What is LTE ?

LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is a a 4th generation (4G) mobile broadband standard and is aimed to be the successor to the 3G technologies GSM/UMTS. It is currently in development and is considered the competitor to WiMAX. Carriers will include Verizon, Vodafone, AT&T, and many more worldwide. Verizon launched their LTE service in 38 markets in late 2010.

Like WiMAX, this technology provides broadband services wirelessly (like EVDO), but instead of transmitting signals via microwaves, LTE utilizes a radio platform. Users need an LTE modem to access the network, which can be in USB format, ExpressCard, PCMCIA, or embedded in a laptop; it will also likely be featured as the internet connection on PDAs and phones.

This super-fast network, which is promising theoretical peak download rates of up 100Mbps (real-world speeds will vary, of course), provides an alternative to DSL, cable, satellite, and dial-up internet, which will be a big boon to people living in areas that aren't currently serviced by a high-speed network. It will also free people from the burden of having to find a WiFi hotspot when they are on the road - as long as you have an LTE modem, you can connect to the internet anywhere in the service provider's coverage area!


Key Details:

Theoretical downlink peak data rates up to 100 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth
Theoretical uplink peak data rates up to 50 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth
Reduced latency to 10 msec round-trip time between user equipment and base station

LTE deployment is considerably behind WiMAX, and it likely won't be widely available until about 2012 .

What Verizon has to say about its LTE technology have a look.