[edit]
Forerunner versions[edit]
.
Discontinued candidate systems[edit]
UMB (formerly EV-DO Rev. C)[edit]
Main article: Ultra Mobile Broadband
UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband) was the brand name for a discontinued 4G project within the 3GPP2 standardization group to improve the CDMA2000 mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, Qualcomm, UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favouring LTE instead.[24] The objective was to achieve data speeds over 275 Mbit/s downstream and over 75 Mbit/s upstream.
Flash-OFDM[edit]
At an early stage the Flash-OFDM system was expected to be further developed into a 4G standard.
iBurst and MBWA (IEEE 802.20) systems[edit]
The iBurst system (or HC-SDMA, High Capacity Spatial Division Multiple Access) was at an early stage considered to be a 4G predecessor. It was later further developed into the Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) system, also known as IEEE 802.20.
Data rate comparison[edit]
Principal technologies in all candidate systems[edit]
Key features[edit]
The following key features can be observed in all suggested 4G technologies:
- Physical layer transmission techniques are as follows:[27]
- MIMO: To attain ultra high spectral efficiency by means of spatial processing including multi-antenna and multi-user MIMO
- Frequency-domain-equalization, for example multi-carrier modulation (OFDM) in the downlink or single-carrier frequency-domain-equalization (SC-FDE) in the uplink: To exploit the frequency selective channel property without complex equalization
- Frequency-domain statistical multiplexing, for example (OFDMA) or (single-carrier FDMA) (SC-FDMA, a.k.a. linearly precoded OFDMA, LP-OFDMA) in the uplink: Variable bit rate by assigning different sub-channels to different users based on the channel conditions
- Turbo principle error-correcting codes: To minimize the required SNR at the reception side
- Channel-dependent scheduling: To use the time-varying channel
- Link adaptation: Adaptive modulation and error-correcting codes
- Mobile-IP utilized for mobility
- IP-based femtocells (home nodes connected to fixed Internet broadband infrastructure)
As opposed to earlier generations, 4G systems do not support circuit switched telephony. IEEE 802.20, UMB and OFDM standards[28] lack soft-handover support, also known as cooperative relaying.
Multiplexing and access schemes[edit]
 | This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter. Please help improve this article by clarifying or removing superfluous information. (May 2010) |
Recently, new access schemes like Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Interleaved FDMA, and Multi-carrier CDMA (MC-CDMA) are gaining more importance for the next generation systems. These are based on efficient FFT algorithms and frequency domain equalization, resulting in a lower number of multiplications per second. They also make it possible to control the bandwidth and form the spectrum in a flexible way. However, they require advanced dynamic channel allocation and adaptive traffic scheduling.
WiMax is using OFDMA in the downlink and in the uplink. For the LTE (telecommunication), OFDMA is used for the downlink; by contrast, Single-carrier FDMA is used for the uplink since OFDMA contributes more to the PAPR related issues and results in nonlinear operation of amplifiers. IFDMA provides less power fluctuation and thus requires energy-inefficient linear amplifiers. Similarly, MC-CDMA is in the proposal for the IEEE 802.20 standard. These access schemes offer the same efficiencies as older technologies like CDMA. Apart from this, scalability and higher data rates can be achieved.
The other important advantage of the above-mentioned access techniques is that they require less complexity for equalization at the receiver. This is an added advantage especially in the MIMO environments since the spatial multiplexing transmission of MIMO systems inherently require high complexity equalization at the receiver.
In addition to improvements in these multiplexing systems, improved modulation techniques are being used. Whereas earlier standards largely used Phase-shift keying, more efficient systems such as 64QAM are being proposed for use with the 3GPP Long Term Evolution standards.
IPv6 support[edit]
Unlike 3G, which is based on two parallel infrastructures consisting of circuit switched and packet switched network nodes, 4G will be based on packet switching only. This will require low-latency data transmission.
By the time that 4G was deployed, the process of IPv4 address exhaustion was expected to be in its final stages. Therefore, in the context of 4G, IPv6 is essential to support a large number of wireless-enabled devices. By increasing the number of IP addressesavailable, IPv6 removes the need for network address translation (NAT), a method of sharing a limited number of addresses among a larger group of devices, although NAT will still be required to communicate with devices that are on existing IPv4 networks.
As of June 2009, Verizon has posted specifications that require any 4G devices on its network to support IPv6.[29]
Advanced antenna systems[edit]
The performance of radio communications depends on an antenna system, termed smart or intelligent antenna. Recently, multiple antenna technologies are emerging to achieve the goal of 4G systems such as high rate, high reliability, and long range communications. In the early 1990s, to cater for the growing data rate needs of data communication, many transmission schemes were proposed. One technology, spatial multiplexing, gained importance for its bandwidth conservation and power efficiency. Spatial multiplexing involves deploying multiple antennas at the transmitter and at the receiver. Independent streams can then be transmitted simultaneously from all the antennas. This technology, called MIMO (as a branch of intelligent antenna), multiplies the base data rate by (the smaller of) the number of transmit antennas or the number of receive antennas. Apart from this, the reliability in transmitting high speed data in the fading channel can be improved by using more antennas at the transmitter or at the receiver. This is calledtransmit or receive diversity. Both transmit/receive diversity and transmit spatial multiplexing are categorized into the space-time coding techniques, which does not necessarily require the channel knowledge at the transmitter. The other category is closed-loop multiple antenna technologies, which require channel knowledge at the transmitter.
