IMT Advanced
Encyclopedia
International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) are requirements issued by the ITU-R
of the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) in 2008 for what is marketed as 4G
mobile phone and Internet access
service.
based mobile broadband
solution to laptop computer wireless modem
s, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Facilities such as ultra-broadband
Internet access, IP telephony, gaming services, and streamed multimedia may be provided to users.
IMT-Advanced intended to accommodate the quality of service
(QoS) and rate requirements set by further development of applications like mobile broadband
access, Multimedia Messaging Service
(MMS), video chat
, mobile TV
, but also new services like High-definition television
(HDTV). 4G may allow roaming with wireless local area networks, and may interact with digital video broadcasting systems.
It was meant to go beyond the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 requirements, which specify mobile phone
s systems marketed as 3G
.
The first set of 3GPP requirements on LTE Advanced was approved in June 2008.
A summary of the technologies that have been studied as the basis for LTE Advanced is included in a technical report.
While the ITU adopts requirements and recommendations for technologies that would be used for future communications, they do not actually perform the development work themselves, and countries do not consider them binding standards.
Other trade groups and standards bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), the WiMAX Forum and 3GPP
also have a role.
The physical radio interface was at an early stage named High Speed OFDM Packet Access (HSOPA), now named Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA).
The CDMA spread spectrum
radio technology used in 3G systems and IS-95
is abandoned and replaced by OFDMA
and other frequency-domain equalization
schemes. This is combined with MIMO
(Multiple In Multiple Out), antenna arrays, dynamic channel allocation and channel-dependent scheduling.
The first publicly available LTE service was opened in the two Scandinavian capitals Stockholm
(Ericsson
system) and Oslo
(a Huawei
system) on 14 December 2009, and branded 4G. The user terminals were manufactured by Samsung. Currently, the two publicly available LTE services in the United States are provided by MetroPCS
, and Verizon Wireless
.
In South Korea, SK Telecom and LG U+ have enabled access to LTE service since July 2011 for data devices, slated to go nationwide by 2012.
in South Korea) is sometimes branded 4G, and offers peak data rates of 128 Mbit/s downlink and 56 Mbit/s uplink over 20 MHz wide channels .
The first commercial mobile WiMAX service was opened by KT in Seoul, South Korea in June 2006.
Sprint Nextel
marketed Mobile WiMAX, in September 2008, branded as a "4G" network even though it did not fulfil the IMT Advanced requirements.
In Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua WiMax broadband internet access is offered by a Russian company Scartel, and is also branded 4G, Yota
.
(UMB) was the brand name for a discontinued 4G project within the 3GPP2 standardization group to improve the CDMA2000
mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, Qualcomm
, UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favouring LTE instead. The objective was to achieve data speeds over 275 Mbit/s downstream and over 75 Mbit/s upstream.
technology, using High Capacity Spatial Division Multiple Access (HC-SDMA), was at an early stage considered as a 4G predecessor. It was incorporated by the Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group into the IEEE 802.20 standard in 2008.
On December 6, 2010, ITU noted that while current versions of LTE, WiMax and other evolved 3G technologies do not fulfill IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G, some may use the term "4G" in an "undefined" fashion to represent forerunners to IMT-Advanced that show "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed."
(Long-term-evolution Advanced) was formally submitted by the 3GPP
organization to ITU-T in the fall 2009, and expected to be released in 2012. The target of 3GPP LTE Advanced was to reach and surpass the ITU requirements. LTE Advanced is an improvement on the existing LTE network.
Release 10 of LTE is expected to achieve the LTE Advanced speeds. Release 8 in 2009 supported up to 300 Mbit/s download speeds which was still short of the IMT-Advanced standards.
m-2011.
It had an objective to fulfill the IMT-Advanced criteria.
ITU-R
The ITU Radiocommunication Sector is one of the three sectors of the International Telecommunication Union and is responsible for radio communication....
of the International Telecommunication Union
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
(ITU) in 2008 for what is marketed as 4G
4G
In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s...
mobile phone and Internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
service.
Description
An IMT-Advanced system is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure all-IPInternet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
based mobile broadband
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
solution to laptop computer wireless modem
Wireless modem
A wireless modem is a type of modulator-demodulator which connects to a wireless network instead of using telephone or cable television lines...
s, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Facilities such as ultra-broadband
Ultra Mobile Broadband
UMB was the brand name for a project within 3GPP2 to improve the CDMA2000 mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements...
Internet access, IP telephony, gaming services, and streamed multimedia may be provided to users.
IMT-Advanced intended to accommodate the quality of service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
(QoS) and rate requirements set by further development of applications like mobile broadband
Mobile Broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile phone or other mobile device.-Description:...
access, Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
(MMS), video chat
Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing is the conduct of a videoconference by a set of telecommunication technologies which allow two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously...
