4G LTE, What Is It?

You have probably heard the 4G LTE jargon thrown around all over the place. What is it? Everyone knows it has something to do with mobile phones, but what does it mean?

The “4G” represents the 4^th generation of requirements for mobile phones. The International Telecommunications Union puts out requirements which are called, International Mobile Telecommunications – Advanced, for mobile phones, and the 4G adheres to those requirements.

The 4G mobile network is 10 times faster than the 3G network was. As of now, the four major carriers in the United States are already using the 4G technology and many 4G concepts are under development.

Any mobile communications that is using 4G technology can expect full range and even more secure IP based wireless internet access to wireless laptops and smartphones. So, in essence, 4G technology will provide “seamless” mobility, which in layman’s terms means that a typical file transfer will not be interrupted when sending from one device to another, even if the signal has to jump from one station to another. A handover will be executed. A handover is cellular language for the process of transferring the call or file from one network to the other.

So now, what does the LTE represent? LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. The industry trade group 3GPP or third Generation Partnership Project developed the broadband technology. The engineers at 3GPP named it “Long Term Evolution” because of the progression that it represents from 2G, to 3G, to now 4G.

Technology is moving fast.  LTE development for 4G is underway at centers and labs throughout the world, which should result in some exciting new products. Consumers should stay tuned!