Mobile Internet. Mobile Internet 4g network standards

Let's figure out what LTE is in a smartphone, and how it differs from the usual 3G. What data transmission technologies are offered by fourth generation networks, and what will this give users?

What is LTE

Many smartphones support LTE, but not all users know what this means yet.

LTE (literally from English. Long term evolution- long-term development, often referred to as 4G LTE) is a communication standard for fast wireless transmission information in any amount. Designed for smartphones and other mobile devices that require a high-speed Internet connection.

The standard is an intermediate step in the transition from 3G to 4G. Connecting to such a network greatly increases the data transfer speed of both downloads and uploads. But despite this, he does not reach specifications adopted for the next fourth generation of communication.

Data transfer technology

The next generation network provides the ability to connect at speeds up to 100 Mbps (theoretically maximum speed). In reality, it is much lower, still the technology is far ahead of the previous standard. It is based on MIMO packet data transmission, and OFDM coding system. Due to the distribution of transmitting antennas, the correlation dependence is completely eliminated. V different countries communication operates on various bands. Even different telecom operators within a country often use different frequency bands.

Comparison with 3G

If we compare the last two generations of the network, operating and only developing, we will get the following conclusions:

All these are undoubted advantages. new network. But there are also disadvantages, 3G during its existence boasts an extensive coverage area. LTE today is present only in a number of major cities in the country.

LTE and 4G

Both standards belong to the same generation, they have a number of differences. These technologies cannot be considered the same.

What is the difference between LTE and 4G:

• more low speed data upload;
• low bandwidth (LTE - 150 Mb / s, 4G - up to 1 Gb.);
• lower reception speed.

Benefits of using phones and tablets

What are the benefits for users of the introduction of new communication standards?

LTE in the phone:

• watching videos in high quality without delay;
• use of video communication for calls and for video conferences;
• effective use as a router for distributing WiFi.

Increasing the speed of data transfer contributes to the expansion of services and reduce their cost.

Which operators provide in Russia

All leading companies provide subscribers with such an opportunity. Operators also supply users with modems and pocket routers to access the network.

• Megafon has a wide coverage area, but a higher cost of services, unlike competitors. Offers up to 40 GB monthly, a separate option is connected to access the Internet via LTE.
• MTS has a smaller coverage area. Subscription fee for communication services is lower than that of the previous competitor, and volumes are limited to 25 GB.
• Beeline provides a special SIM card with LTE support. It should be noted that the coverage area of ​​this operator is wider than that of MTS.
• Tele2 is also implementing LTE. But so far, access is only in large cities.

How to connect to LTE

If the smartphone supports LTE, then it is enough to have a properly configured access point to connect. As soon as the gadget is in the 4G coverage area, it will automatically switch to a high-speed network.

Good mobile internet just works. And yet, the Internet is different from the Internet. It can be designated with the symbols 3G, 4G, LTE - out of ignorance, immediately and not understand what the difference is. Many have probably heard that 4G is better than 3G, but why? We will try to answer this and other questions about 4G.

I know that my smartphone supports 4G networks, but the gadget does not connect to them. What can be wrong?

If you know for sure that you are in a 4G network coverage area, then the problem may be in the phone. On iPhone, you can turn on 4G in the settings. Go to Cellular Data, then Data Options. Make sure the LTE switch is on.

On Android smartphones, you can select the network mode in the settings in the “Wireless networks” section, then the “Mobile network” item, then “Preferred network mode”, where you need to activate the “4G / 3G / 2G” option.

And another problem may lie in the fact that your Android smartphone can work with two SIM cards at once. Accordingly, there are two options for installing a single SIM card. However, only one of them provides a connection to the mobile Internet. The solution is simple - move the SIM card according to the instructions for the smartphone to another place intended for it.

4G is an abbreviation for the English fourth generation (fourth generation). This is a generic term for several technologies. mobile communications fourth generation, the last for today. The most common 4G technology is the LTE standard. In this sense, LTE and 4G are synonymous. The 4G standard was created to make mobile Internet faster than 3G. For a similar reason, 3G technologies replaced 2G a few years ago.

