LTE: The chipmaker to upgrade

LTE is made by the world and the chipmaker to upgrade: the new high-speed mobile networks get new chips. That is smaller, faster and use less power.

 

Consumers drive the development of the mobile. The move will also use high speed internet. With LTE and LTE advanced will continue its development by radio reaches speeds that were previously only available via cable. These fast connections are not shared with big clunky PCs connected screens that hang permanently to the mains, but for devices that fit in our pockets and get the necessary power from a battery. A technical challenge for chip manufactures.

 

The Chips can expect faster

 

Modern smartphones have more applications: positioning and navigation, multimedia, play music, show videos and photos to build with various technologies such as WLAN, Bluetooth, HSPA+ and LTE data radio links and run individual programs such as games or emailing. There are also functions that run in the background as the control of energy consumption or the managing disk space, and new requirements such as faster data connections and a growing space.

 

The small calculators must therefore expect more and more. The computing power is given by technicians usually with Hertz. In 2002, chip was with an output of 27 megahertz, which could carry 23 million elementary arithmetic operations per second as super fast, so Thomas Nindl by U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm writes in an article for the portal. The technical term for this is 23 million instructions per second. Chips that are processed in smartphones today have been a performance of 1 GHz and can carry up to 2 billion elementary operations per second, or 2000 mbps. So you have a nearly ten times as strong computing performance.

 

A key technology for increasing the processing speed is the use of several small calculation machines, which are combines in one kit, and the count in parallel and independently. Technicians are talking about multi-core processors. These processors can perform several functions simultaneously, it’s not an application that is processed at a time, but several are processed simultaneously. This saves the user unnecessary wating time.

 

For PCs today are dual-core processors, with smartphones, they are compatible with the new fast LTE networks.

 

The Chips are getting smaller

 

At the same time, the components that make up these miniature calculators are assembled became smaller, only then, it’s possible to focus an increasing computational power on a smaller and smaller area.

 

The chips that pack more computing power in an area has a further advantage: reduces the power consumption.

 

 

LTE Antennas—You will always need double

Those who wants to surf with LTE really fast, which can improve the reception of the radio signal by additional antenna.

 

But beware: while the UMTS radio technology usually received via an antenna, LTE always uses the multi-antenna technology. It’s on two antennas to send and receive data. So you have to always connect two antennas to be receiver. Suitable antennas are double it commercially as a total package; they sometimes look like a tool. If in doubt, ask if there is a dual antenna.

 

Before you buy the antenna that your receiver is ready for connection to a pair of antennas. Receivers are modems such as routers, surf stick modems in card form or radio modems that are built already in tablet, notebook or netbook. If you do not know it yourself, ask the dealer or the seller, whether your device has such a connection for a dual antenna.

 

 

Types of Antennas and antenna purchase

 

There are two types of antenna for LTE: The Omni-directional antennas can be placed up and receive the signal from any direction. However, there are also good and bad places for the erection of the antenna.

 

The directional antennas generally provide a much better result; they have to be aligned with the respective LTE mast. You should know, however, where are the nearest towers. This information provides the agency on a separate card. Simply enter the city, and then you will be presented in a easy map to set of transmission towers around your home or office.

 

The seller of LTE antennas often offer a complete package in which is already containing everything they need. The antenna pair, the associated connection cables, often even a holder for parallel installation of two antennas. Suitable antenna packages are also on LTE mobile operators sometimes offers, in addition to the receiving equipment such as a modem or router.

 

Our tips for easy installation

 

During the assembly, proceed as follows: first, find the right location, either inside the home or outside. You connect the antenna to your computer, and check the signal strength at various locations. You can see the signal strength on the modem. Some vendors offer LTE signal strength measurements via Internet. If you want to do the test, you have to measure computer and a speedometer, the transmission speed at different locations.

 

Where the reception is strongest, you should place the antenna. When you place the antenna inside your own house, then close to or directly on the window, from which you get the best reception. In this case, make sure the antenna distance from the modem or other electronic devices, such as television, radio, PC, electric fields interfere with the signal.

 

The second way to set up the antenna outside of the home, is therefore at the top of the attice, on the roof or on an outside wall. Whichever course choose, you should keep at least one meter away from poles, pipes or railings. Under no circumstances should you screw the antenna on a metal plate or wall. If you need to put the antenna on a mast, then you must sit above the top of the mast, where possible, over the roof edge. The principle is around the antenna, there will be no metal—metal shields radio signals.

 

When you buy yourself a pair of directional antennas, in addition to make two points: First, then antennas are mounted at the same height, and secondly, they are aligned parallel to each standing, to the nearest mast. It’s best to consult it in stores.

