What is the difference between 4g and lte. What is LTE (4G) in a smartphone. Most commonly used LTE frequencies

Not everyone can imagine life without the Internet. Leading companies around the world are working day and night to facilitate and maximize access to the World Wide Web, as there are hundreds of millions of users in this industry today.

The very rapid development of technology makes it possible to exchange information with the whole world using wired and wireless devices, and a telephone has long ceased to be just a telephone. And any gadget, including a home computer, loses its value without access to the global network. Therefore, today the first priority is to ensure continuous data exchange at high speed online.

The future is 4G technology

With a wired network for desktop computers, everything is clear - bits of information come and go along the cable. But the modern pace of life practically does not allow sitting for hours at a comfortable table, but requires maximum mobility. Resolving issues “on the go” has become commonplace thanks to a mobile phone or tablet with mobile Internet. Everyone is hearing about the now popular high-speed 3G technology, which is not yet available everywhere, but allows the gadget to literally “fly” in the vastness of the Internet. So, the 4G network is an even more advanced technology, the parameters of which were approved in 2008 by the radio department of the International Telecommunication Union ( ITU-R).

The Fourth Generation standard is gradually replacing the third generation in the development of mobile communications. 4G technology is wireless broadband radio, capable of simultaneously transmitting voice and data. The implemented Voice Over IP technology is responsible for this, thanks to which it is possible to transmit voice over the Internet in parallel with data, and thereby reduce the cost of calls.

A distinctive criterion of the fourth generation is the speed at which it is possible to transmit data and receive a response. This speed is 10 times higher than the speed in the 3G standard network, and reaches values from 100 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s. The first figure reflects the minimum speed that the network must provide for users who are on the move, for example, driving a car, and the second - for pedestrians and people staying in one place.

For clarity, this speed will allow you to communicate via Skype without the slightest delay and know that the message is sent and received at the same moment. Mobile operators are striving to upgrade their network to the 4G standard, but this requires the installation of new radio towers, and the user must have a gadget with a receiver of such a signal - a 4G function.

LTE network characteristics

The wireless network in LTE format also provides high-speed broadband Internet. The abbreviation means “long-term evolution”, as it stands for Long-Term Evolution. In this technology, the transmission speed is increased due to special digitization and modulation of the transmitted signal, and can be up to 350 Mbit/s. For the first time such a network, having a transmission speed within 20-80 Mbit/s, originated in 2009. Since then, an increasing number of mobile operators in the world have been building their networks using this technology, and there are already more than 300 such networks.

Mobile operators who have reconstructed and are already using the LTE network proudly call it 4G, referring to the main parameter - speed exceeding the standards of 3G and other wireless networks. This is not far from the truth, but also not entirely true - at this stage of development, the LTE network is not a full-fledged 4G technology, but in the future it will become one.

What do LTE and 4G have in common?

As we can see, 4G technology dictates standards, falling under which the network can be considered compliant with it. The technologies considered are so close that in some cases they have the common name LTE 4G or simply 4G, and here's why:

Technologies provide wireless mobile Internet.
These are networks with high-speed data transmission.
A packet-only protocol is provided.

Since there is no precise definition of broadband, or high-speed, Internet in the world, any network with a speed higher than standard will be considered as such and can be called 4G, and LTE is no exception.

Differences between 4G and LTE technologies

Although most operators decided to get ahead of the development and pre-classified LTE as a network to which it does not fully belong, there are basic similarities that allow them to do this. But there are still a lot of differences:

Specific figures for Internet speed.
3G compatible.
Using the feature in other countries.

According to all accepted standards, the speed should exceed 100 Mbit/s, but in the LTE network the actual values are much lower. An increase in this parameter is planned and will be achieved in the future.

LTE technology, unlike 4G, is completely incompatible with 3G, since these networks have a fundamentally different method of data digitization. That is, if you leave the LTE coverage area and enter a 3G or 2G area, your data transmission will fail.

In order to use LTE technology abroad, the gadget must support multi-band mode, because this network can be configured at different frequencies.

High-speed Internet technologies have stepped far forward over the past few years, and if until recently only large cities could boast of mobile Internet at good speed, now third and fourth generation networks can be used in most of Russia. Each cellular operator provides high-speed Internet, constantly expanding coverage and improving the quality of services. What is the difference between LTE and 4G - find out further.