What is the difference between 3G and 4G?

Calls

Through the 3G network, you can both make calls and connect to the mobile Internet - this allows any smartphone. However, in the MTS network, calls via 4G are opened new level voice quality, although this is not yet supported by all smartphones. For compatibility, you need a gadget with the VoLTE function - there is a constantly updated list of smartphones with it. Conversations via 4G are already available for MTS subscribers in more than fifty Russian regions - there is a list of them. While 4G calls are not available to everyone and not everywhere, all 4G smartphones can simultaneously work in 3G networks and even 2G networks - so that you can always make a call.

Internet

For mobile Internet users, the main thing is that 4G Internet is faster than 3G. What does it mean? Pages in the browser on your smartphone or tablet load in less time, you can watch videos over the Internet with best quality, the picture in your mobile online games does not hang at the most crucial moment.

Faster means more expensive. So?

For users of all MTS tariffs, there is no difference with which technology you connect to the mobile Internet. 4G is neither cheap nor expensive. It's just faster.

Why is it important for me to understand the differences between 4G and 3G?

To make right choice when buying a new gadget. Be sure to pay attention to whether it supports 4G networks. Only such a device can provide high speed mobile Internet. And speed is your comfort, your time.

However, almost all new gadgets are released with 4G support - for every taste and budget. For example, you can buy a suitable smartphone for less than 4,000 rubles.

And did you know that…

Lastly, a few interesting facts about 4G.

• The first commercial 4G network went live in December 2009 in Sweden.
• Cellular network subscribers in many countries pay more for 4G Internet than for 3G Internet. The logic is that more modern network gives you more speed and more options. In Russia, operators, as a rule, do not make separate tariffs for mobile networks of different generations.
• On Android smartphones and iOS gadgets, the 4G connection indicators look different. In the first case, this is the inscription 4G. In the second - LTE.
• MTS was the first of all Russian operators to launch LTE networks in all Russian regions. You can find out about the coverage of the 4G network on the operator's website.
• 5G networks will also appear, and they will certainly be better than 4G. In 2019, MTS launched the first test zones with communications of the future.

The terms LTE and 4G have been around for a long time and are gradually becoming part of the vocabulary of a modern person, and with the advent of a new generation of Android smartphones and the release of the iPhone 5, we just need to know more about this technology, just so that there is no confusion, and, well, for general development.

In this article, we will try to give the most simple answers to the most popular questions about LTE.

What is LTE?

Developed by the 3GPP Long Term Evolution consortium (literally, “long-term development”), in the generally accepted abbreviated version - LTE - is new standard mobile networks with increased bandwidth and data transfer speed. LTE uses different frequencies, but operates on the basis of the GSM / HSPA networks used, in fact, being an improved version of them. The term 4G, or " wireless connection fourth generation" is used as a synonym for LTE, emphasizing the differences between this standard and 3G. According to preliminary forecasts, by 2016 the total number of mobile broadband subscribers may reach 5 billion people.

How is LTE (4G) different from 3G

First of all, you need to understand that 4G LTE is an evolutionary, not a revolutionary path of development, involving the use of the capabilities of the existing infrastructure. 3G networks will continue to deliver broadband services to billions of mobile device users for a long time to come. But 4G, nevertheless, confidently predicts the role of the generally accepted standard for mobile communications in view of a number of obvious advantages of 4G LTE technology, the main of which are:

• higher performance and throughput;
• Simplicity—LTE supports flexible bandwidth options with carrier frequencies from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz, as well as frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD).
• latency - in LTE, there is a significantly lower delay in data transmission for user plane protocols in comparison with existing third-generation technologies (an advantage that is extremely important, for example, for serving multiplayer online games).
• a wide range of end devices — LTE modules are planned to equip not only smartphones and tablets, but also laptops, game consoles, camcorders and other portable and household devices.