Open-wireless Architecture and Software-defined radio (SDR)[edit]
One of the key technologies for 4G and beyond is called Open Wireless Architecture (OWA), supporting multiple wireless air interfaces in an open architecture platform.
SDR is one form of open wireless architecture (OWA). Since 4G is a collection of wireless standards, the final form of a 4G device will constitute various standards. This can be efficiently realized using SDR technology, which is categorized to the area of the radio convergence.
History of 4G and pre-4G technologies[edit]
Deployment plans[edit]
Afghanistan[edit]
Telecom giant Etisalat Afghanistan, the first telecom company to launch 3.75G services in Afghanistan on 19th Feb, 2013 announced the commencement of test of its Long-term Evolution (LTE) 4G mobile network.
Africa[edit]
As of 11 November 2014 Rwanda became the newest country to begin introducing 4G LTE services in its capital Kigali, Rw after months of testing.[64] Safaricom, a telecommunication company in Kenya, began its setup of a 4G network in October 2010 after the now retired Kenya Tourist Board Chairman, Michael Joseph, regarded their 3G network as a white elephant. Huawei was given the contract and the network was set to go fully commercial by the end of Q1 of 2011 but was yet to establish the network by the end of 2012.
Australia[edit]
Telstra announced on 15 February 2011, that it intends to upgrade its current Next G network to 4G with Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in the central business districts of all Australian capital cities and selected regional centers by the end of 2011.[65]
Telstra launched the country's first 4G network (FD-LTE) in September 2011 claiming "2–100 Mbps" speeds and announced an "aggressive" expansion of that network in 2012.[66][67]
Telstra will use a mixture of 10 MHz and 15 MHz bandwidth in the 1800 MHz band.
Optus have established a 4G (FD-LTE) network using 10 MHz (out of 15 MHz available) bandwidth in the 1800 MHz band and added the 2.3 GHz band for 4G TD-LTE after acquiring Vivid Wireless in 2012.[68]
Vodafone Australia have indicated their roll out of 4G FD-LTE will use 20 MHz bandwidth and initially support Cat 3 devices at launch, then quickly move to support Cat 4 devices.
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will auction 700 MHz "digital dividend" and 2600 MHz spectrum for the provision of 4G FD-LTE services in April 2013. Telstra and Optus are expected to participate in both, while Vodafone has stated it will only participate in the 2600 MHz auction.
On 19 December 2013 Optus claims to set up the world's first TD-LTE Advanced carrier aggregation network. The company achieved a throughput of 520 Mbit/s, by combining four 20 MHz channels of the 2300 MHz spectrum band into 80 MHz.[69][70]
Austria[edit]
In August, 2009 Huawei and T-Mobile introduced Europe's largest trial LTE network. Both companies set up 60 cells in Innsbruck which are since July 2009 in service.[71]
On October 18, 2010, the allocation procedure for 2600 MHz frequency band was completed.[73] The following figure shows the current allocation for this frequency band:[74][75]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | A1 Telekom Austria | T-Mobile Austria | Orange Austria* | Hutchison 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2×70 MHz 1×50 MHz | FDD TDD | 2x20 MHz 1x25 MHz | 2x20 MHz - | 2x10 MHz - | 2x20 MHz 1x25 MHz |
- *License holder formerly Orange Austria, now Hutchison Drei Austria GmbH
A1 Telekom Austria started the first commercial (FDD-)LTE service in Austria on 19 October 2010. Iniatially A1 Telekom Austria covered Vienna with 49 eNodeB's and St. Pölten with 3 eNodeB's.[76]
On 28 July 2011, T-Mobile Austria launched commercial LTE service in Vienna, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck.[77]
After A1 Telekom Austria and T-Mobile Austria started their LTE service Austria's smallest operator 3 introduced LTE commercially on the 18th of November 2011.[78]
In March, 2012, A1 Telekom Austria integrated Circuit-switched fallback (CSFB) and launched the first LTE Smartphone (HTC Velocity 4G) for the Austrian market.[76]
At the end of November, 2012, A1 Telekom Austria claims to reach 30% of the Austrian population with its LTE network. At this time, according to a press release, 800 EnodeB's were used.[79]
At the beginning of July, 2013, A1 Telekom Austria announced that the company has switched on their 1000th eNodeB.[80]
At the beginning of September, 2013, Bregenz, Dornbirn and Lustenau are covered by A1 Telekom Austria LTE.[81]
On 7 October 2013, T-Mobile Austria started LTE service for Smartphones. The company also announced plans for further LTE coverage. Until the end of 2013 parts of the city Bregenz, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and St. Pölten will be covered with LTE.[82]
On October 21, 2013, the multiband spectrum auction was completed. The following figure shows the current allocation for this frequency band:[83]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | A1 Telekom Austria | T-Mobile Austria | Hutchison 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x20 MHz | 2x10 MHz | - |
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2×35 MHz | FDD | 2x15 MHz | 2x15 MHz | 2x5 MHz |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×75 MHz | FDD | 2x35 MHz | 2x20 MHz | 2x20 MHz |
At the end of November, 2013, Huchtison 3 and T-Mobile Austria intent to appeal auction results.[84][85]
On 4 December 2013, according to A1 Telekom Austria Klosterneuburg is covered with LTE.[86]
International LTE Roaming: 19. December, 2013, A1 Telekom Austria is the first Austrian operator which introduced LTE Roaming. The company signed a roaming agreement with Swisscom following by further countries (planned: Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States) in 2014. If Customers of A1 Telekom Austria want use LTE abroad they need either a LTE package or one of their new A1 Go! contract plans, launched in December 2013.[87]