What is the difference

Fourth generation networks are now used by cellular operators as the optimal combination of Internet speed and service availability. But operator marketing services, along with the term 4G, also mention LTE technology, meaning the same high-speed mobile Internet: the speed ranges of these technologies are approximately the same, so users almost always do not understand how 4G differs from LTE.

Manufacturers of smartphones and tablets are not lagging behind, promising support for 4G in their gadgets, because this definitely gives them advantages in the eyes of buyers. To understand the meaning of terms meaning high-speed Internet standards, you need to understand what LTE and 4G mean and what the difference is between them.

What is 4G

This is the general name for fourth generation mobile communication networks, which began to be developed in 2008. The main requirement for cellular operators implementing this standard was to provide Internet speeds from 100 Mbit/s (for mobile consumers) to 1 Gbit/s (for landline subscribers). Due to this, 4G networks were supposed to be tens and hundreds of times superior to the previous, third generation of mobile networks.

In addition, VoIP technology was introduced for the first time in 4th generation networks, making it possible to combine voice communication with data transmission. Along with improving Internet speed indicators, this was supposed to reduce the cost of voice calls by optimizing the technology.
In fact, the operators failed to achieve the declared speed, but the concept was “promoted” by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union, ITU), and the service began to be sold under the guise of a full-fledged 4G Internet.

Speeds close to the declared values were only recorded during the development of the 4G standard. LTE technology was the initial stage of this development and remains the most widespread of them today.

What is LTE

When the question arises about LTE - what it is and how it differs from 4G, it’s worth starting with a literal translation. Long Term Evolution (long-term evolution) is just one of the technologies related to the standard of the fourth generation of mobile networks, the first to be highlighted in a separate direction; a kind of first step towards the parameters that a full-fledged 4G network should have. It also did not provide the stated 100 Mbit/s, but its potential convinced the ITU to classify it as fourth generation due to some new solutions in the field of digitization and signal modulation.

Therefore, now these 2 concepts are considered identical and are actively promoted by both cellular operators and mobile device manufacturers. Despite the fact that this network does not provide the promised 100 Mbit/s, LTE technology provides a stable connection with low ping, which is enough for most tasks, including voice and video communication, as well as watching online videos in HD resolution.

From a technical point of view, only LTE-Advanced can be classified as fourth-generation networks - “improved LTE”, which in tests demonstrates speeds of up to 300 Mbit/s. In addition, this technology has already “learned” to use several at the same time, which allows, in theory, to increase the quality of the Internet for users without a pronounced dependence on their number.

“Simple” LTE would be technically more correctly considered an improved version of the 3G network, since it is closer to the parameters of this standard than to the requirements of 4G networks.
When purchasing a mobile gadget, an informed user pays attention to the presence of LTE in the phone, so at least 1 SIM card slot is marked with this abbreviation. In addition, the card can also function as a wireless modem, receiving mobile Internet and distributing it via Wi-Fi to other devices.

Comparison of 4G vs LTE speeds

The 4G network shows an impressive range of maximum values, but in working conditions it is almost unattainable. LTE in this sense loses to the “improved” version of the technology, so the difference between 4G (LTE-Advanced) and simple LTE in this regard is clear:

the average data transfer speed of LTE is up to 29 Mbit/s, and full-fledged 4G LTE supports from 30 to 50 Mbit/s;
channel capacity - 150 Mbit/s and up to 1 Gbit/s;
upload speed - maximum 10 Mbit/s versus 50–60 Mbit/s.

What's better

In the context of speed modes, the answer is clear, but we must not lose sight of other factors that give a clear picture of the difference between 4G and LTE. LTE Advanced cannot yet please us with its scale: in reality, this technology is available only in large cities of Russia. However, not all operators provide this service; currently only Megafon and Beeline have it.

Another important aspect in which these communication directions differ is compatibility with other standards. If a 4G network user leaves the coverage area, his device will easily connect to the existing 3rd or 2nd generation network. LTE is not compatible with 3G due to the peculiarities of the data digitization method, so the user, leaving the coverage area, will lose connection with the Internet.
In addition, not all mobile devices support LTE technology, and not everyone will decide to purchase a new device to speed up the mobile Internet: for many users, the speeds of the 3G standard are sufficient.

Thus, it will be possible to give clear preference to LTE technology only when the coverage area is actively expanding, and other cellular operators begin to develop and sell full-fledged 4G communication services.

A new generation of communications will soon begin operating in Ukraine. We already know how to determine the compatibility of a smartphone with 4G, as well as seven nuances of how the technology works in Ukraine. Now the editors explain the difference between 4G and LTE.

