LTE carrier aggregation that you may not know

Five years from the initial commercial launch of Long Term Evolution (LTE) to the latest fourth-generation cellular technology, supporting complete mobile connectivity for devices such as smartphones and tablets, it’s clear that consumers are faster The need for a lower latency connection has not been met, but in fact it is increasing. Given the next-generation technologies, such as LTE that can be implemented or enabled, from high-definition video streaming to ubiquitous fast access to cloud-based information, consumers can now see the demand for their mobile devices and networks. It has to be even higher in the past.

High-definition content is a classic example of this demand growth. What started it? Because consumers are used to watching high-definition movies, videos and other content, it has evolved into a habitual high demand for uploading user-generated content, not only in HD but also in resolutions such as 4K. Used to consume larger screen displays, for example, for TVs that support more than 4K. The initial demand for high-definition content consumption is enough to address the downside of index multiplier growth, but the user-generated content growth brought by it makes the uplink more challenging. Composite two-way messaging is growing, and HD and 4K content files are growing, resulting in higher bandwidth and lower latency performance to ensure consumers don't spend too much time waiting to upload or download their own photos. Or image. Since the initial capabilities of LTE provide larger files, not only consumers, but also website designers have begun to increase the resolution of images and images, thus further increasing the demand and burden of the network.

This is just an example. Now, consumers are already living in their digital world to quickly share and use their information and content in HD, and expect existing service providers and devices to meet or meet demand. The dynamic creation of such usage is rapidly surpassing the basic functions of LTE and driving the industry to continue to provide more favorable capabilities and technologies to meet the high-definition needs of consumers.

Therefore, carrier aggregation can help understand the next evolution of LTE, and IHS offers a range of carrier aggregation insights to further explore the latest developments and impact on mobile network operators (MNOs), device OEMs and end consumers. This article is the first release in this series.

Key areas of exploration

In a series of processes, IHS will explore the following:

What is carrier aggregation? How can it help MNOs and OEMs, and how to best communicate knowledge to consumers who don't know much about their technical complexity?

In the adoption loop, where is the current carrier aggregation? Is this true or is it still a theoretical concept?

What is the carrier aggregation and the role it plays in realizing high-definition life?

Carrier Aggregation Technology: What is it?

Compared to third-generation networks, the main advantages of LTE are increased bandwidth, reduced latency, and improved spectral efficiency. However, these benefits have not been fully realized with respect to HSPA+ until the channel bandwidth is used above 10 MHz. At 10 MHz channel width, LTE performance is barely better than HSPA+. Therefore, in order to optimize the user experience and the operator's return on investment to build an LTE network, there is a need to find ways to use channels of 15, 20, 40, or even 60 MHz. Unfortunately, due to the spectrum usage of existing licenses, spectrum planning in most countries does not allow access to channels of 20 MHz. In addition, even if it does, the technology itself has a maximum single channel bandwidth of only 20 MHz. Therefore, to enable 40 or 60 MHz for a particular application or network design, carrier aggregation techniques must be used. This is why carrier aggregation is introduced in the 10th edition of the LTE standard. In its simplest form, carrier aggregation allows an enabling device to combine two, smaller, and non-contiguous channels into one larger channel, which has the advantage of being the same as a contiguous channel of the same size. However, as with most things in LTE, implementing carrier aggregation will not be limited to this most basic form. The design is such that carrier aggregation will need to take into account many different types of channel combinations, including but not limited to:

Up to 5 aggregated channels of the same or different bandwidth;

There are several non-adjacent channels in the same frequency band (that is, all within the 700 MHz band);

Several use adjacent channels of the same frequency band - usually used when trying to achieve a combination of 40 and 60 MHz, but can also be used with smaller bandwidth;

Channels from 2 different frequency bands, however, are both at the high end of the spectrum (one channel is from the 1.9 GHz band and the other is from the 2.1 GHz band);

Channels from 2 different bands, but only one from the lower end of the spectrum, while the other from the high end of the spectrum is (one channel from the 700MHz band and the other from the 2.1GHz band);

The latter two cases are the same type of inter-band carrier aggregation, but it is worth mentioning that the further away they are from the aggregation channel, the more complicated the design will be in order to solve the different physical characteristics of these RF signals.

The number of aggregated channels and their individual bandwidths will result in different top speeds in theory, and then determine the type supported by the LTE User Equipment (UE). The following list provides a combination of carrier aggregation and some examples in which the LTE UE class can be used.

LTE carrier

Once combined, the aggregated channels will typically perform better than the average individual, but with the same number of channels, especially for bursty traffic. Among other reasons, this is due to the fact that the aggregated channels are able to share signal and overhead controls, as well as the signal gains associated with different RF characteristics, the environment, and the propagation path of the aggregated channels.

