What is LTE?

For some time now Rogers, Bell, and other providers have been advertising LTE. But what is LTE and what’s so great about it?

LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is a very advanced mobile signal technology. What makes it so great is the speed and the distance it can travel. However internet speeds on LTE can vary depending on how developed a cell phone provider’s network is. In some countries, LTE reaches 100Megabits a second! That’s faster than most home internet connections!

You may be thinking, “This for a phone, why would I need that fast internet on my phone?!” LTE is not just for phones, it also works on data sticks. Data sticks are provider given, when one subscribes to the service, it has a SIM card inside and it allows people to connect to the internet without a Wi-Fi connection in the vicinity. Through the use of a data stick, operating on LTE, one can be truly mobile with their laptop. The Wi-Fi connection dependence becomes nonexistent.

Before LTE there was and still is a technology labelled as “HSPA”. The major difference between the two is speed. HSPA has a limit of 42Megabits, however the actual connection speed is more around 10Megabits. This is still fast; it’s on par with the average home internet connection.

The other selling point on LTE technology is the distance it can travel. LTE is great solution for rural areas where it’s hard to get an internet connection for whatever reason.

LTE has a huge future. In fact LTE Advanced is already in testing phases throughout many wireless providers worldwide. Rogers has plans to upgrade its own network whenever they will launch LTE Advanced.

If you would like to know more about LTE and how this can help run your mobile business more efficiently please contact us at Group 4 Networks.