#1. What is 4G?

4G is the fourth generation of mobile communications. The formal launch date of 4G was 2008, when the International Telecommunication Union set standards for it. According to these standards, the communication speed for moving objects (smartphones, tablets) must be at least 100 Mbit/s, and for static objects (access points) - at least 1 Gbit/s.

In 2008, these indicators were unattainable for telecom companies. 4G standards became a conditional goal, a point in the future where technology should strive.

#3. There is also LTE-A

The standard that can truly be considered true 4G is called LTE Advanced (LTE-A). In 2012, this was officially recognized by the same International Telecommunication Union. LTE Advanced meets all 4G requirements, in particular, it meets the speed requirements.

However, it is important to note that communications in devices connected to LTE-A can only theoretically reach the required 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s. According to telecom expert Roman Khimich, a smartphone with LTE-A can achieve such speeds only in laboratory conditions. “In reality, the channel resource is divided between many subscribers, so the actual data transfer rates are completely, completely different,” notes Khimich. But this does not negate the fact that LTE-A is formally a fourth-generation standard.

There are few differences between LTE and LTE Advanced - much less than between them and 3G. The main feature of “advanced” LTE is carrier frequency aggregation, that is, the use of several frequencies simultaneously. This allows, in particular, to increase the data transfer rate.

#4. What will happen in Ukraine?

Representatives of Kyivstar told the editors that the company will use LTE Advanced technology to launch 4G communications in Ukraine. Vodafone noted that the quality and speed parameters of the operator’s network “will be very close” to LTE-A. Earlier, lifecell also said that the network will be deployed using the LTE Advanced standard. The telecom operator calls this standard 4.5G, but in reality it is regular 4G.

It is important to understand that the LTE Advanced standard is only supported by smartphones with LTE Cat 6 and higher. These are not all phones on the market. For example, LTE Cat 6 and above do not support iPhones up to the 6S model.

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Among the most modern mobile communications standards are 4G and LTE. It is noteworthy that in some cases they are considered as synonyms. Is this legal? Is there a difference between 4G and LTE?

We explore this issue in the following aspects:

The relative position of 4G and LTE in the modern market

The high-tech industry is especially interesting because there are solutions and concepts that are very difficult to correlate with others due to the presence, on the one hand, of a large number of common features, and on the other, differences in “class” and capabilities.

4G and LTE technologies are a prime example of this. On the one hand, they can be classified as communication standards of the same order, created to solve the same problems. On the other hand, they will belong to different classes. Some analogy here can be drawn with space rockets: there are those that are capable of launching satellites only into near-Earth orbit, and there are “heavy” ones that “finish” to the geostationary, and even to other planets.

4G technology is, so to speak, a “heavy” rocket. It is able to “fly” with greater “speed” - regarding the corresponding characteristics of the Internet channel. LTE technology is inferior to it in this, but at the same time remains quite competitive in most areas of the “Internet atmosphere” (when a person uses the main types of online services).

Space rockets can look and function almost identically. A newcomer to space exploration may not see the difference between them at all. Likewise, an inexperienced mobile electronics enthusiast can easily confuse 4G and LTE. This, it must be said, is facilitated by all sorts of marketing tricks of cellular operators: the largest brands, de facto delivering services in the LTE standard, pass them off as 4G. Why is this possible? Let's try to answer this question in the context of studying the features of both technologies.

Distinctive features of 4G

The 4G standard was proposed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU, or ITU) in 2008. Among the mandatory criteria that solutions implemented by cellular operators had to meet was a data transfer rate from 100 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s. That is, potentially hundreds of times higher than practically achievable figures using the previous generation standard, 3G.

A few years later, telecom operators proposed introducing technologies that, to a certain extent, met the noted criterion. Among these is the LTE standard, developed by the 3GPP consortium. Strictly speaking, it did not expect to achieve a speed of 1 Gbit/s, but it could easily reach the minimum criterion of 100 Mbit/s.

The world's cellular operators, having planned to introduce LTE technology to the market, actively lobbied the ITU for permission to designate it as 4G, despite the noted inconsistencies in speed (and a number of other specifications). The ITU, however, did not greatly interfere with this, in 2012 it approved the use of 4G labeling in LTE networks. This is partly the reason for the ambiguous understanding of the essence of 4G and its erroneous identification with LTE.

So, the main thing is how 4G differs from LTE: the first technology assumes a speed of 100 Mbit - 1 Gbit per second, the second - up to 299.6 Mbit (the technological limit for the common E-UTRA interface).

