LTE - Long Term Evolution

LTE (Long Term Evolution) is the established next generation mobile technology, with many legacy systems and variants being integrated into operator network upgrades. The challenge for wireless device developers is to offer the right services and be able to support a variety of systems to ensure their devices can connect globally on any mobile network.

Spectrum Flexibility and Efficiency
- LTE supports flexible spectrum allocation. Both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) are supported, as are channel bandwidths of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, and 20MHz in the available spectrum.
- LTE interoperates with W-CDMA, GSM, and CDMA2000 systems. Multimode UEs will support handover to and from these other technologies.
- LTE improves spectrum efficiency relative to 3GPP Release 6. The uplink and downlink channels are two to four times more spectrally efficient than High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).
- Carrier Aggregation provides the ability to combine across multiple carriers, multiple bands, as well as across licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

Faster Data Rates
- LTE generates ten to twelve times the throughput on the downlink and 8 to 10 times the throughput on the uplink relative to 3GPP Release 6.
- LTE-Advanced supports peak data rates of up to 450 Mbps on the downlink when using Carrier Aggregation (3 x 20 MHz channel bandwidth) with 2x2, 4x2, and 4x4 MIMO. With later releases supporting up to 5 carriers, data rates of over 1Gbps is possible.

New Service Capabilities
- Voice over LTE - With LTE networks deployed all over the world, migrating traditional voice services to LTE becomes ever more pressing. GSMA IR.92 – IMS Profile for Voice and SMS – clears the way for a global solution but also introduces functional, performance, and quality test challenges. Meeting those challenges and ensuring Voice over LTE’s (VoLTE) commercial success will require comprehensive testing of VoLTE-enabled mobile devices.
- LTE Broadcast Service – evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) provides a point-to-multipoint solution enabling efficient delivery of broadcast services.

Downlink/Uplink

DL/UL Peak Rates for E-UTRA FDD/TDD (Frame Structure Type 1)

	Downlink		Uplink
Assumptions	64 QAM, R=1 Signal overhead for reference signals and control channel occupying one OFDM symbol		Single TX UE, R=1 Signal overhead for reference signals and control channel occupying 2RB
Unit	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz
Requirement	100	5.0	50	2.5
Modulation	2x2 MIMO: 172.8 4x4 MIMO: 326.4	2x2 MIMO: 8.6 4x4 MIMO: 16.3	16QAM: 57.6 64QAM: 86.4	16QAM: 2.9 64QAM: 4.3

Peak Rates for E-UTRA TDD (TD Frame Structure Type 2)

	Downlink		Uplink
Assumptions	64 QAM, R=1 frame structure type 3		Single TX UE, 64QAM, R=1 frame structure type 2
Unit	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz
Requirement	100	5.0	50	2.5
2x2 MIMO in DL	142	7.1	62.7	3.1
4x4 MIMO in DL	270	13.5

Downlink Key Features

OFDM-based, 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing
BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM modulation
Variable RF bandwidth, 1.4 - 20 MHz
MIMO in the form of transmit diversity or spatial multiplexing
Scheduling, link adaptation, HARQ and measurements similar to 3.5G
MBMS
Carrier Aggregation
eICIC / FeICIC / CoMP

Uplink Key Features

Single Carrier FDMA, 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing
BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM modulation
Variable RF bandwidth, 1.4 - 20 MHz
Scheduling, link adaptation, HARQ and measurements similar to 3.5G
Random access procedures

LTE Solutions

Anritsu offers a complete line of LTE test solutions to ensure the performance and quality of your LTE devices and networks.

Mobile devices are quickly becoming fast multimedia terminals due to widespread adoption of the LTE radio communications standard. The MD8430A Signalling Tester is a key LTE base station simulator for developing LTE-compliant chipsets and mobile devices. Leveraging its extensive experience in 3G markets, Anritsu has developed the MD8430A as a powerful LTE protocol R&D test platform enabling developers bring LTE terminals to market as fast as possible.

