Everything LTE-A

[TyrellCorpse]

What is the status of Sprint going to LTE-A and when.  It sounds like ATT and VZW will start trials later this year but may be a major effort to deploy nationwide. Word is VZW needs to do major infrastructure upgrades, ATT too?  Sprint supposedly only needs to do a software upgrade on existing LTE sites.  Is this true and can Sprint LTE phones also be upgraded to LTE-A via software or just the cellsites?  Is LTE-A backwards compatible to (rel8/9) LTE within same spectrum or do they have to dedicate different versions in different spectrum?

 

One big advantage of LTE-A from what I understand is that it double the capacity within the same spectrum, going from about 15bps/hz to 30bps/hz, allows Carrier Aggregation and better suited for VoLTE.

 

Discuss.

[TyrellCorpse]

Saw someone post these features of LTE-A as well.  Some are obvious but can someone explain the not-so-obvious ones?

 

Support for relay node base stations
Coordinated multipoint (CoMP) transmission and reception
UE Dual TX antenna solutions for SU-MIMO and diversity MIMO, commonly referred to as 2x2 MIMO
Scalable system bandwidth exceeding 20 MHz, up to 100 MHz
Carrier aggregation of contiguous and non-contiguous spectrum allocations
Local area optimization of air interface
Nomadic / Local Area network and mobility solutions
Flexible spectrum usage
Cognitive radio
Automatic and autonomous network configuration and operation
Support of autonomous network and device test, measurement tied to network management and optimization
Enhanced precoding and forward error correction
Interference management and suppression
Asymmetric bandwidth assignment for FDD
Hybrid OFDMA and SC-FDMA in uplink
UL/DL inter eNB coordinated MIMO
SONs, Self Organizing Networks methodologies
Multiple carrier spectrum access or Carrier Aggregation (CA)

[Rukin1]

"Word is VZW needs to do major infrastructure upgrades, ATT too?  Sprint supposedly only needs to do a software upgrade on existing LTE sites.

" this is 100% accurate.

[lilotimz]

Yep and Verizon has begun. They're swapping out old antennas now and adding RRUs. 

[Sprke]

Yep and Verizon has begun. They're swapping out old antennas now and adding RRUs. 

So your saying they have to swap out antennas they just put up for 700 LTE? They've only been up for a couple years, why wouldn't they have put up more future proof gear?

[TyrellCorpse]

http://www.geek.com/mobile/what-it-would-take-for-verizon-to-go-pure-lte-1542139/

 

 

 

Details surrounding the actual (VZW) LTE rollout are sparse still, but based on what we know about Verizon’s network right now it is unlikely that the transition will be a simple, network-wide switch to this new platform. When considering Verizon’s current resources, and understanding that each and every LTE tower would need to be updated physically and individually, bringing their entire LTE network up to VoLTE before 2015 is likely cost prohibitive.

 

What about Sprint and ATT?

[lilotimz]

So your saying they have to swap out antennas they just put up for 700 LTE? They've only been up for a couple years, why wouldn't they have put up more future proof gear?

 

 

 

COM-1307467 Type: Building / Commercial / Repair-Maintenance / With Plans

Parcel:

Address:

Location:

Description:

8998 POCKET RD

03115500020000

Verizon has 9 panel antennas on existing monopole. The proposal is to remove the nine and replace with 6 new panels, like size, and for 

RRU's. NO CHANGE TO HEIGHT OF TOWER.

Applied:

Issued: Finaled:

# Units: Sq Ft:

07/01/2013

 0 0

Category: Other Struct (non-bldg)

Contractor: QUALITY TELECOM CONSULTANTS INC

Occupancy: NA New Const Type: No longer used Old Const Type: NA Insp Dist: 2 Activity Code:

Valuation: $ 14,999.00 Fees Req: $ 452.00 Fees Col: $ 438.00 Bal Due: $ 14.00

 

 

 

 

 

Activity: COM-1307470 Type: Building / Commercial / Repair-Maintenance / With Plans

Parcel:

Address:

Location:

Description:

1101 N D ST

00101140060000

Swap 3 panel antennas for 3 panel antennas, like for like. Adding 3 RRU's and 1 surge protector. NO INCREASE TO HEIGHT OF 

TOWER.