There are still few real technologies on the market that would fully comply with the noted key criterion of the 4G standard. Among those that the ITU recognizes as compatible with 4G are LTE-Advanced, as well as WiMAX2. But they are just preparing for a mass market launch.

LTE technology is already being actively deployed around the world. Let's explore its specifics in more detail.

LTE Features

Many experts do not so much consider LTE as a technology that claims to match 4G, but rather see it as the first stage in the development of cellular networks operating in the latest standard.

It is LTE that is quite actively supported by manufacturers of modern mobile devices - smartphones and tablets, as well as USB modems. Cellular operators are promoting the corresponding standard as 4G, and this greatly stimulates demand for devices that support it, as well as for tariffs - with suitable Internet options.

Subscribers certainly feel the difference between LTE, which is actually capable of reaching a speed of about 100 Mbit, and 3G Internet, which in practice operates at a speed of about 3-5 Mbit, sometimes about 10 Mbit/sec. This gives them a strong feeling of using technology at a higher level.

The LTE standard generally provides good ping - response time between the computer and the Internet server. The lower this value, the less noticeable the delay in the exchange of network traffic. This is important from the point of view of comfortable communication via Skype: one interlocutor, having said something, can be sure that he will be heard almost immediately by the other.

Competing solutions

LTE is not the only technology that can match 4G. Among its most notable competitors is the HSPA+ standard, which, however, is classified as belonging to the 3G generation. But, despite this, it is capable of exchanging network data at speeds within 168 Mbit/s. Practical tests have shown that it is quite possible for the user to achieve approximately half of the specified value. It may be noted that some operators labeled HSPA+ technology as 4G for marketing purposes. Among these are the American networks T-Mobile and AT&T. But still, the difference between 4G and LTE is not as great as the difference between HSPA+ and the latest cellular communication standard.

Promising solutions

What can be said about the technology that is considered a promising continuation of LTE, namely the one that has been recognized as fully compliant with 4G - LTE-Advanced?

It should be noted that the first company in the world to launch a network based on this standard into commercial operation was the Russian Yota - in October 2012. In February 2014, MegaFon opened subscribers’ access to the 300-megabit LTE-Advanced network (within the capital’s Garden Ring).

But Russian operators place their main emphasis on promoting LTE networks. They position them as corresponding to 4G technologies, however, the technical characteristics of devices supplied for the purpose of connecting to networks that operate in the standard in question openly indicate that these are LTE devices.

The actual Internet access speeds achieved by Russian subscribers are more than decent. In practice, for many users, the current speeds in LTE networks are sufficient to solve almost any everyday tasks related to going online.

It can be noted that Beeline, using the LTE network on 2 bands - 2.6 GHz and 800 MHz, provides its customers with the opportunity to download data from the online at a speed of about 115 Mbit/sec.

The prospects for introducing into mass use another technology that meets the 4G criteria - WiMAX2 - are also being considered. The standard is still being developed, but in the future it may well compete with LTE-Advanced.

4G or LTE? Or maybe 4G LTE? Let’s figure out what is hidden behind these terms together with CHIP.

Is there a difference between 4G and LTE?

Before the introduction of LTE and 4G, mobile Internet was used primarily through UMTS and HSDPA mobile communication standards. UMTS and HSDPA are also often abbreviated to 3G.

LTE means the same thing, and there is no technical difference between these terms. LTE refers to mobile communication technologies that enable data transfer rates of up to 100 Mbit/s. The term 4G only means that the fourth generation of cellular communication standards is used.

2G, 3G, 4G, 5G: what's the difference?

2G: with GPRS and EDGE data transfer rates of up to 53.6 Kbps and 220 Kbps are achieved. The abbreviation 2G is practically not used.

3G: With UMTS, data transfer rates of up to 384 Kbps have become available. 3G is still the most popular generation of mobile communication standards.

3.5G: The 3G standard continued to be continually improved, giving rise to HSDPA, HSDPA+, HSPA and HSPA+. Here speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s were achieved. Android devices for 3.5G display the "H" symbol, iPhones remain displaying 3G.

4G: is currently on the rise, the maximum data transfer speed 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 still be a long time before such speeds are available worldwide.

5G: Already in 2020, leading cellular companies want to introduce mobile communication standards. Thanks to this, speeds from 10 to 20 Gbit/s will be possible. But for now the fifth generation is at the stage