, mobile TV
Mobile TV
Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
, but also new services like High-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(HDTV). 4G may allow roaming with wireless local area networks, and may interact with digital video broadcasting systems.
It was meant to go beyond the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 requirements, which specify mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s systems marketed as 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
.
Requirements
Specfic requirements of the IMT-Advanced report included:- Based on an all-Internet ProtocolInternet ProtocolThe Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
(IP) packet switched network - Interoperability with existing wireless standards
- A nominal data rateData rateData rate can refer to:* Bit rate, or data transfer rate* Data signaling rate* Data rate units-See also:* Baud rate* Channel capacity* Throughput* Bandwidth everything in this page is falsified...
of 100 Mbit/s while the client physically moves at high speeds relative to the station, and 1 Gbit/s while client and station are in relatively fixed positions. - Dynamically share and use the network resources to support more simultaneous users per cell.
- Scalable channel bandwidth 5–20 MHz, optionally up to 40 MHz
- Peak link spectral efficiency of 15 bit/s/Hz in the downlink, and 6.75 bit/s/Hz in the uplink (meaning that 1 Gbit/s in the downlink should be possible over less than 67 MHz bandwidth)
- System spectral efficiency of up to 3 bit/s/Hz/cell in the downlink and 2.25 bit/s/Hz/cell for indoor usage
- Seamless connectivity and global roamingRoamingIn wireless telecommunications, roaming is a general term referring to the extension of connectivity service in a location that is different from the home location where the service was registered. Roaming ensures that the wireless device is kept connected to the network, without losing the...
across multiple networks with smooth handoverHandoverIn cellular telecommunications, the term handover or handoff refers to the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another...
s - Ability to offer high quality of service for multimedia support
The first set of 3GPP requirements on LTE Advanced was approved in June 2008.
A summary of the technologies that have been studied as the basis for LTE Advanced is included in a technical report.
While the ITU adopts requirements and recommendations for technologies that would be used for future communications, they do not actually perform the development work themselves, and countries do not consider them binding standards.
Other trade groups and standards bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
(IEEE), the WiMAX Forum and 3GPP
3GPP
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, known as the Organizational Partners...
also have a role.
Principal technologies
Physical layer transmission techniques expected to be used include:- MIMOMIMOIn radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO , is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. It is one of several forms of smart antenna technology...
: To attain ultra high spectral efficiency by means of spatial processing including multi-antenna and multi-user MIMO - Frequency-domain-equalization, for example Multi-carrier modulation (OFDM) in the downlink or single-carrier frequency-domain-equalization (SC-FDE) in the uplink: To exploit the frequency selective channel property without complex equalization.
- Frequency-domain statistical multiplexing, for example (OFDMAOFDMAOrthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access is a multi-user version of the popular Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing digital modulation scheme. Multiple access is achieved in OFDMA by assigning subsets of subcarriers to individual users as shown in the illustration below...
) or (Single-carrier FDMA) (SC-FDMA, Linearly precoded OFDMA, LP-OFDMA) in the uplink: Variable bit rate by assigning different sub-channels to different users based on the channel conditions - Turbo principleTurbo codeIn information theory, turbo codes are a class of high-performance forward error correction codes developed in 1993, which were the first practical codes to closely approach the channel capacity, a theoretical maximum for the code rate at which reliable communication is still possible given a...
error-correcting codes: To minimize the required SNRSignal-to-noise ratioSignal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
at the reception side - Channel-dependent scheduling: To utilize the time-varying channel.
- Link adaptationLink adaptationLink adaptation, or adaptive coding and modulation , is a term used in wireless communications to denote the matching of the modulation, coding and other signal and protocol parameters to the conditions on the radio link Link adaptation, or adaptive coding and modulation (ACM), is a term used in...
: Adaptive modulation and error-correcting codes - Relaying, including fixed relay networks (FRNs), and the cooperative relaying concept, known as multi-mode protocol
Long Term Evolution (LTE)
LTE has a theoretical net bit rate capacity of up to 100 Mbit/s in the downlink and 50 Mbit/s in the uplink if a 20 MHz channel is used — and more if multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna arrays, are used.The physical radio interface was at an early stage named High Speed OFDM Packet Access (HSOPA), now named Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA).
The CDMA spread spectrum
Spread spectrum
Spread-spectrum techniques are methods by which a signal generated in a particular bandwidth is deliberately spread in the frequency domain, resulting in a signal with a wider bandwidth...
radio technology used in 3G systems and IS-95
IS-95
Interim Standard 95 is the first CDMA-based digital cellular standard by Qualcomm. The brand name for IS-95 is cdmaOne. IS-95 is also known as TIA-EIA-95....
is abandoned and replaced by OFDMA
OFDMA
Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access is a multi-user version of the popular Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing digital modulation scheme. Multiple access is achieved in OFDMA by assigning subsets of subcarriers to individual users as shown in the illustration below...
and other frequency-domain equalization
Single-carrier FDMA
Single-carrier FDMA is a frequency-division multiple access scheme. Like other multiple access schemes , it deals with the assignment of multiple users to a shared communication resource...
schemes. This is combined with MIMO
MIMO
In radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO , is the use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to improve communication performance. It is one of several forms of smart antenna technology...
