LTE will also need to have a compatible receiver.
Much like the available 3G technologies, connection to an LTE signal will cause an extra strain on your device's battery and it is recommended to manage your connections.
LTE frequency bands vary quite a lot across the world and as a result it is very possible that an LTE compatible device may work in one territory but not another. Due to the difference in frequency bands this could even happen within territories (with different network providers supporting different bands) and is possibly more likely than with previous GSM based technologies where frequency issues existed but were less likely to cause a problem unless you travelled internationally.