On 28 January 2014, A1 announced commercial service for LTE 800 MHz on more than 200 sites. Austrians largest mobile operator covers currently 45% of the population with LTE. The company plans to cover more than 50% of the population until the end of 2014.[88][89]
On 11 March 2014, T-Mobile announced top LTE transmission speed raises to 150 Mbit/s.[90]
On 6 May 2014, Austrian Media announced that Hutchison 3 is waiting for approval to refarm 1800 MHz frequency to go further with LTE deployment.[91]
Belgium[edit]
On 28 June 2011, Belgium's largest telecom operator Belgacom announced the roll out of the country's first 4G network.[93] On 3 July 2012 it confirmed the outroll in 5 major cities and announced the commercial launch to take place before the end of 2012.[94]
Brazil[edit]
On 27 April 2012, Brazil’s telecoms regulator Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) announced that the 6 host cities for the 2013 Confederations Cup to be held there will be the first to have their networks upgraded to 4G.[95]
Canada[edit]
Telus and Bell Canada, the major Canadian cdmaOne and EV-DO carriers, have announced that they will be cooperating towards building a fourth generation (4G) LTE wireless broadband network in Canada. As a transitional measure, they are implementing 3GUMTS network that went live in November 2009.[96] Bell Canada claims that it's HSPA+ network (that it calls 4G) covers 97% of the population as of December 2013.[97]
China[edit]
In China, there were 13.97 million 4G subscribers in June 2014, almost all (13.93 million) on China Mobile. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has a goal of 50 million subscribers by the end of 2014.[98] It has been predicted that in 2016 there will be 60 million subscribers.[99]
Fiji[edit]
Vodafone Fiji started category 3 LTE service (1800 MHz - Band 3) at the beginning of December 2013.[100][101]
France[edit]
On 22 November 2012, Orange launched the first 4G business plan in Marseille, Lyon, Lille and Nantes. Then, on 29 November 2012, SFR launched 4G in Lyon, extending to Montpellier. It was the first 4G commercial launch in France.
Germany[edit]
After the multiband spectrum auction (12.04. - 20.05.2010[102]) the frequency allocation in Germany is as follows:
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Telekom | Vodafone | Telefónica O2 | E-Plus Gruppe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | - |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×25 MHz | FDD | 2x15 MHz | - | - | 2x10 MHz |
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2×70 MHz 1×50 MHz | FDD TDD | 2x20 MHz 1x5 MHz | 2x20 MHz 1x25 MHz | 2x20 MHz 1x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz 1x10 MHz |
30 August 2010, Deutsche Telekom trialed LTE by using the 800 MHz frequency.[103]
5 April 2011, Deutsche Telekom launched LTE service on 800 MHz.[105]
1 July 2011, o2 offers LTE on 800 MHz which is available in several rural communities, including Oberreichenbach in the Black Forest or Zscherben in Saxony-Anhalt.[106]
3 July 2012, Deutsche Telekom announced LTE service for the following cities in Baden-Württemberg: Freiburg, Friedrichshafen, Heidelberg, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Pforzheim. Berlin. Bremen. Hesse: Darmstadt, Hanau, Ludwigshafen. Lower Saxony: Braunschweig, Celle, Hildesheim, Oldenburg. North Rhine-Westphalia: Gütersloh, Paderborn, Velbert. Rhineland-Palatinate: Kaiserslautern, Mainz. Saxony: Halle (Saale). Schleswig-Holstein: Neumünster. Thuringia: Erfurt and Gera.[108]
7 February 2013, o2 claimed to do the world's first handovers of voice calls from LTE to UMTS under realistic conditions.[109]
5 September 2013, Deutsche Telekom announced LTE category 4 with download speed of 150 Mbit/s at the IFA. LTE category 4 or LTE+, so called by Deutsche Telekom, is available in areas which are covered by the 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz frequency.[111]
15 November 2013, Telefónica and Vodafone have announced that they are testing LTE-Advanced in the German cities of Munich and Dresden.[112]
20 February 2014, Deutsche Telekom announced 580 Mbit/s data speed during LTE-A trials in Alzey.[113]
5 March 2014, E-Plus started commercial LTE service in Berlin, Nuremberg and Leipzig by using the 1800 MHz frequency.[114]
10 March 2014, at the CeBIT in Hannover Deutsche Telekom announced the launch of LTE-A with 300 Mbit/s for Q3 in 2014.[115]
International LTE Roaming: 22 May 2014, Vodafone added LTE Roaming within the Vodafone Group in the following six European countries. Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and UK. Vodafone also plans to launch LTE Roaming in other countries and on other networks.[116]
17 June 2014, Deutsche Telekom announced LTE Roaming for six European countries. (Belgium (Mobistar), France (Orange), Italy (TIM), Norway (Telenor), Poland (Orange) and Spain (Orange)) Followed by the UK. The company also plans further agreements with other operators.[117]
19 August 2014, Deutsche Telekom announced LTE Roaming for The Netherlands (KPN) and UK (EE).[118]
Greenland[edit]
TELE Greenland started LTE service (800 MHz - Band 20) at the beginning of December 2013.[119]
India[edit]
Bharti Airtel launched India's first 4G service, using TD-LTE technology, in Kolkata on April 10, 2012.[120] Fourteen months prior to the official launch in Kolkata, a group consisting of China Mobile, Bharti Airtel and SoftBank Mobile came together, called Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) in Barcelona, Spain and they signed the commitment towards TD-LTE standards for the Asian region. It must be noted that Bharti Airtel's 4G network does not support mainstream 4G phones such as Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S4 and others.
