LTE Advanced
(LTE-A)
LTE Advanced refers to a series of updates to the LTE standard.
See: LTE
These updates address many areas, most notably network capacity and data speed.
The first version of LTE to be branded "LTE Advanced" comes in the form of phones supporting LTE Category 4. The main new feature of LTE Cat. 4 for users is Carrier Aggregation, which network operators can use to increase the top theoretical data rate to 150 Mbps (up from 100 Mbps with original LTE.)
See: Carrier Aggregation
However, LTE Cat. 4 phones are using the 3GPP release 8 version of the LTE standard. LTE Advanced takes another notable technology step with 3GPP release 10, which translates to phones of LTE Category 6 or greater.
Another key feature of LTE Advanced is improved support for small cells, which increase network density and thus network capacity.
See: Small Cell
Last updated Apr 9, 2014 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