LTE speed

The capabilities of LTE technology provide for data transfer rates up to 299.6 Mbps for download (download) and up to 75.4 Mbps for upload. However, in LTE, the speed in each case largely depends on both the user's location and the current network load. But LTE is developing: two years ago at MWC-2010, a possible peak bandwidth of up to 1.2 Gbit per second was demonstrated. However, in Singapore, for example, where the national LTE coverage is provided by the M1 operator, the average download speed in LTE does not exceed 75 Mbps. In the near future, the company is going to increase the speed to 150 Mbps by using frequencies that are this moment used to support the legacy 2G standard.

Why are LTE frequencies different in different countries?

Despite the fact that LTE is developing very actively all over the world, there is no single frequency range on which 4G operators work in different countries of the world. This is due to the fact that the radio frequency spectrum in many states is under the control of government structures, and the activities of operators are licensed. In different countries, certain frequencies are already in use by other services (like digital TV), so telcos have to use those that are currently available and wait for the opportunity to access the new range, as is the case with Singapore's M1.

Most commonly used LTE frequencies

In Asian countries, this is 1800 MHz or 2600 MHz. It is on these frequencies that operators in Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea operate. In Japan and the USA - 700 MHz or 2100 MHz. In Europe - 1800 MHz or 2600 MHz.

In Russia, LTE licenses were obtained by Rostelecom (791-798.5 / 832-839.5 MHz, Band 20), MTS (798.5-806 / 839.5-847 MHz, Band 20), Megafon (806-813.5 / 847 -854.5 MHz, Band 20) and VimpelCom (" ") (813.5-821 / 854.5-862 MHz, Band 20), which will start providing 4G LTE services from July next year.

In Ukraine, LTE networks are just beginning to develop, and, according to experts, it will take at least a year and a half before the start of its full-fledged commercial operation. The reasons for this lag are problems with regulation and licensing, as well as insufficient capacity of the transport network.

Universal LTE-smartphone?

There is no such device yet, since manufacturers have not yet developed such a compact antenna that could provide signal reception and transmission at least at the most popular LTE frequencies at the same time. That's why they say that the iPhone 5 bought in the States may not work in Asian and European LTE networks. But it’s not worth getting especially upset, there always remains a universal one, available in all countries of the world. However, if we take into account the global trend towards the shift of telecom operators towards the LTE standard and the rate of release of previously occupied frequency bands, then in the future we can expect the emergence of a common frequency band in different countries and regions of the world. This means that the problem of developing a universal LTE smartphone can be somewhat simplified and its creation is only a matter of time. Let's hope this happens very soon.

4G LTE is expensive

Like the 3G standard in its time, the new 4G is also not yet democratic in tariff setting. Cheap 4G LTE is not offered yet, so users have to pay more for speed and performance. However, LTE becomes truly expensive if you do not pay attention to the amount of data downloaded or transmitted.

LTE smartphones on sale

In addition to the mentioned iPhone 5, which Apple will start selling on September 21 this year, several more smartphones can work with LTE networks: HTC One XL, samsung galaxy S II LTE, LG Optimus True HD LTE and the Galaxy Note LTE. The LG Optimus G and Galaxy S3 LTE are also expected to be on sale soon.

LTE technology news

In our country, the 4G LTE standard is still only a prospect, and not the closest. However, for those who often travel abroad, there are plenty of opportunities to experience the full benefits of LTE. On the rise in popularity this standard connection is also indicated by the fact that new iPhone 5 from Apple is released in three various options, each of which is designed for a specific range of LTE frequencies. For example, the A1428 (GSM) iPhone 5 only supports LTE in the US and Canada and operates at 700MHz. Model A1429 (CDMA) is focused on the networks of the US operators Sprint and Verizon, as well as the Japanese KDDI.

And, finally, A1429 (GSM) iPhone 5 operates on 850 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz frequencies and is the most versatile, since these frequencies are used for LTE communication in many countries of the world (except for the USA and Canada). The Apple support site states that the A1429 (GSM) is LTE compatible in Australia, Hong Kong, Germany, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the UK. In other words, this means that if you live in Ukraine and often visit Europe, then when ordering an iPhone 5 from other countries, choose A1429 (GSM). Accordingly, those who visit the United States more often should buy A1428 (GSM) iPhone 5. Also, do not forget that such a regional distinction applies only to LTE-specific devices, in 3G networks each of them will work in any region of the planet.