LTE Devices

Modems, routers, surf sticks, smartphones, tablet PCs, and if necessary antennas, are these LTE devices already exist in the trade market.

 

The Offerings of LTE Operators

 

In Germany, Vodafone Currently has the largest selection of hardware, there are modem stick, router and antenna. Telecom and Telefonica have followed and also offer routers and sticks. Like most LTE operators abroad, the Germany mobile phone companies, such as German Telekom, Telefonica(O2) and Vodafone, also offer LTE data transmission technology for internet. Currently, Vodafone is the only vendor that has LTE and for Smartphone used in the program.

 

LTE devices: Looking beyond the borders

 

In Japan, USA and Scandinavia, LTE is established as a technology for the mobile Internet, especially in the urban areas and markets. Therefore, there is much offer for broader. There are a number of different LTE Surf sticks, to get many radio modems in map form, which you can plug into your laptop and 4G Smartphones. New Tablets with integrated LTE modem apply in the U.S. as the great future business. These are notebooks and notebooks come with built-in LTE Modems.

 

For almost all of these devices: LTE wireless technology dominates the next generation network, they can be used across the country, even in places where there is not yet LTE Radio network available.

Video Telephone over LTE

High data rates, low latency (delay): LTE is technically well suited for video calls.

For video telephone, when receiving a certain data transmission, it also need sending data out to the other side. The slight delay in LTE network also facilitate video calling but the new communication to take place in real time.

LTE: In theory, well suited

The connection should also be subject to no greater variations because this can lead to problems in understanding and distorted images. The data rates of 100Mbps downstream and 50 Mbps upload in LTE offer many possibilities. While the theoretical maximum values, however, is likely to come with LTE usually have the necessary 200Kbit/s.

Short response times (latency) are also necessary for video calling, not too long to wait for the response of the other person, who then may intersect with what you’re sending.

There are obstacles

Currently, video telephone over LTE has certain difficulties. The voice transmission is carried over the internet, which is called Voice over IP (VoIP). At steady-LTE tariff Vodafone VoIP is not allowed; thus here is video calling possible.

 

What a hindrance is the sales data added. The LTE tariffs have a monthly data limit. This is achieved, the speed is reduced, usually to 384Kbit/s, so video calling is possible, but the connection is faster, then the limit is available for other applications, only partially available. Per hour, video calling 100-200 megabytes incur data traffic. In the current LTE tariffs for people who like to chat and much, relatively soon is closing, especially if they have other multimedia applications run on the LTE line.

 

Telephoning With LTE—VoLTE or Volga

There are surf sticks, router or data cards for computers, but Smartphone owners will not only surf but also calling and texting. There are different technical ways to offer besides faster data transfer and telephony. Which path to choose LTE network operator, is meanwhile not clear, there are some uncertainties. It’s also unclear whether the new LTE Smartphone currently really offer what you would expect from such a device into a super fast network. The usual headache of first users is that they usually report functions that the networks are running slowly or with batteries that are empty after a few hours of use.

 

One thing is clear that the upgrading of the networks on additional functions such as the one hand calls for the network operator is not free; it will cost a lot of money. On the other hand, the users want surf and even better with new expensive LTE Smartphone, the expensive rates at least as good as the old UMTS model.

 

The Rustic Method: Back to GSM and UMTS

 

The simplest theoretical method to offer telephone is reliance on older networks. When the LTE Smartphone to surf the LTE network, a call comes, it comes out of the LTE network and into the GSM or UMTS network calls. In other words, you can surf the LTE network or the GSM/UMTS network calls. It would be theoretically possible. However, the simultaneous operation of two transceivers will bring some problems to a mobile device, such as lousy battery life. The second disadvantage of having recourse to old networks apart from the interruption of the data link: it takes significantly longer for a voice connection is established.

For the rustic solution, that recourse to an old wireless network and call interruptions limited data usage via LTE, has been the American mobile operator Metro PCS decided. Metro PCS offered worldwide in the first LTE Smartphone in its new LTE network, and how many customers you could win it, concealing the company. But apparently saw Metro action, it now wants to upgrade the telephony technology to VoLTE shortly.

The Majority Solution: Voice over LTE, VoLTE

Voice over LTE ( VoLTE ) describes a new technology for the transfer of mobile phone calls in LTE network. The change from GSM and UMTS phone technology to VoLTE is – in simple terms, the shift from analog or ISDN lines to IP telephony comparable.