Applied:

Issued: Finaled:

# Units: Sq Ft:

07/01/2013

 0 0

Category: Other Struct (non-bldg)

Contractor: QUALITY TELECOM CONSULTANTS INC

Occupancy: NA New Const Type: No longer used Old Const Type: NA Insp Dist: 1 Activity Code:

Valuation: $ 14,999.00 Fees Req: $ 452.00 Fees Col: $ 438.00 Bal Due: $ 14.00

 

 

 

 

Applicant:   Dustin Evans 

American Tower

2281 LAKE TAHOE BLVD

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA, 96150

Home Phone:

9162847537

dustin.evans@americantower.com Licensed Professional:   SEE APPLICANT SEE APPLICANT 

HOA OWNER BUILDER

SEE APPLICANT

SEE APPLICANT, CA, 95555

Business Phone:

999-999-9999

Contractor 999999 Project Description:   AREA: C03 VERIZON WIRELESS

COM~REMOVE 12 PANNEL ANTENNAS AND INSTALL 9

Owner:   BOB INC PO BOX 4140 CITRUS HEIGHTS CA 95611

 

 

 

 

 

Applicant:   Dustin Evans 

American Tower

2281 LAKE TAHOE BLVD

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA, 96150

Home Phone:

9162847537

dustin.evans@americantower.com Licensed Professional:   SEE APPLICANT SEE APPLICANT 

HOA OWNER BUILDER

SEE APPLICANT

SEE APPLICANT, CA, 95555

Business Phone:

999-999-9999

Contractor 999999 Project Description:   AREA: C03 VERIZON WIRELESS

COM~REMOVE 9 AND REPLACE WITH 6 ANTENNAS, SURGE PROTECTION AND WIRING

Owner:   MLP-TWO LLC 3305 ELKHORN BLVD 1 NORTH HIGHLANDS CA 95660

 

 

[Sprke]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, seems like they would've put the right antennas up the first go around. Maybe the equipment wasn't available back then...

[CaryTheLabelGuy]

Can some of or all or the existing LTE capable Sprint phones use LTE-A or does this also require hardware change? If this does require new hardware, do you guys think the new Tri-band LTE phones will be LTE-A capable?

 

I know a lot of this is total speculation, but hopefully maybe somebody has some inside info on the matter.

 

 

Sent from my Sprint iPhone 5, not the old one (using Tapatalk 2).

[MacPCS]

Can some of or all or the existing LTE capable Sprint phones use LTE-A or does this also require hardware change? If this does require new hardware, do you guys think the new Tri-band LTE phones will be LTE-A capable? I know a lot of this is total speculation, but hopefully maybe somebody has some inside info on the matter. Sent from my Sprint iPhone 5, not the old one (using Tapatalk 2).

certain things require new hardware but others are enhancements to the network that should marginally help out everyone. At least that's what I'd imagine given the info we have.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[jroepcke51]

Can some of or all or the existing LTE capable Sprint phones use LTE-A or does this also require hardware change? If this does require new hardware, do you guys think the new Tri-band LTE phones will be LTE-A capable? I know a lot of this is total speculation, but hopefully maybe somebody has some inside info on the matter. Sent from my Sprint iPhone 5, not the old one (using Tapatalk 2).

This is a yea and no answer. It all depends how the lte-a is set up and use.

 

If faster speeds to phone, then yes you will need a different phone.

 

However lte-a will bring along carrier aggregation. This will be a benefit to all phones.

[TyrellCorpse]

 

However lte-a will bring along carrier aggregation. This will be a benefit to all phones.