Samsung may acquire Nokia Siemens Networks(August 3, 2012)
The South Korean corporation Samsung is studying the possibility of acquiring one of the largest manufacturers of universal equipment for communication networks NSN. According to independent analysts and experts, the amount of this deal could reach fifty-five billion dollars. An NSN spokesperson stated that the interest of Samsung's management relates to the bulk supply and global production of equipment for unique wireless networks mobile communications.

It should be recalled that today there are not so many mobile companies in the world capable of making this purchase, and on the international market of operator equipment, only Ericsson or Huawei corporations could afford such an asset. However, such a financial deal does not fit into Ericsson's strategic policy, and the second corporation already has a similar infrastructure. It should be mentioned that as potential buyer NSN is considered a Chinese corporation. As for the South Korean manufacturer of mobile equipment, Samsung previously produced branded stations for the WiMAX model, but this service lost the lead innovative technology LTE.

At the very beginning of spring 2008, the International Telecommunication Union decided to start developing a new standard cellular communication– 4G. According to the adopted resolutions, the main difference between the most modern 4G communication standard to date and the 3G standard is the maximum or, more precisely, the peak data transfer rate.

So, for mobile devices in motion, this speed should be on average 10 Mbps, and for stationary devices - 1 Gbps (!). For comparison: speed wired internet for various providers, on average, it fluctuates in the range of 10–100 Mbps. That is, it is easy to calculate that the data transfer rate in the 4G standard should exceed the existing standard speeds by 10–100 times.

History of the creation of the standard

The first "swallow" of the 4G standard was the LTE communication format, which allows you to increase the existing information transfer rate by about 10 times, that is, the peak data transfer rate for fixed communication devices is 100 Mbps. But even this speed is quite enough for high-quality viewing of TV programs in real time, and for downloading a movie of a standard volume on mobile device may take no more than one or two minutes.

The LTE standard receives many criticisms regarding deviations from compliance with the declared parameters of information transmission. The coverage of the LTE network is currently unstable and largely depends on the capabilities of a particular mobile operator. As already noted, the maximum data transfer rate can reach 100 Mbps, however, in real conditions this figure does not exceed an average of 42 Mbps. Of course, this is a decent indicator, but it clearly falls short of the speeds of one Gbps declared by the developers of the 4G standard. For this reason, in some countries of the world, the standard is in no hurry to attribute it to progressive 4G technology.

The obvious disadvantage of the LTE standard is the low speed of information transfer. This problem can be solved by increasing the number of mobile operators and, accordingly, the services they provide.

Despite all the existing shortcomings, the LTE standard is clearly superior to the existing 3G standards, and even more so 2G ​​in all respects. The LTE standard, more precisely, its structure, is fundamentally different from less technically advanced standards. First of all, the differences affected the subsystems base stations and communication subsystems. The changes also affected the very technology of data exchange between the user and the base station. In the LTE standard, absolutely all types of information (be it voice or video) are transmitted in the format of peculiar packets.

Key components of the standard

Among the key components of the LTE standard are the following:

• Serving Gateway (SGW) is the connecting link with existing networks 2G and 3G specific mobile operator. This method allows to significantly improve the quality of the connection in the network in case of deterioration in reception conditions and with an increase in the load on the network;
• gateway to other networks mobile operators PGW routes information packets to a specific operator's network;
• the MME mobility management node is designed to coordinate and, in fact, manage the mobility of network subscribers;
• the billing node for subscribers for the provided PCRF services, as the name implies, is designed to calculate and provide an invoice to a subscriber of a mobile operator.

The basis of the LTE standard is the use of MIMO information transmission technology using the OFDM coding system. The principle of operation of MIMO technology is based on the use of receiving and transmitting antennas different type, and the location of these antennas provides for almost complete absence correlation dependence.

