LTE Advanced is a mobile communication standard that builds upon the foundation set by the original LTE standard. LTE Advanced offers a number of enhancements over the original LTE standard, including higher data rates, higher system capacity, and lower latency.
The key features of LTE Advanced include:
- Carrier aggregation: This allows for the bonding of multiple LTE carriers together to create a larger pipe for data. This can more than double the potential data rates.
- MIMO: This stands for multiple-input, multiple-output. It is a technology that can greatly increase data rates and capacity by using multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver.
- Relay nodes: These are specialised base stations that can extend the range and coverage of the network.
- Coordinated multipoint: This is a technology that allows for the use of multiple base stations at the same time to serve a single user. This can provide significant increases in data rates and capacity.
LTE Advanced is not a completely new standard, but rather an evolution of the existing LTE standard. As such, it is backward compatible with LTE, meaning that LTE Advanced devices will be able to communicate with all LTE devices on the same network.