 

And it doubles the capacity within same amount of spectrum before even using CA.  LTE-A bumps efficiency from about 15bps/hz to about 30bps/hz (max).

[TyrellCorpse]

Can some of or all or the existing LTE capable Sprint phones use LTE-A or does this also require hardware change? If this does require new hardware, do you guys think the new Tri-band LTE phones will be LTE-A capable?

 

Yeah, I'm hoping it's just a software/baseband driver upgrade on the phone side too.  Many insist LTE-A is just a software upgrade for Sprint but is not clear if on the cellsite end only or phones as well.

[WiWavelength]

Current Sprint devices do not have LTE Advanced capable basebands. But LTE Advanced is backward compatible with LTE devices -- just as CDMA2000 is backward compatible with cdmaOne devices.

 

AJ

[TyrellCorpse]

Current Sprint devices do not have LTE Advanced capable basebands. But LTE Advanced is backward compatible with LTE devices -- just as CDMA2000 is backward compatible with cdmaOne devices.

 

AJ

 

Do you know if the tri-band devices coming out this year will be able to upgrade to LTE-A?

[WiWavelength]

Do you know if the tri-band devices coming out this year will be able to upgrade to LTE-A?

 

Basically, all Sprint LTE devices to this point have utilized one of two Qualcomm basebands:  MSM8960 (chipset with integrated baseband) or MDM9615.  Neither supports LTE Advanced.  The capability is either built in to the baseband or not -- there is no "software upgrade."

 

Current tri band LTE devices are likely using the MDM9615, so they will not be LTE Advanced capable.  Future tri band devices will likely switch to the Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 (chipset with integrated baseband) or MDM9625, both of which support LTE Advanced.

 

But you are barking up the wrong tree if you are looking for future proofing.  Whether it be LTE 800, TD-LTE 2600, LTE Advanced, or something else, your device will always be lacking something only a few months after its release.

 

AJ

[TyrellCorpse]

^Thanks for the clarification.  Good to know Snapdragon 800 support LTE-A.

[milan03]

LTE-A bumps efficiency from about 15bps/hz to about 30bps/hz (max).

In order to achieve that kind of efficiency, you'd need to implement higher order MIMO. LTE-A isn't a magic switch that will increase that spectral efficiency by default.

[IamMrFamous07]

I know NV is delayed but didn't sprint say LTE advance will be out in 2013?

[kg4icg]

_{Not only is Sprint's LTE-A active right now. Our Illustrious leader has been getting some LTE-A loving in Denver. Start from this post and scroll down.  http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4083-sprint-td-lte-25002600mhz-discussion-was-clearwire-lte/page-11}

[david279]

That's not lte-a. It's Lte on 2600.

 

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

[Moropo]

_{Not only is Sprint's LTE-A active right now. Our Illustrious leader has been getting some LTE-A loving in Denver. Start from this post and scroll down.  http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4083-sprint-td-lte-25002600mhz-discussion-was-clearwire-lte/page-11}

 

Does TD-LTE 2600 imply LTE-A?

[lilotimz]

Clearwire / Sprint is jumping straight to carrier aggregated 20+20mhz pipes which is one of the key elements of LTE-Advance. So in a way, yes. But the issue is there's no device out there that can do carrier aggregation, yet. Not until the S800 series of chipsets come online at least...

[kg4icg]

Clearwire / Sprint is jumping straight to carrier aggregated 20+20mhz pipes which is one of the key elements of LTE-Advance. So in a way, yes. But the issue is there's no device out there that can do carrier aggregation, yet. Not until the S800 series of chipsets come online at least...

There are 3 devices out right now that cover it . 2 wifi hotspots and a usb dongle that got released Friday which is why Robert right now is having some Fun.

[tampaflusa]

There are 3 devices out right now that cover it . 2 wifi hotspots and a usb dongle that got released Friday which is why Robert right now is having some Fun.

They are still not LTE A capable.