 

With the old telephony technology, a separate line for conversation is provided, the data on a different transmission run secreted. With the new networks, everything runs on Internet technologies and the talks are treated as data packets that are transmitted along with other data packets. Therefore one must of course int eh LTE core network set up an additional new location, this is called the IP Multimedia Subsystem. With the system, calls are treated like simple Internet files.

 

This solution is called VoLTE, it is currently being sought by many network operators worldwide, the U.S. now wants to implement next to Metro PCS LTE is also the largest provider Verizon Wireless. It is the technical solution that will end all use LTE operators, unless they agree. But it is costly – the mobile network operators have to adapt their IT infrastructure to the new system.

 

The Outsider: Volga

Therefore we have devised a further intermediate step that once does not cost as much and also gives good results in terms of the speed of a connection setup or the voice quality. The technology is called Volga, which is the abbreviation for anything cumbersome expression Voice over LTE via Generic Access.

 

Using this technology, an additional point will be created through which the calls go, but this time not inside, it’s outside the LTE network. This new board is the VANC, which stands for Volga Access Network Controller. About him, so to speak, the phone calls are funneled into the LTE core network, without having to change anything in the core network itself or adapt.  That is, they say, Volga, is faster and more cost-effective than the introduction of VoLTE.

 

 

 

SMS in LTE—Only use the time-proven Technology

With new LTE Smartphones, which are available in many markets now, users want to get exactly the same services as the old UMTS smartphones, the service includes SMS.

 

The SMS is, in evolutionary, actually a waste product. In GSM and UMTS networks, there is so-called signaling channel, which is used for user to display the signal strength of its cellular network. There was in the early days of mobile phones still free space and so they came up with the idea of sending short text messages via this radio channel. The success surprised the inventor. Developed to today, some phones seems to become the second function of a mobile phone, and this function should continue under LTE netwoks.

 

SMS is also continued on the old networks

 

At the point under the LTE network, which is responsible for signaling data, SMS is then processed over GSM or UMTS networks forwarded. Thus, even a lot of SMS services continue to be used, which have proven themselves – such as the configuration of mobile phones via SMS – without having to make major changes. The technical term for this SMS technology in LTE networks “ Circuit Switched Fallback for SMS”.

 

The Future: SMS as a simple Internet File

 

The alternative is to completely treat the SMS in LTE network. This will eventually be made. But for this you have to build an entirely new element in LTE networks – the so-called IP multimedia Subsystem. This element is everything – to put it simply – as an Internet file treats – from voice call up just to SMS.

 

This is complex, as the example shows SMS:  If you want to existing services – such as smartphone SMS configuration – switch to the new mode of transmission, you need to build these services virtually from scratch – with the provider as the terminal of the customer. This costs time and money.

LTE Mobile TV

The new wireless data technology LTE offers such high speeds, so that users could continue watching television on laptop or tablet PC when walking.

 

Mobile TV has long been touted, but could not yet penetrated the mass market. Well, perhaps the mobile operators offer this service via LTE later future. But one thing is clear: there will not be in vain for mobile TV. For good reception, only if the operators assure a TV subscribers in the LTE network at a certain minimum speed of transmission, in other words allocating a portion of the transmission capacity of its LTE networks for broadcasting, the customer could watch mobile TV.

 

The LTE Technology is Already There

 

With such equipment on board, a tablet PC could be upgraded into a mobile multimedia center, so it could receive sound and picture with good quality from any location via the Internet. Provided there is fast data connection at the site, either via HSPA+, which offers maximum 42 megabits per second, or if over LTE, it creates the radio channel at 50 to 100 Mbit/s speed.

 

Lack of Radio Capacity

 

If you want to transfer movies in real time over the Internet, you need at least one current transmission speed of 2.5 megabits per second, it should be high-resolution strip 10 megabits per second. These are the technical requirements for proper live broadcast. So if you want to offer television or high-definition television in this way, the operator must guarantee the customer under minimum speeds.

 

Here, TV images are also used as data packets over the Internet, however, via a DSL line and not over the air. Because IPTV is the telecom connected with further additional servies such as phone and Internet, known as a DSL 16000 connection is required – ie a line which in practice creates constant around 13 mbit/s.

 

Meanwhile, it is mobile television- and especially high-definition mobile television or even 3D TV- enter via LTE not so popular for mass market: the current wireless capacity are probably hardly enough of a large number of customers with these minimum speeds. Because it’s not enough, such a tariff is only interesting when it offered in all major cities and conurbations.

 

 

Mobile TV: Current Situation and Prospects

 

Currently, there are some deals on mobile television on smartphones. But that’s so far not overwhelming TV experience: In the early days there were frequent interruptions in sound and image, as a football fan, you might not like that. Then after the problem is fixed, you have to dodge sometimes even to the GSM network, the image and sound worse, said the testers.

