The European Commission (EC) believes that Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology will be the next step in the transformation of mobile networks into mobile broadband networks, in what will be the fourth generation of mobile communication systems.
In a booklet published on 16 February 2009, the EC notes that estimates points to mobile Internet access and e-mail traffic exceeding GSM network traffic as early as 2010. This calls for higher requirements on the infrastructure of mobile networks. This increasing use of broadband mobile services is related to 3rd generation services, which allow everyday access to broadband.
The EC considers that LTE (Long Term Evolution) has emerged as the leading choice for next-generation wireless networks and that it is currently the most feasible technology for radio access ready to penetrate the market. LTE enhances the capacity of existing networks and constitutes a smooth evolutionary path for operators, delivering very fast data rate speeds (up to 100 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink).
Consult:
- Heading towards full European mobile broadband: Long Term Evolution (LTE) and beyond http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/document.cfm?action=display&doc_id=587
Further information:
- The Network of the Future http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/future-networks/
