WHITE PAPER LTE: The Future of Mobile Broadband Technology WHITE PAPER LTE: The Future of Mobile Broadband Technology CONTENT 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 1.1 Audience ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 2. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 3. The Benefits of LTE ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................3 3.1 Verizon Wireless and LTE Mobile Broadband Technology ..................................................................................................................................4 4. Wireless Technology Overview ...................................................................................................................................................................................................4 5. WWAN Evolution: A Choice of Upgrade Paths ..................................................................................................................................................................6 5.1 WWAN Evolution: CDMA to LTE ..........................................................................................................................................................................................6 5.2 WWAN Evolution: GSM to LTE ..............................................................................................................................................................................................7 6. 4G Mobile Broadband Technologies .......................................................................................................................................................................................8 6.1 Defining 4G Mobile Broadband Technology ..............................................................................................................................................................8 6.2 Trends Driving the Transition to 4G Technology ......................................................................................................................................................9 7. LTE Overview and Development Background ..................................................................................................................................................................9 7.1 LTE Standards Evolution ........................................................................................................................................................................................................10 7.2 LTE Performance Estimates and Technical Attributes ........................................................................................................................................10 7.3 Testing and Deployment ......................................................................................................................................................................................................11 7.4 LTE Supporting Technologies ............................................................................................................................................................................................12 8. WiMAX Overview ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................13 8.1 WiMAX Standards Evolution ...............................................................................................................................................................................................13 8.2 WiMAX (802.16e–2005) Performance Estimates and Technical Attributes ...........................................................................................14 8.3 WiMAX Supporting Technologies .................................................................................................................................................................................14 8.4 WiMAX Deployment ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................14 9. A Technology Comparison between LTE and WiMAX ...............................................................................................................................................14 10. The Advantages of LTE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................15 10.1 Business Considerations for Using LTE ......................................................................................................................................................................16 11. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16 12. Additional Resources ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................17 13. Glossary of Terms ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................17 14. Contact Information .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................19 2 1. Introduction This paper provides an overview of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)—the leading technologies for next-generation mobile broadband. The information presented here will help readers understand how the two technologies differ, why Verizon Wireless chose LTE, and what advantages LTE offers customers. The following executive summary gives a quick overview of the paper’s contents and its subject matter. The remaining sections go into greater technical detail about LTE and WiMAX wireless technologies. 1.1 Audience This paper has been developed for independent customers, enterprise customers, IT administrators, decision makers, and other personnel. It is assumed that the reader has an understanding of earlier generations of wireless technology, as well as an understanding of computer and network concepts. 2. Executive Summary Driving the evolution of wireless broadband technology is customers’ increasing expectations for speed, bandwidth, and global access. Customers want more information, such as business and consumer applications, and entertainment available through their mobile devices, but with greater speeds. For wireless carriers to achieve greater speeds and pervasive connectedness, their networks need to start behaving more like landline IP-based networks. This line of thinking represents a fundamental shift in perspective—from mobile services to broadband connections—for customers and service providers alike. Enter the fourth-generation (4G) wireless network. Unlike earlier wireless standards, 4G technology is based on TCP/IP, the core protocol of the Internet. TCP/IP enables wireless networks to deliver higher-level services, such as video and multimedia, while supporting the devices and applications of the future. Verizon Wireless chose LTE over WiMAX as the technological foundation for its 4G wireless broadband network. The company believes that LTE offers a number of significant technological and business advantages over WiMAX that make it a superior networking standard. Verizon Wireless customers want to be truly untethered with advanced communication devices that provide a similar immersive experience as found in today’s wired networks—whether it’s downloading or uploading large files, video, gaming, downloading music, or social networking. They want to be able to communicate in new and innovative ways whenever and wherever they choose around the globe. For these reasons, Verizon Wireless believes LTE is the best technology with the global scale needed to deliver such experiences. 3. The Benefits of LTE • Provides a global ecosystem with inherent mobility • Offers easier access and use with greater security and privacy • Dramatically improves speed and latency • Delivers enhanced real-time video and multimedia for a better overall experience • Enables high-performance mobile computing • Supports real-time applications due to its low latency • Creates a platform