Modern 4G networks mainly operate at a frequency of 2.3 GHz. Another common band is the 2.5 GHz frequency - a lot of work works on this frequency. mobile operators Eurasia, Japan and the United States of America. There is also a frequency of 2.1 GHz, but it has not received much distribution due to the narrow range (from five to fifteen MHz). New opportunities for the use of the 4G standard due to the widespread use of broadband Internet in most countries of the Old World receive a frequency of 3.5 GHz. This range will allow operators to painlessly without acquiring and setting up expensive equipment cellular network use an already existing and perfectly working frequency to switch to it in the LTE network.

If we consider the possibility of using frequencies for the 4G mobile communication standard, then we can confidently declare the suitability of the frequency range from 1.4 to 20 GHz.

What is 4G (LTE)? According to Wikipedia, LTE (literally from English Long-Term Evolution - long-term development, often referred to as 4G LTE) is a wireless high-speed data transmission standard for mobile phones and other data terminals (modems, for example). He increases throughput and speed due to the use of a different radio interface along with the improvement of the network core. The standard was developed by 3GPP (a consortium that develops specifications for mobile telephony). The LTE wireless interface is not compatible with 2G and 3G, so it must operate on a separate frequency. In Russia, three frequency bands are allocated for LTE - 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz.

LTE FDD and LTE TDD

There are two types of LTE standard, the differences between which are quite significant. FDD - FrequencyDivisionDuplex (incoming and outgoing channel frequency separation) TDD - TimeDivisionDuplex (incoming and outgoing channel time separation). Roughly speaking, FDD is parallel LTE and TDD is serial LTE. For example, with a channel width of 20 MHz in FDD LTE, part of the range (15 MHz) is given for downloading (download), and part (5 MHz) for uploading (upload). Thus, the channels do not overlap in frequency, which allows you to work simultaneously and stably for downloading and uploading data. In TDD LTE, the same 20 MHz channel is completely given up for both downloading and uploading, and data is transmitted in one direction or the other in turn, while downloading still has priority. In general, FDD LTE is preferable because it works faster and more stable.

Frequency bands LTE, Band

LTE networks (FDD and TDD) operate on different frequencies in different countries. In many countries, several frequency bands are operated at once. It should be noted that not all equipment can work on different "bands", i.e. frequency ranges. FDD ranges are numbered 1 to 31, TDD ranges 33 to 44. There are a few additional standards that have not yet been assigned numbers. Specifications for frequency bands are called bands (BAND). In Russia and Europe, band 7, band 20, band 3 and band 38 are mainly used.

In Russia, four frequency ranges are currently used for 4th generation networks:

As an example, I will give the distribution of frequencies among the main Russian telecom operators in the LTE2600 (Band7) band:

As you can see from this diagram, Beeline got only 10 MHz. Rostelecom also got only 10 MHz. MTS - 35 MHz in the Moscow region and 10 MHz throughout the country. And Megafon and Yota (this is the same holding) got as much as 65 MHz for two in the Moscow region and 40 MHz throughout Russia! Through Yota in Moscow, only Megafon works virtually in the 4G standard, in other regions - Megafon and MTS. Television (Cosmos-TV, etc.) will operate in the TDD range throughout Russia, except for Moscow.
For the full frequency distribution of mobile operators in Russia, see.

4G LTE networks in Russia

The frequency distribution among operators in the regions of Russia can be found.

For those who find it difficult to remember the numbers of bands or do not have a suitable reference handy, I recommend a small android application RFrequence, a screenshot of which is given below.

LTE categories

Subscriber devices are classified into categories. The most common today are devices of the 4th category CAT4. This means that the maximum achievable mobile Internet speed for reception (downlink or DL) can be 150 Mbps, for transmission (uplink or UL) - 50 Mbps. It is important to note that this is the maximum achievable speed under ideal conditions - the main ones are that you are not far from the tower, there are no other subscribers in the cell except you, optical transport is connected to the base station, etc. The most common categories of subscriber devices are shown in the table.

The table needs some explanation. "Carrier aggregation" and "additional technologies" are mentioned here. I'll try to explain what it is.