 

If mobile TV has much better experience than home TV, there is only one way: A laptop with a 4G surfstick or wireless modem that can receive via DVB-T, The regular broadcast television signals. This kind of television is largely expanded coverage, but you can get in many regions of only a few publice channels and onl in the urban areas, there are also private problem.

 

It’s possible that mobile TV comes only with LTE-advanced. One this is that anyone who is watching television will have to pay an additional fare.

Mobile Gaming Over LTE

The mobile technology Long Term Evolution (LTE) provides for gaming on the go.

 

Not only high data rates contribute to an improved gaming experience and more sophisticated applications. Even low response times ensure smooth gameplay fun.

 

Netbooks, Smartphones, Tablets and Consoles

 

Netbooks and notebooks are based on your home PC when it comes to games, so single-player or multiplayer title, or even online games. Portable consoles like Nintendo DSi or the playstation Portable (PSP) was a few years ago exclusive consoles for mobile players. Meanwhile, however, they are beset by smartphones. As far as processing power and screen size to bring smartphones to more and more. Also controlling approaches to partially: Sony has released a smartphone that has a rather classic QWERTY keyboard and directional pad buttons for video games.

 

Many games today require an Internet connection, but generally very little bandwidth. The data for the game are stored on your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Between the game server and the computer of the player need only a few data are exchanged. Depending on the genre are the position data of the character, their actions and their impact on the game environment and the player. There need not a combination of a few hundred kilobits per second(Kbit/s). A stable connection via HSDPA also do this.

 

 

Latencies must fall

 

What’s important than the data rate is the reaction time. And input of the player must match the server of the online game will be transmitted. The response, which indicates the change in the game environment or to other players must be sent again on the way to the player. This delay is known as latency. The higher the latency, the more difficult the game is control. For games that require quick reactions, a high latency often means the difference between winning and losing, between fun and frustration.

 

LTE comes into play here. The mobile technology offers not only high data rates but also low latency that will finally compete with stationary terminals. During a DSL connection has 20-50 millisecond delay, it is the case of UMTS and HSDPA 170-200 still 60-80 millisecond. A lag of one or two tenths of a second sound like much, but in games quite noticeable and measurable impact.

 

With LTE latency to 20 milliseconds are possible. In this way, the delays between the input and reaction are hardly recognizable. Even for players who move into professional gaming leagues, LTE is a real option for Sun.

 

Onlive – An alternative

 

Another way of mobile gaming for LTE users could open in the future: the games-on-demand service onlive. This project from the USA is based on streaming as a method for uncomplicated video games. The game data is stored on high-performance computers in the server park of onlive. The hardware of the player must support the demands of the game not once, just for mobile surfers an argument, they are not usually traveling with technically upgraded PCS.

 

The game comes to video stream rather than on the device, where it is acoording to data from onlive in about one millisecond decompressed. The inpurts of the player as playing online games submitted to the online server and returns the result of interaction. To represent games in HD 720p resolution, you need at least 5-megabit connection, which also remains stable. And HSDPA connection not afford it. As with other games that take place online, with games on onlive the latency is a critical factor. The low latency and LTE are again an argument. Heading to play the latest, sophisticated graphic title on the netbook over an LTE connection, then perhaps is the way for mobile players.

With LTE—Playing Games in the cloud

One possible application for the mobile LTE technology is playing in the cloud. One must install or download the appropriate games; just the inputs are transmitted by radio.

 

Is LTE cloud gaming ready?

 

For the user, it has several advantages: as with other cloud offerings from the software domain (Saas – Software as a Service), the users don’t need upload data to the computer – no long installation time and space problems. If you want to start a game, you click on it just so perfect for vacations. Furthermore, users could elaborate new games and don’t need to upgraded the gamer on PC. They could just do it on the cloud server.

LTE makes cloud gaming mobile

 

In conjunction with the LTE Mobile Technology, this idea can now think ahead for mobile. Namely, cloud gaming don’t have great demands on the terminal – to play on smartphones and tablets is therefore technically possible. But the internet connection is the main problem now. With wireless LTE gadgets, to keep it in stable connection, it’s still a trouble.

 

TO transfer the input is not a problem because here are a few data sent. Consuming is the stream of the game itself, because even though no program data is transmitted, a video stream is always a data-intensive business. With data rates in UMTS networks, the sink in some cased significantly less than 1 Mbit/s, it may skip. Most will satisfy even short interruptions to hinder the fun. LTE offers higher data rates, which promised more stability on the one hand and on the other hand, LTE also allows streams of higher quality in HD or 3D.

