Introducing LTE-Advanced

Introducing LTE-Advanced

Application Note

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 speci-

fied 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 con-

tinuously enhanced as the LTE-Advanced specifications are released.