- Bharti Airtel 4G services are available in Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh region (The Tricity or Chandigarh region consists of a major city Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula).
- RIL is launching 4G services through its subsidiary, Jio Infocomm. RIL 4G services are currently available only in Jamnagar, where it is testing the new TD-LTE technology. Reliance's 4G rollout is planned to start in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata and expand to cover 700 cities, including 100 high-priority markets in 2015.[121]
- Bharti Airtel launched 4G on mobiles in Bangalore, thus becoming the first in India to offer such a service on 14th Feb, 2014
- Bharti Airtel in July 2014, expanded 4G services to many cities in Punjab like Amritsar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Ajitgarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Phagwara and Kapurthala.[122] Until July 2014, Customers in these cities access 4G services through dongles and wifi modems on Apple iPhone 5S and 5C, XOLO LT 900 and LG G2 (model D802T).
- Aircel in July 2014, launched 4G in four circles Telangana, Assam, Bihar and Odisha.[123]
India uses 2.3 GHz frequency (band 40).
Tikona Digital Networks holds broadband wireless access spectrum in the 2300 MHz band and is waiting for the appropriate time and maturity of the 4G ecosystem before making a foray into the space. Tikona holds 4G spectrum [124] licences in five circles in northwest India, covering Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (East and West) and Himachal Pradesh.[125]
Indonesia[edit]
During APEC meeting on October 1–8, 2013 in Bali, Telkomsel will conduct 4G LTE network trial. Telkomsel 4G LTE network will operate at 1800 MHz frequency. As part of the program it will sell "simPATI LTE Trial Edition" prepaid SIM card.[126]
Since November 2013, PT Internux, with brand Bolt 4G, has commercialized LTE 4G service using TDD-LTE. Initially, Bolt 4G is only available on 2300 MHz covering Jakarta and the surrounding cities.[127]
Ireland[edit]
In May 2005, Digiweb, an Irish wired and wireless broadband company, announced that they had received a mobile communications license from the Irish telecoms regulator ComReg. This service will be issued the mobile code 088 in Ireland and will be used for the provision of 4G mobile communications.[128][129] Digiweb launched a mobile broadband network using FLASH-OFDM technology at 872 MHz.
On November 15, 2012 the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) announced the results of its multi-band spectrum auction.[130] This auction awarded spectrum rights of use in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands in Ireland from 2013 to 2030. The winners of spectrum were Three Ireland, Meteor, O2 Ireland and Vodafone. All of the winning bidders in the auction have indicated that they intend to move rapidly to deploy advanced services.[131]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Vodafone Ireland | Telefónica Ireland | Meteor | Hutchison 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | - |
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2×35 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x5 MHz |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×75 MHz | FDD | 2x25 MHz | 2x15 MHz | 2x15 MHz | 2x20 MHz |
On 14 October, Vodafone started their 4G offer (mobile broadband only) in six cities (Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Kilkenny) and 23 towns (Carlow, Tralee, Wexford, Middleton, Carrigaline, Mallow, Killarney, Enniscorthy, Dungarvan, New Ross, Kenmare, Tullow, Kanturk, Bagnelstown, Thomastown, Millstreet, Bunclody, Newmarket, Dunmanway, Lismore, Rosslare Harbour, Rosslare Strand and Killorglin) across the country.[133]
On 9 December, Vodafone switches on 4G for Smartphones and turned 4G service in eight additional towns (Ballincollig, Carrigtohill, Cloyne, Cobh, Enniscorthy, Fermoy, Gorey, Kinsale) on.[134]
On 27 January 2014, Three launched their 4G network in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Wexford and Waterford.
Italy[edit]
Since the first half of December 2012, all of Italy's ISP have been offering or have plans to offer 4G services in some cities:
- TIM: 2.500 cities (November 2014) and 60 cities in LTE Advanced
- Vodafone: 2.500 cities (November 2014)
- 3 Italia: 280 cities (November 2014). [135]
- WIND: 300 cities (November 2014)
International LTE Roaming: From 5 May 2014 customers of TIM are able to use 4G while roame in Switzerland on Swisscom and from 14 May 2014 on Orange in Spain.[136] TIM added new roaming partners in Germany (Telekom) and Hong Kong (CSL) in June 2014.[137]
Kazakhstan[edit]
By the end of 2012, the national telecommunication operator JSC Kazakhtelecom launched 4G services in both Astana and Almaty. It is expected that by the end of 2013 the service will be available across the whole country.[citation needed]
Luxembourg[edit]
Orange and Tango launched LTE in October 2012.[138] Post Telecom (formerly LuxGSM [139]) launched LTE in October 2013.[140] All operators are using the 1800 MHz frequency.