One of the challenges of carrier aggregation is to provide a solid foundation for the proper implementation of LTE's basic functions and subsequent expertise, as the first category of architecture is needed for each level of higher classes. This type of capability in previous classified buildings can only be developed through years of iterative engineering and design. Fortunately, LTE is maturing and fulfilling its long-term commitment. Consumers are now also seeing commercial solutions from chipsets, devices and infrastructure equipment from some vendors.

Carrier Aggregation: MNOs and Consumers' Final Victory

Due to the rapid growth in consumer demand in the uplink and downlink, the scarcity of spectrum resources and competitive price pressures limiting revenue growth, MNOs are eager to find more efficient ways to use the spectrum they already have to provide higher data. Rates and lower latency, while not increasing their cost base – or at least, if they need to invest in new spectrum to achieve CA, the return on investment in such a capital expenditure will exceed network capacity and performance, competitiveness and users Recycling of experience. Due to inherent technical improvements, from the error correction and signaling and coding efficiency of the modulation scheme, LTE and each of the subsequent higher class carrier aggregations provide higher spectral efficiency for the uplink and downlink. Therefore, when MNOs practice increasingly higher levels of carrier aggregation, they enjoy lower cost per bit when providing the same or even higher performance to the end consumer.

For consumers, the higher throughput and low latency of each high-level CA boot not only makes some real-time applications possible, but also increases their usability. For example, a 4K video stream may appear in previous generations. However, if the consumer has to wait for more than a minute to get enough content to buffer enough data to start playing the video locally, and then wait for more buffers in 5 or 10 minutes, the consumer experience will be reduced. Even such a service becomes unavailable. In addition, considering that the power of the mobile device is the most commonly used during the transmission and reception of data, increasing the cycle time for the modem to enable this poor user experience will greatly reduce battery life and lead to further reduction in overall experience. In contrast, CA reduces buffering time and reduces the actual transmission and reception time used by the handset modem.

This improved user experience in many ways can lead to lower churn rates for MNOs (calculating an MNO in competition, losing the number of users) and ultimately increasing the amount of data consumers use to drive them higher. Data tariff level.

I would like to point out that this is just one example of a mobile network operator and the ultimate consumer. As consumers increasingly use other services and applications that require real-time or near real-time communication, such as cloud-based services, there will be better reasons to turn CA from a selective use into a need. .

Original equipment manufacturers: Ignore the risk of carrier aggregation (CA) technology

Since the capacity of components is increased for the modem design of the radio, and not all chip vendors have commercial CA technology, this technique is generally considered to be only applicable to high-end devices and some have been chosen. Features of a few mid-range phones with other features. However, in the past 12 to 18 months, chip suppliers have launched solutions in the market, which has allowed CA to design different types of mobile phones for different levels of mobile phones, from high-end to low-end, or mid-end. Features.

So now not only small-area OEMs start planning and implementing CAs on their schedules, but IHS expects that even without this schedule, cross-border and regardless of the highest innovation stage, or low-cost, short-lived equipment OEMs I feel pressured by the lack of competitiveness in the next design cycle. OEMs who sell equipment through MNOs have seen this because they have received the MNPs' high-efficiency and functionally demanding RFPs. As these MNOs have begun to market improved functionality to consumers through non-technical marketing new services that require CA, even OEMs who primarily use direct-to-consumer channels will begin to feel the pressure. Due to the fierce competition and the need to bring the previously proposed channel demand to the market in a short period of time, including the CA in the current roadmap as early as possible will increase the profit in the subsequent design cycle.

In addition, since the same OEMs have upgraded other features of their products to increase competitiveness, such as support for more sensors, high-resolution cameras, large-screen displays, etc., it is imperative to maintain speed through LTE-enabled WAN connectivity. To ensure that the user experience is not compromised when producing and consuming content, or when using applications that require real-time connectivity to the cloud. This will be a continuous trend to grow with the next generation of applications and services offered today and in the future.

Theory vs reality

Clearly, CA is a key evolutionary step in order to achieve the high-definition lifestyle that today's consumers demand. But how real is it actually? In real cellular devices, when it comes to advanced features, it is often said that chickens are eggs or eggs. Even if the device has supportable capabilities, can the network it uses do this? On the other hand, assuming that the MNOs are investing in the infrastructure and investing capital and time in building the infrastructure, will there be an innate advantage to use this feature, and then the MNO's investment will be rewarded?

In the next release of the LTE Carrier Aggregation Insights, IHS will explore the position of everyone in the CA technology industry available for commercialization. Maybe you can still answer, is your strategy already standing still, or is it already behind in the market curve?

Smart Lighting

Smart Lighting,Smart Led Lamp,Smart Wifi Bulb,Landscape Lamp

t-smartlight , https://www.t-smartlight.com