What is LTE?
LTE is the 4G mobile broadband standard developed by 3GPP (Release 8, 2008), delivering peak downlink speeds of 300 Mbps (LTE-Advanced: 1 Gbps) using an all-IP, flat network architecture. LTE is the most widely deployed mobile standard globally and serves as the anchor network for most 5G NSA deployments through EN-DC.
How Does LTE Work?
LTE uses OFDMA in the downlink and SC-FDMA in the uplink, both with 15 kHz subcarrier spacing and 1 ms subframe (TTI) structure. MIMO up to 8×8 is supported. The Evolved Packet Core (EPC) handles all traffic as IP, enabling VoLTE (Voice over LTE) using IMS. LTE-Advanced (Release 10+) added carrier aggregation, enhanced MIMO, and heterogeneous network (HetNet) features.
Use Cases
Global 4G mobile broadband, VoLTE and emergency calls (NG-eCall), IoT via NB-IoT and LTE-M (eMTC), anchor for 5G NSA EN-DC deployments, international roaming.
3GPP / Standards Reference
3GPP TS 36.300 (E-UTRAN Overall Description), TS 36.413 (S1AP), TS 36.423 (X2AP), Releases 8–14
Related Terms
4G | EPC | eNB | EN-DC | NSA | 5G | VoLTE
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This glossary entry is part of the 5GWorldPro Complete 5G Glossary. To go deeper into 5G architecture and technology, explore our 5G Training courses.