International LTE Roaming: On 24 June 2014 Orange announced LTE Roaming for the following countries from July 1, 2014: Canada, China, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.[141]
Macedonia[edit]
Maldives[edit]
4G technology was introduced for the 1st time in Maldives by Ooredoo (formerly known as Wataniya) in April 2013. Currently serving over 33% of the population in Male, Hulhumale, Villingilli and Maafushi Island. Ooredoo operates its 4G network in both 700nbsp;MHz and 1800nbsp;MHz.[citation needed]
Malta[edit]
4G technology was introduced in Malta by Vodafone on the 9th of October 2013.[144]
Middle East[edit]
- Saudi Arabia: In mid September 2011, Mobily, announced their 4G LTE networks to be ready after months of testing and evaluations.
- Oman: In July 2012, Omantel launched 4G LTE commercially.[145] In February 2013, Nawras launched 4G LTE commercially.[146][147]
- UAE: In December 2012, Etisalat announced the commercial launch of 4G LTE services covering over 70% of country's urban areas.[citation needed] As of May, 2013 only few areas have been covered.[citation needed].
- Lebanon: In 2012, Alfa and touch, announced their 4G LTE networks to be ready after months of testing and evaluations. And 4G LTE was officially launched in April 2013.[citation needed]
- Qatar: In April 2013, Qtel, (now called Ooredoo) is set to launch its 4G LTE commercially in Qatar.[148]
The Netherlands[edit]
After the multiband spectrum auction in Q4-2012 KPN announced that the deployment of 4G services would start in February 2013 and that nationwide coverage will be available in Q1 2014.[149]
Vodafone has launched the 4G network in August 2013,[150] while T-Mobile announced only a roll-out in Q4 of 2013.[151] Tele2 will launch their network probably in the same time as T-Mobile, because they are using site/antenna-sharing.
As of Q1 2014, KPN will be the first network provider that has deployed a nationwide 4G network in the Netherlands.[152] Expectations are that both KPN and Vodafone will reach nationwide coverage in 2014. T-Mobile and Tele2, being lower-budget providers, will probably never reach a nationwide coverage, as is the case with their existing 2G and 3G networks. Tele2 will stay a MVNO (i.e., Tele2 will buy network capacity) on the T-Mobile network for 2G/3G Services and a MVNO on the KPN network for 2G/3G Business Services (previously Versatel).[153]
Network operator ZUM's plans remain unknown; only a small 2.6 GHz LTE network would be required to meet regulatory requirements.[citation needed]
After the multiband spectrum auction the frequency allocation in the Netherlands is as follows:[154]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | KPN | Vodafone | T-Mobile | Tele2 | ZUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2x30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | ||
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2x35 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x15 MHz | ||
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2x70 MHz | FDD | 2x20 MHz | 2x20 MHz | 2x30 MHz | ||
| 1900 MHz | XXXIII (33) | 1x35 MHz | TDD | 1x5 MHz | 1x5.4 MHz | 1x24.6 MHz | ||
| 2100 MHz | I (1) | 2x59,4 MHz | FDD | 2x19.8 MHz | 2x19.6 MHz | 2x20 MHz | ||
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2x65 MHz 2x65 MHz | FDD TDD | 2×10 MHz 1×30 MHz | 2x10 MHz - | 2x5 MHz 1x25 MHz | 2x20 MHz 1x5 MHz | 2x20 MHz - |
International LTE Roaming: On 16 February 2014 KPN announced LTE Roaming agreement with Orange in France and Telenor in Norway. Following by operators in the US, the UK, Russia, Japan, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and Saudi Arabia later this month. Brazil and China are scheduled to be included in March, Germany, Hong Kong, Croatia and Slovenia will be added in April, and Denmark, Canada and Finland will be included in June.[155][156]
New Zealand[edit]
In New Zealand, the first 4G network was introduced in parts of Auckland by Vodafone NZ on 28 February 2013 using the 1800 MHz frequency (Band 3). Vodafone has since expanded coverage to a total of 59 centers.[157]
A small village by Lake Brunner on the West Coast with only 250 people, Moana, got 4G coverage in May 2013. This was a test of rural broadband services in the 700 MHz range.[158] Vodafone went on to launch 4G in this frequency in Papakura on July 22, 2014.
The Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees 4G Networks operate on 1800 MHz (Band 3). Vodafone and Spark have also deployed 4G on 700 MHz (APT Band 28) while 2degrees carries out a trial for this frequency in Auckland
As of 15 January 2014, Telecom has 4G coverage in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, Whitianga and Whangamata.[citation needed]
As of 15 January 2014, Telecom has 4G coverage in Wellington, Christchurch, Auckland, Whitianga and Whangamata.[citation needed]
2degrees launched their 4G service on June 30, 2014 in parts of Auckland[159] and then extended coverage to Wellington on Sept 8, 2014.
