Beginning with GPRS in 1999, cellular data speeds have increased over the last decade by a factor of 10 every three to five years. Increased consumer demand for wireless data bandwidth has driven this growth (Fig. 1). Reporterlink has estimated that wireless data traffic will increase tenfold between 2009 and 2017 for a 59% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).1 Data traffic is expected to hit 1.8 exabytes a month, fueled by a rapid increase in interactive data and multi-play applications.2 Video is the largest bandwidth consumer today, a fact that will continue for the foreseeable future.

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Long-Term Evolution (LTE), as defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), is widely acknowledged as the next-generation technology for both voice and data wireless transmission. LTE was first specified in the 3GPP Release 8 specification in December 2008. With the exception of the air interface, LTE is an all-IP (Internet Protocol) network, taking advantage of and converging with IP network technology.

LTE has some impressive capabilities. For example, it supports multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including 2x2 and 4x4 configurations. It also provides 300-Mbit/s downlink and 150-Mbit/s uplink bandwidth when using 4x4 MIMO. It boasts latencies of less than 5 ms. And, it can support hundreds of users per cell.

Most major telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) and carriers have announced their intention to develop and provide LTE products and services. As of early 2010, 51 providers in 24 countries have made commitments.3 Early carrier deployments are expected in Asia and North America in 2010, with significant expansions in all major markets in 2012. 2013 will see some 85 million LTE subscribers,4 and nearly half a billion people will use LTE by 2015.5

Arthur B. “Chip” Mayo is the director of product marketing at Ixia. He is responsible for the company’s global market segments for wireless test and measurement tools. He received a BS in business administration from East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C., and an MBA from Campbell University, Bules Creek, N.C.

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