Frequency aggregation

The word "aggregation" in this case means a union, i.e. frequency aggregation is the combination of frequencies. What this means - I will try to explain below.
It is known that the rate of transmission reception depends on the width of the transmission channel. As we saw from the table in the previous section, the channel width for downloading, for example, MTS is 10 MHz in the Band7 band (except Moscow), for uploading it is also 10 MHz. In order to increase the download speed, the operator redistributes the frequencies he purchased in the ratio of 15 MHz for download and 5 MHz for upload. Other providers do the same.

One day, one of the developers came up with a bright idea - what if the signal is transmitted not on one carrier frequency, but on several at the same time. Thus, the receive / transmit channel expands and the speed theoretically increases significantly. And if each carrier is also transmitted according to the MIMO 2x2 scheme, then we get an additional gain in speed. Such a reception-transmission scheme is called “frequency aggregation.” It is this scheme that is used by the Internet 4G + or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).

The table indicates that for Cat.9, the transmitter and receiver must be able to transmit and receive a signal on three carrier frequencies (in three bands) simultaneously, the width of each channel must be at least 20 MHz. For Cat.12, it is additionally necessary that the antenna devices be connected according to the MIMO 4x4 scheme, i.e. in fact, you need 4 antennas on the receiving and transmitting sides. Mysterious symbols 256QAM mean a certain type of signal modulation that allows you to pack information more densely. Those who wish to get acquainted with this topic in more detail can begin their acquaintance with the material in the article on Wikipedia and with the links there.

Receiver categorization

The frequency aggregation scheme is being actively developed by Russian providers, many agreements on the mutual use of frequency bands have been concluded, and the antenna facilities of base stations are being reconstructed. However, there is one problem - on the receiving side, the subscriber must be able to receive a signal at several carrier frequencies simultaneously. Not all smartphones, tablets and modems support frequency aggregation and therefore cannot work in 4G+.

Starting from 2016, the documentation for smartphones indicates the frequency bands (bands) and the LTE category in which they can work. For example, for a smartphone released in 2017, Huawei P10 Plus, among other parameters, the following is indicated:

In addition, this smartphone has a built-in M IMO 4x4 antenna and a corresponding modem that allows you to process signals on two carrier frequencies at once. If your smartphone supports frequency aggregation, then the "setting" > "mobile network" tab will look something like this:

If so, then your smartphone supports LTE-A.

Thus, smartphone manufacturers began to catch up with mobile operators. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for modem manufacturers. Until now, the most productive modem gives maximum speeds 150/50 Mbps, i.e. belongs to Cat.4. So far, this circumstance is not too upsetting, because. such speeds, if achieved in practice, are to be admired. However, production mobile routers seems to be starting to catch up with smartphones. Cat.6 routers from Huawei and Netgeer began to appear on the market (does not support Russian bands). So the Huawei E5787s-33a router can be bought on AliExpress for about 10 thousand rubles.

I must say that the real speeds achieved in the 4G + mode are far from the declared ones, but they are much higher than in easy mode 4G. The author conducted a series of experiments in Moscow, where it is not difficult to find LTE-A (Megafon operator), with a Cat.12 smartphone, the results of which are shown in the screenshots. The first screenshot is the speeds for LTE-A (frequency aggregation is enabled), the second screenshot is for LTE (frequency aggregation is disabled). I note that for some reason, when taking a screenshot, the plus sign disappears from the 4G + icon. Why - I don’t know, during testing there was a plus - see the screen.

Six measurements were taken for each mode. Speeds with frequency aggregation turned on are on average noticeably higher, although not by several times. The measurements were carried out near the tower, during the day.

Those wishing to experiment with LTE-A

If LTE-A appeared in your area, as you saw by measuring the frequencies of your chosen operator (the provider distributes the Internet at two frequencies, for example, LTE800 and LTE2600, i.e. uses the B7 + B20 combination) and your hands itch to try what it is, then you can try to use a scheme of two MIMO antennas with diplexers.

After launching the application, go to its settings and check the box "Detect GMS/UMTS/LTE frequencies".

Then the main screen should display the information you are interested in about the frequency range used.

In our case, the smartphone connected to the Tele2 network using the 4G standard at a frequency of 1800 MHz (band 3).