Many people keep a rhythm. When 2G and 3G GSM and UMTS called
old-fashioned, it did not sound at all as a reality that almost everyone would
take a UMTS phone. When UMTS 3G was now going to be called, the move to 4G
sounded a lot more sense.
Of course, changing the name is not the only reason why more
people switched quickly from 3g to 4g over from 2G to 3G. After all, UMTS
promised first mobile Internet, something which many people at that time did
not see the point. That was with 4g quite different: it was indeed the same
Internet, but faster. Want less time waiting at the loading and send images via
WhatsApp? Of course!
Therefore, it is almost a given that 5g a resounding success
will be. 5g 4g same applies if: it makes existing networks quickly and as well
as phone providers supporting and is in subscriptions, the transition is almost
automatic.
But the introduction of 5g take years. Until that time, so
invented the umbrella organization for telecom companies, we need a snack. The
existing LTE advanced, known in the Netherlands as 4g +, therefore getting a
sequel called LTE advanced pro. This week, providers came together in
Gothenburg, Sweden, to determine the exact specifications. There is no
marketing name in the Netherlands, so until then we can speculate that it is
extremely 4g + 4.5g or 4g ++?
Although the name is so important, it is more important what
it does. LTE advanced Pro offers many small changes, but important:
accelerating 4G via a frequency band where no providers euro have to pay: the
unrestricted 5 GHz band, where your Wi-Fi connection probably is in. That
sounds a little scary, but is it really?
Let's first identify the names once apart. The steering
committee 3GPP - indeed named after 3g location - bring 'releases' of its
specification. From 8 release, this includes LTE, the network called upon
providers 4g. From Release 10 is that LTE advanced, something we call 4g +.
In addition to the releases, there are also categories of 4g.
These make a distinction between the various forms of 4g which provides a
device. It simply sticking the word "riot 8 'says namely not enough. The
last added class is 0; which is intended for devices that, and this we cite,
can do ten year with a pair of AA batteries.
If a phone so LTE Cat 6 supports, he can play up 300Mbit/s
down and 50Mbit/s up to. With Cat 9 support is 450Mbit/s down and 51Mbit/s up. It is not the case that supports a cat phone up to 9, and can therefore
also with cat 1 to 8 crossing. Cat 8, which does not support any smartphone,
has bizarre high speeds that can offer no provider in the world.
The main factor of distinction carrier aggregation. This is a
technology that allows phones to communicate and network base via multiple
frequencies, thus bands 'stack'. Providers like to compare it to a highway,
getting more jobs. Unlike a highway you can twice as hard as you have twice as
many tires.
Each block of 5MHz offers a download speed of roughly
37,5Mbit/s. Providers started with four of those blocks in a frequency band,
which thus leads to a maximum of four times 37,5Mbit/s or 150Mbit/s.
Who 300Mbit / s down and promises theoretical maximum, so
stacking eight blocks of 5MHz each other. That can be done via two times 20MHz
in two frequency bands, but whose speed also want to throw up, already looking
quickly to carrier aggregation on three frequencies. That's coming. KPN example
disables the coming years, the frequency for 3G in and thus comes to 375Mbit/s.
There are to put a few caveats. First, there is the
theoretical maximum in practice unfeasible. Often you may be happy with a third
of the speed limit. Well phones and providers utilize the frequency space by
carrier aggregation and thus get you higher speeds in daily practice.
The second caveat is that the phone must support. There are
not always clear manufacturers. There should worry two types of support:
firstly for the respective frequency bands, second for carrier aggregation over
a certain LTE release. The first is the well mustache, but for example,
imported appliances from China missed a few 4G bands with most smartphones. The
second is more difficult because it often is not very clear on specification
lists.
Wifi and 4G on The Same Frequency
LTE advanced Pro consists of two releases with serial numbers 13 and 14. Although 14 release will take place in a few years, is release 13 almost ready. Providers, including representations of KPN, Vodafone, T-Mobile and dozens of other providers, this week met in Gothenburg to determine the exact characteristics. Tele2 was missing, even though the meeting took place at the home of the Swedish provider.
The use of the 5 GHz band is possible in three different
ways. The first is laa, licensed assisted access. That is simply the same 4G
use as now, but on the higher 5GHz frequency. The same 4g now works in the
Netherlands up to 2.6GHz.
There are many benefits to laa. It offers more capacity and
speed in the same bandwidth than WiFi. Moreover, the phone needs to have
activated no wifi to function and the providers have experience with 4G.
For the 3GPP Release 13 is driven out to get laa support for
listen-before-talk. That's not standard in LTE because it never has to share
channels with other networks. In the 5 GHz band have and that is why 'listens'
to the station or channel is busy and will only "talk" with the phone
as the channel is free.
That system should also avoid getting home users with WiFi
burden of the new 4G deployment. If your router uses a hardware channel, the
mast of the provider will switch to another channel.
There is also a disadvantage. Transmission systems of providers
do not have the required hardware on board. Masts can now broadcast on multiple
frequencies and switching between them, but the 5 GHz antennas missing masts.
Another disadvantage is that current smart phones are not
suitable. Who have an antenna at 5GHz for WiFi, but they are not set to receive
4G signals. New smartphones with this support are needed.
Laa in release 13 still has a major limitation: it only
downlink. Uplink is only through licensed frequency bands. In release 14 the
3GPP will add the uplink.
That's why in Release 13 also lwa, LTE WiFi aggregation. That
is the same principle, but the mast using Wi-Fi instead of LTE. The second mast
is thus simply a Wi-Fi router that transmits 4G data. By combining the two, the
speed of 4G can be raised.
Current Wi-Fi hotspots would be adapted via a software update
for lwa, which implement this technology much easier to make. Through a
separate SSID it would also be possible to operate the hotspot regular
function.
Both techniques have limitations. 5GHz signals are not ideal
because they are poor through walls and have a limited range. It is especially
useful in busy places as shopping streets, stadiums and festival. Who stands in
the countryside of Northeast Friesland will have little to gain with this form
of 4G.
Release 13 includes even more enhancements, such as the
possibility for carrier aggregation with more frequencies. Instead of a maximum
of 10 blocks, it can now handle up to 32 blocks. Also included is a standard
for mc-PTT, mission critical push-to-talk. That is a radio feature for emergency
services through 4g with low latency.
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