Norway[edit]
After the multiband spectrum auction in December 2013.[160]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Telco Data | Telenor | TeliaSonera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz |
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2×? MHz | FDD | 2x5 MHz | 2x5 MHz | 2x5 MHz |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×? MHz | FDD | 2x20 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz |
.[citation needed]
Philippines[edit]
As part of its massive network upgrade, Globe[165] has launched its 4th Generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) network for mobile and broadband. To date, Globe has completed over 2,700 4G LTE network sites, with the number expected to rise to over 4000 by the end of 2012.
In September, Globe launched its 4G LTE network covering key commercial as well as residential areas in Makati, with more sites following shortly in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other select regions. As more key activations are completed in the coming months, Globe subscribers will soon enjoy best-in-class mobile and broadband services across the Philippines.[citation needed]
Smart Communications was the first to roll out the fastest 4G LTE in the country (Philippines). Over 900 sites served nationwide with partner establishments. Cherry Mobile was the first local brand to release LTE ready mobile phone in the Philippines.
Poland[edit]
On 31 August 2011, Plus (Polkomtel) launched 4G commercially in Poland. The download speed was up to 100 Mbit/s, while upload speed was up to 50 Mbit/s. On 25 October 2012, download speed was increased to 150 Mbit/s. It uses 1800 MHz spectrum.[citation needed]
Romania[edit]
On 31 October 2012, Vodafone has launched 4G tests.[166] Now 4G connectivity is available in several cities: Otopeni, Constanța, Galați, Craiova, Brașov, Bacău, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Arad and Timișoara.[167]
International LTE Roaming: Since mid-May 2014 Orange offers LTE Roaming service which is currently available in the networks of Orange in Moldova, Poland and Spain and will also be extended to other networks during 2014.[168]
Russian Federation[edit]
Vainakh Telecom launched LTE service in January 2013.[171] Network available in Chechnya.
Rostelecom launched LTE service in June 2013.[173]
[edit]
TeliaSonera started deploying LTE (branded "4G") in Stockholm and Oslo November 2009 (as seen above), and in several Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish cities during 2010. In June 2010, Swedish television companies used 4G to broadcast live television from theSwedish Crown Princess’s wedding.[174]
Slovakia[edit]
After the multiband spectrum auction[175] the frequency allocation in Slovakia is as follows:
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Orange | Slovak Telekom | Telefónica Slovakia | SWAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | - |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×20.4 MHz | FDD | 2x4.8 MHz | - | 2x0.6 MHz | 2x15 MHz |
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2×70 MHz 1×50 MHz | FDD TDD | 2x30 MHz - | 2x40 MHz 1x50 MHz | - - | - - |
Slovenia[edit]
After the multiband spectrum auction in April 2014.[176]
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Si.Mobil | Telekom Slovenije | Tusmobil |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz |
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2×35 MHz | FDD | 2x15 MHz | 2x15 MHz | 2x5 MHz |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×75 MHz | FDD | 2x30 MHz | 2x25 MHz | 2x10 MHz |
| 2100 MHz | XXXIV (34) | 1×? MHz | TDD | 2x20 MHz | - | - |
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2×70 MHz 1×50 MHz | FDD TDD | 2x35 MHz 1x25 MHz | 2x35 MHz 1x25 MHz | - - |
Spain[edit]
On May 9, 2013, Yoigo announced its service, which will use the 1800 MHz band and offer speeds up to 100Mbit/s, and will first be launched in Madrid on July 19.[177]
On May 13, Orange Espana announced it will launch its 4G network on 8 July, simultaneously in six of the country's largest cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga and Murcia. A further nine cities — Bilbao, Zaragoza, Alicante, Cordoba, La Coruña, Valladolid and Vigo on the mainland, Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands — will be live by the end of 2013.[178]
Since 30 May 2013, 4G is available in Spain thanks to Vodafone 4G. According to the company, services will use 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz spectrum and will offer download speeds of up to 150Mbit/s and upload speeds of 50Mbit/s.[179]
On week 9, 2014, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Vodafone tested LTE-A with speed of 540 Mbit/s.[180]
On 11 March 2012, Vodafone announced LTE service for Castilla La Mancha.[182]
South Korea[edit]
On July 7, 2008, South Korea announced plans to spend 60 billion won, or US$58,000,000, on developing 4G and even 5G technologies, with the goal of having the highest mobile phone market share by 2012, and the hope of becoming an international standard.[185]
Sri Lanka[edit]
On December 30, 2012, Dialog Broadband Networks launched Sri Lanka's first fixed TD-LTE service.[186]
On April 2, 2013, Dialog Axiata launched South Asia's first FD-LTE service in Sri Lanka.[187]
On June 2, 2013, Mobitel launched FD-LTE service in Sri Lanka.[188]
On January 19, 2014, Sri Lanka Telecom successfully demonstrated & launched its 4G LTE service.[189]
On April 2, 2013, Dialog Axiata launched South Asia's first FD-LTE service in Sri Lanka.[187]
On June 2, 2013, Mobitel launched FD-LTE service in Sri Lanka.[188]