 

Another problem is that the cloud gaming previously tied to fixed lines, is now changing to wireless. The delay between the input and a visible reaction is critical for game playing and experience. If I press a button and the character sets on my screen at the command after a half-second, no fun and does in gmaes that focus on responsiveness, certain defeat. UMTS had adapted a latency of 300 to 500 milliseconds, for gaming on the cloud so little. LTE can only come close here to landlines, as well as LTE are the 20 TO MILLISECONDS. Such delays are hardly noticeable and allow a smooth gaming experience.

 

Ubitus and telecoms work

 

Connect to LTE and cloud gaming, that was the objective set as the cloud provider Ubitus. Together with the telecom vendors exhibited at IFA 2011, a cloud gaming service that is designed for LTE users:

 

“As LTE become the leading, next generation mobile communications technology, we have at Ubitus worked hard extensive provide multimedia and gaming content on LTE networks.” Said Wesley kuo, CEO of Ubitus. The Games are controllable in the browser, so no installation of a particular program is nesscessary.

 

LTE in 2013: The Top 5 predictions

While it first appeared as a live commercial network technology at the tail end of 2009, it really wasn’t until 2011 that LTE could really be called a mainstream technology. It really hit the ground in 2012 but as it stands it is only really widely deployed in North America, South Korea and Japan. In 2013 however, we expect it to truly become mainstream proposition in many countries around the world, particularly in Europe.

 

Here then are our Top 5 predictions for LTE in 2013.

1. LTE handsets:

With more LTE networks will inevitably come more LTE handsets. It’s fairly sound logic, but the analyst figures are there to back that up. According to Boston’s Strategy Analytics global sales of LTE smartphones will triple to 275 million handsets in 2013, up from 90 million sold in 2012. It might just be numbers but in many ways it’s quite exciting. With LTE networks and LTE handsets in people’s hands the rise of cloud services can really start to accelerate and encourage innovation as companies begin to compete for dominance in this rising space.

2.  Emergence of LTE in Africa:

One of most interesting areas for LTE in 2013 will be the emergence of the standard in Africa. That’s not to say it will hit the mainstream – anything but, but the technology will start to impact the continent. Vodacom is currently the only live service has launched in South Africa, with 70 active base stations at launch, while MTN is readying a limited launch service in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg, while Cell C has been making plans to. There are concerns such as high CAPEX costs, a lack of devices and a lack of spectrum to contend with. Nevertheless Informa Telecoms & Media is predicting 350,000 LTE subscriptions in Africa by the end of 2012. These issues and more, will be address at the LTE Africa conference, taking place on the 16th-17th July 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa.

3.  TD-LTE: Big in China

China was well known for furrowing its own path for 3G, using the TD-SCDMA standard so it would not have to be beholden to western technology standards. It’s sticking with TD for 4G, but crucially it looks as though this Time Division thing is going to be pretty popular worldwide. Sprint in the US is using it, as it P1 is Malaysia and of course as the world’s largest operator in terms of subscribers, anything the China Mobile uses it going to have a huge impact of economies of scale. With well over a 100 TD-LTE at the moment 2013 could be a breakthrough year for TD-LTE.

 

 4.   VoLTE: Only fools rush in

Using Circuit switched Fallback for voice calls when you have an LTE network is horrible from a technical purist viewpoint, but with no negative customer feedback operators are not going to hurry to introduce new technology. Just ask Verizon Wireless and EE, who have already announced that they are pushing out their timelines for the commercial deployment of VoLTE. SK Telecom and Metro PCS may have deployed but we don’t see many joining them in 2013. To quote Mark Newman, Chief Research Officer at Informa Telecoms & Media, “A business case that looks to be based solely on spectrum efficiency will struggle to gain enough executive support to justify a rushed investment plan”.

 

5.   LTE Small-Cell Backhaul:

Some comment from wireless infrastructure vendor Ruckus Wireless summed this up well with the following comment:

The launch of commercial 4G services from EE in October saw the UK join the LTE race. In order to achieve the network capacity required by increasing mobile data traffic, it will be necessary to augment these LTE macrocell build-outs with an underlay of small cells. This represents a new, and very significant, backhaul challenge because the mounting locations for these small cells (typically street lamps and traffic signals) are not a natural fit for fibre or microwave backhaul solutions. The optimum solution to this challenge is to use Wi-Fi in the 5GHz band to backhaul this traffic to a place where Ethernet is available. We will see lots of activity here as small cells are integrated in Wi-Fi APs, so that one unit can provide both small cells access and Wi-Fi backhaul.

 

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