Introducing LTE Advance

LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) is the project name of the evolved version of LTE that is

being developed by 3GPP. LTE-A will meet or exceed the requirements of the

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the fourth generation (4G) radio

communication standard known as IMT-Advanced. LTE-Advanced is being specified initially as part of Release 10 of the 3GPP specifications, with a functional

freeze targeted for March 2011. The LTE specifications will continue to be

developed in subsequent 3GPP releases.

In October 2009, the 3GPP Partners formally submitted LTE-Advanced to the

ITU Radiocommunication sector (ITU-R) as a candidate for 4G IMT-Advanced [1]. 

Publication by the ITU of the specification for IMT-Advanced is expected by

March 2011. As more and more wireless operators announce plans to deploy

LTE in their next-generation networks, interest in LTE-Advanced is growing.

This application note covers the following topics:

• Summary of the ITU requirements for 4G

• Summary of 3GPP requirements for LTE-Advanced, including the expected

     timeline

• Key solution proposals for LTE-Advanced

• Release 10 and beyond: Technologies under consideration

• Anticipated design and test challenges

The application note also introduces Agilent’s LTE-Advanced design and test

solutions that are ready for use by early adopters. These solutions will be continuously enhanced as the LTE-Advanced specifications are released.

To get the most from this application note, you should have knowledge of the basic

concepts of LTE technology. Detailed information is available in Agilent’s book

LTE and the Evolution to 4G Wireless: Design and Measurement Challenges (ISBN

978-988-17935-1-5) www.agilent.com/find/ltebook and in the application note “3GPP

Long Term Evolution: System Overview, Product Development, and Test Challenges”

(literature number 5989-8139EN), available at www.agilent.com/find/LTE.