On January 19, 2014, Sri Lanka Telecom successfully demonstrated & launched its 4G LTE service.[189]
Switzerland[edit]
In September 2010, Swisscom tested LTE in Grenchen by using the 2.6 GHz frequency (E-UTRA Band 7).[190] In December 2011 after the LTE field experiment in Grenchen has become a success the company used the 1.8 GHz frequency (E-UTRA Band 3) for further testing in Grindelwald, Gstaad, Leukerbad, Montana, Saas-Fee and St. Moritz/Celerina.[191]
After the multiband spectrum auction (06.02. - 22.02.2012[192]) the frequency allocation in Switzerland is as follows:
| Frequency | E-UTRA Band | Bandwidth | Type of LTE | Swisscom | Sunrise | Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 MHz | XX (20) | 2×30 MHz | FDD | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x10 MHz |
| 900 MHz | VIII (8) | 2×35 MHz | FDD | 2x15 MHz | 2x15 MHz | 2x5 MHz |
| 1800 MHz | III (3) | 2×75 MHz | FDD | 2x30 MHz | 2x20 MHz | 2x25 MHz |
| 2100 MHz | I (1) | 2×60 MHz | FDD | 2x30 MHz | 2x10 MHz | 2x20 MHz |
| 2600 MHz | VII (7) XXXVIII (38) | 2×70 MHz 1×50 MHz | FDD TDD | 2x20 MHz 1x45 MHz | 2x25 MHz - | 2x20 MHz - |
Swisscom announced on 29 November 2012, commercial service of its category 3 LTE network with maximum speed of 100 Mbit/s.[193] The following frequency range is in service for LTE. 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz. (E-UTRA Bands 20, 3 und 7) In May 2013 Swisscom upgraded its LTE network from category 3 to category 4. As of the upgrade the maximum speed has become 150 Mbit/s.[194]
Orange started LTE on 28 May 2013. The second largest operator was the first who introduced prepaid LTE in Switzerland. The following frequency range is in service for LTE. 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz. (E-UTRA Bands 20, 3 und 7) Orange LTE offers up to 100 Mbit/s. The company will upgrade the maximum speed up to 150 Mbit/s at the end of 2013.[195]
International LTE Roaming: Swisscom is the first European operator which offers international LTE Roaming. Since the 21 of June 2013 customers of Swisscom are able to use LTE network of the South Korean operators SK Telecom and KT. According to Swisscom Canada (Rogers) and Hong Kong (SmarTone) are the next countries where customers of the former state-owned company will be able to use LTE roaming.[196]
Sunrise was the last operator in Switzerland who introduced LTE. Commercial service is available as of 19 June 2013. The smallest operator in Switzerland offers speed up to 100 Mbit/s. In 2013 Sunrise is using only the 1800 MHz frequency for LTE service. (E-UTRA Band 3) The operator will use other frequency bands (800 MHz and 2600 MHz - E-UTRA Bands 7 and 20) in the future as well.[197] Prepaid customers of Sunrise are able to use LTE with maximum network speed - even MVNO customer.[198]
Since the beginning of July 2013 Swisscom prepaid customers are able to enter the LTE network. Maximum speed depends on the subscribed plan.[194]
On 19 November 2013, Orange and UPC Cablecom announced a new partnership. Over the next two years, UPC Cablecom will connect more than 1,000 4G masts with top bandwidths of between 1 and 10 Gbit/s.[199][200]
At the end of November 2013, Swisscom added new LTE Roaming partners in Asia (Japan: Softbank, Philippines: Globe Telecom, Singapore: M1), Europe (France: Bouygues Telecom) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia: Mobily).[201][202]
On 19 December 2013, Swisscom added new LTE Roaming partners in Asia (Hong Kong: China Mobile HK and PCCW) and Europe (Austria: A1). At this time Swisscom covers nine countries and twelve foreign LTE networks.[202][203]
On 29 January 2014, Sunrise announced 300 Mbit/s LTE trials by using LTE-A carrier aggregation. Commercial service is planned for Q3 2014.[205]
On 17 Februar 2014, Swisscom added new roaming partners (Canada: Telus, France: SFR, Hong Kong: Huchison 3, Norway: Telenor, USA: AT&T) to their LTE roaming list. The company also mentioned an upcoming Russia operator (MTS) for 3. March 2014.[202]
On 10 June 2014, Swisscom added for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil new roaming partners among other countries (Belgium: Belgacom; Brazil: Claro Oi, Vivo; France: Orange; Italy: TIM; Spain: Orange). Further more Swisscom also announced more LTE Roaming in Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Netherland, Portugal and Romania.[202][206]
Thailand[edit]
Thailand National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has earmarked 1.8 GHz and 2.3 GHz spectrum for 4G services. The 1.8 GHz will be available for auction around the 4th quarter of 2014 when the license for GSM service on the spectrum will expire. The 2.3 GHz spectrum is currently held by TOT Corp, a state enterprise. Negotiation on refarming part of the band is ongoing.[citation needed]
Truemove-H has launched Thailand's first commercial 4G LTE service on 8 May 2013 using 2100 MHz Band I.[207]
| Operator | Frequency ( MHz) |
|---|---|
| Truemove-H | 2100 |
| DTAC | 2100 |
Turkmenistan[edit]
On 18 September 2013, the national telecommunication operator TM Cell launched 4G services in Turkmenistan.[208]
United Kingdom[edit]
In 2009 O2 (a subsidiary of Telefónica Europe) used Slough for testing the 4G network, with Huawei installing LTE technology in six masts across the town to allow testing of HD video conferencing and mobile PlayStation games.[209] On 29 February 2012, UK Broadband launched the first commercial 4G LTE service in the UK in the London Borough of Southwark.[210] In October 2012, MVNO, Abica Limited, announced they were to trial 4G LTE services for high speed M2M applications.