(Multiple In Multiple Out), antenna arrays, dynamic channel allocation and channel-dependent scheduling.
The first publicly available LTE service was opened in the two Scandinavian capitals Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
system) and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(a Huawei
Huawei
Huawei is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China...
system) on 14 December 2009, and branded 4G. The user terminals were manufactured by Samsung. Currently, the two publicly available LTE services in the United States are provided by MetroPCS
MetroPCS
MetroPCS Communications, Inc. , formerly known as General Wireless, Inc., is an American mobile phone service provider. It operates the fifth largest mobile telecommunications network in the US, with 8.9 million subscribers as of May 2011...
, and Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
.
In South Korea, SK Telecom and LG U+ have enabled access to LTE service since July 2011 for data devices, slated to go nationwide by 2012.
Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e)
The Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005) mobile wireless broadband access (MWBA) standard (marketed as WiBroWiBro
WiBro is a wireless broadband Internet technology developed by the South Korean telecoms industry. WiBro is the South Korean service name for IEEE 802.16e international standard...
in South Korea) is sometimes branded 4G, and offers peak data rates of 128 Mbit/s downlink and 56 Mbit/s uplink over 20 MHz wide channels .
The first commercial mobile WiMAX service was opened by KT in Seoul, South Korea in June 2006.
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
marketed Mobile WiMAX, in September 2008, branded as a "4G" network even though it did not fulfil the IMT Advanced requirements.
In Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua WiMax broadband internet access is offered by a Russian company Scartel, and is also branded 4G, Yota
Yota
Yota is the trademark of a Russian multinational telecommunications services provider . Yota currently operates in Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua and will launch in Peru very soon...
.
| WiMAX | |
|---|---|
| Peak Download | 128 Mbit/s |
| Peak Upload | 56 Mbit/s |
Ultra Mobile Broadband
Ultra Mobile BroadbandUltra Mobile Broadband
UMB was the brand name for a project within 3GPP2 to improve the CDMA2000 mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements...
(UMB) was the brand name for a discontinued 4G project within the 3GPP2 standardization group to improve the CDMA2000
CDMA2000
CDMA2000 is a family of 3G mobile technology standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between mobile phones and cell sites. The set of standards includes: CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. 0, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. A, and CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev. B...
mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
, UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favouring LTE instead. The objective was to achieve data speeds over 275 Mbit/s downstream and over 75 Mbit/s upstream.
Flash-OFDM
At an early stage the Flash-OFDM system was expected to be further developed into a 4G standard.iBurst and MBWA
The iBurstIBurst
iBurst is a wireless broadband technology originally developed by ArrayComm. It optimizes the use of its bandwidth with the help of smart antennas...
technology, using High Capacity Spatial Division Multiple Access (HC-SDMA), was at an early stage considered as a 4G predecessor. It was incorporated by the Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group into the IEEE 802.20 standard in 2008.
Candidate systems
In October 2010, ITU-R Working Party 5D approved two industry-developed technologies.On December 6, 2010, ITU noted that while current versions of LTE, WiMax and other evolved 3G technologies do not fulfill IMT-Advanced requirements for 4G, some may use the term "4G" in an "undefined" fashion to represent forerunners to IMT-Advanced that show "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed."
LTE Advanced
LTE AdvancedLTE Advanced
LTE Advanced is a preliminary mobile communication standard, formally submitted as a candidate 4G system to ITU-T in late 2009, was approved into ITU, International Telecommunications Union, IMT-Advanced and expected to be finalized by 3GPP in early 2011...
(Long-term-evolution Advanced) was formally submitted by the 3GPP
3GPP
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations, known as the Organizational Partners...
organization to ITU-T in the fall 2009, and expected to be released in 2012. The target of 3GPP LTE Advanced was to reach and surpass the ITU requirements. LTE Advanced is an improvement on the existing LTE network.
Release 10 of LTE is expected to achieve the LTE Advanced speeds. Release 8 in 2009 supported up to 300 Mbit/s download speeds which was still short of the IMT-Advanced standards.
WirelessMAN-Advanced (IEEE 802.16m)
The WirelessMAN-Advanced evolution of 802.16e was published in March 2011 as standard IEEE 802.16IEEE 802.16
IEEE 802.16 is a series of Wireless Broadband standards authored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . The IEEE Standards Board in established a working group in 1999 to develop standards for broadband Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks...
m-2011.
It had an objective to fulfill the IMT-Advanced criteria.