The introduction of the LTE next-generation communication standard makes MIMO evaluation in a fading environment much more complex. Connecting the MF6900A Fading Simulator to the MD8430A Signalling Tester via dedicated digital interface to simulate a BTS greatly simplifies 3GPP LTE 2×2 MIMO and 4×2 MIMO fading tests.

LTE also drives the rollout of new smartphones. The MD8475A Network Simulator is a complete network-in-a-box, simulating the radio access as well as the core network and server functions, and supports a full range of communications standards (including LTE). SmartStudio, the user interface of the MD8475A, eliminates the need to create complex test scripts, assuring efficient and simpler mobile testing.

The ME7834L is a configurable system that provides flexible protocol test solutions throughout the lifecycle of modern wireless terminals. ME7834 systems are able to address applications in development and conformance and evolve to provide advanced system simulation. The ME7834 can be configured to provide solutions for individual applications or combinations that allow functionality to be shared or expanded as needs mature. From a simple bench-top development system, to a rack that provides comprehensive simulation of real networks, ME7834 combines hardware with tools and a framework for efficient use of resources.

The ME7873L LTE RF Conformance Test System supports the LTE frequency bands deployed worldwide, and users can choose the FDD/TDD test functions matching their test terminals. In addition, the ME7873L can be tailored to the required test environment, matching customers' RF TRX, performance, and RRM requirements, as well as minimizing their investment costs.

Description

LTE addresses some of the key issues in the network:

Spectrum Flexibility and Efficiency
- LTE supports flexible spectrum allocation. Both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) are supported, as are channel bandwidths of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, and 20MHz in the available spectrum.
- LTE interoperates with W-CDMA, GSM, and CDMA2000 systems. Multimode UEs will support handover to and from these other technologies.
- LTE improves spectrum efficiency relative to 3GPP Release 6. The uplink and downlink channels are two to four times more spectrally efficient than High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA).
- Carrier Aggregation provides the ability to combine across multiple carriers, multiple bands, as well as across licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

Faster Data Rates
- LTE generates ten to twelve times the throughput on the downlink and 8 to 10 times the throughput on the uplink relative to 3GPP Release 6.
- LTE-Advanced supports peak data rates of up to 450 Mbps on the downlink when using Carrier Aggregation (3 x 20 MHz channel bandwidth) with 2x2, 4x2, and 4x4 MIMO. With later releases supporting up to 5 carriers, data rates of over 1Gbps is possible.

New Service Capabilities
- Voice over LTE - With LTE networks deployed all over the world, migrating traditional voice services to LTE becomes ever more pressing. GSMA IR.92 – IMS Profile for Voice and SMS – clears the way for a global solution but also introduces functional, performance, and quality test challenges. Meeting those challenges and ensuring Voice over LTE’s (VoLTE) commercial success will require comprehensive testing of VoLTE-enabled mobile devices.
- LTE Broadcast Service – evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS) provides a point-to-multipoint solution enabling efficient delivery of broadcast services.

Downlink/Uplink

DL/UL Peak Rates for E-UTRA FDD/TDD (Frame Structure Type 1)

	Downlink		Uplink
Assumptions	64 QAM, R=1 Signal overhead for reference signals and control channel occupying one OFDM symbol		Single TX UE, R=1 Signal overhead for reference signals and control channel occupying 2RB
Unit	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz
Requirement	100	5.0	50	2.5
Modulation	2x2 MIMO: 172.8 4x4 MIMO: 326.4	2x2 MIMO: 8.6 4x4 MIMO: 16.3	16QAM: 57.6 64QAM: 86.4	16QAM: 2.9 64QAM: 4.3

Peak Rates for E-UTRA TDD (TD Frame Structure Type 2)

	Downlink		Uplink
Assumptions	64 QAM, R=1 frame structure type 3		Single TX UE, 64QAM, R=1 frame structure type 2
Unit	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz	Mbps in 20 MHz	b/s/Hz
Requirement	100	5.0	50	2.5
2x2 MIMO in DL	142	7.1	62.7	3.1
4x4 MIMO in DL	270	13.5