On 21 August 2012, the United Kingdom's regulator Ofcom allowed EE, the owner of the Orange and T-Mobile networks, to use its existing spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band to launch fourth-generation (4G) mobile services. As part of Ofcom's approval of the company's roll-out of 4G it was announced on 22 August that 3 had acquired part of EE's 1,800 MHz spectrum for part of their own 4G network.[211] The 4G service from EE was announced on 11 September 2012 and launched on 30 October initially in 11 cities.[212][213] The network aims to cover 70% of the UK by 2013 and 98% by 2014.[214]
On 12 November 2012 Ofcom published final regulations and a timetable[215] for the 4G mobile spectrum auction. It also launched a new 4G consumer page,[216] providing information on the upcoming auction and the consumer benefits that new services will deliver. Ofcom auctioned off the UK-wide 4G spectrum previously used by the country's analogue television signals in the 800 MHz band as well as in the 2,600 MHz band.[217] On 20 February 2013, the winners of the 4G spectrum auction were announced by Ofcom.[218] The four major networks, EE, O2, Vodafone and 3, were awarded spectrum along with Niche Spectrum Ventures Ltd (a subsidiary of BT Group plc).
On 9 July 2013, Ofcom announced that mobile network operators would be allowed to repurpose their existing 2G and 3G spectrum, specifically in the 900, 1,800 and 2,100 MHz bands, for 4G services.[219]
Both O2 and Vodafone launched their 4G networks on 29 August 2013.[220][221] The 3 network launched their 4G service in December 2013, initially it was only available to a selected few thousand customers in London preceding a nationwide rollout in 2014.[222][223]
LTE MVNE: On 1 April 2014, Plintron World's largest Multi-Country MVNE Enables LYCAMOBILE to be in the 4G League in UK. Plintron have completed it's LTE core interoperability with O2 UK, to enable LYCAMOBILE 4G data services.
International LTE Roaming: AT&T signed LTE roaming agreement with EE on the 17th of December 2013.[224] EE announced further LTE roaming agreements with Orange in France and Spain on March 2014. Customers of EE will access the LTE networks of both operators immediately. The company also announced in a press release that it will extend its 4G coverage across major roaming destination including the USA, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands by the Summer.[225][226]
At the beginning of May 2014, Vodafone added 4G roaming for their Red 4G customers in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.[227]
On 12 June 2014, Vodafone announced LTE rollout for Belfast over the summer.[228]
United States[edit]
Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint Corporation all use 4G LTE. Only Sprint still utilizes WiMAX, but plans to end its use of WiMax by 2015.[229]
On September 20, 2007, Verizon Wireless announced plans for a joint effort with the Vodafone Group to transition its networks to the 4G standard LTE. On December 9, 2008, Verizon Wireless announced their intentions to build and roll out an LTE network by the end of 2009. Since then, Verizon Wireless has said that they will start their roll out by the end of 2010.
Sprint offers a 3G/4G connection plan, currently[when?] available in select cities in the United States.[47] It delivers rates up to 10 Mbit/s. Sprint has also launched an LTE network in early 2012.[230]
Verizon Wireless has announced[when?] that it plans to augment its CDMA2000-based EV-DO 3G network in the United States with LTE, and is supposed to complete a rollout of 175 cities by the end of 2011, two thirds of the US population by mid-2012, and cover[citation needed] the existing 3G network by the end of 2013.[231] AT&T, along with Verizon Wireless, has chosen to migrate toward LTE from 2G/GSM and 3G/HSPA by 2011.[232]
Sprint had deployed WiMAX technology which it has labeled 4G as of October 2008. It was the first US carrier to offer a WiMAX phone.[233]
The U.S. FCC is exploring[when?] the possibility of deployment and operation of a nationwide 4G public safety network which would allow first responders to seamlessly communicate between agencies and across geographies, regardless of devices. In June 2010 the FCC released a comprehensive white paper which indicates that the 10 MHz of dedicated spectrum currently allocated from the 1700 MHz spectrum for public safety will provide adequate capacity and performance necessary for normal communications as well as serious emergency situations.[234]
International LTE Roaming: AT&T signed LTE roaming agreement with EE on the 17th of December 2013.[224]
[edit]
Main article: 5G
A major issue in 4G systems is to make the high bit rates available in a larger portion of the cell, especially to users in an exposed position in between several base stations. In current research, this issue is addressed by macro-diversity techniques, also known asgroup cooperative relay, and also by Beam-Division Multiple Access (BDMA).[235]
Pervasive networks are an amorphous and at present entirely hypothetical concept where the user can be simultaneously connected to several wireless access technologies and can seamlessly move between them (See vertical handoff, IEEE 802.21). These access technologies can be Wi-Fi, UMTS, EDGE, or any other future access technology. Included in this concept is also smart-radio (also known as cognitive radio) technology to efficiently manage spectrum use and transmission power as well as the use of mesh routingprotocols to create a pervasive network.
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