4-Band LTE-A, which increases speed by tying up 4 frequencies through CA (Carrier Aggregation) technology will be commercialized first by South Korea. As auction for frequencies ends, bases that can support LTE with maximum speed of 375Mbps and LTE with maximum speed of 450Mbps have been prepared. It is predicted that South Korea can once again show off its mobile telecommunication technologies while there still isn’t any country that has commercialized 3-Band LTE-A.
According to telecommunication industry on the 3rd, Samsung Electronics is going to provide ground station SW (software) that allows 4-Band LTE-A to mobile telecommunication businesses during early fourth quarter of this year. Corresponding SW will be a SW that combines three 10MHz frequencies and one 20MHz frequency and a SW that combines two 10Hz frequencies and two 20MHz frequencies based on downlink (DL).
LTE48 has speed of 75Mbps per 10MHz of frequency based on DL. 20MHz frequency and 30MHz frequency can provide speed of 150Mbps and 225Mbps respectively. 3-Band LTE-A that is currently provided by mobile telecommunication businesses can provide maximum speed of 300Mbps within 40MHz of frequency, which is made up of one 20MHz frequency and two 10MHz frequencies. This is LTE that is 4 times faster.
It is predicted that SK Telecom and KT will provide 4-Band LTE-A services. KT was given 20MHz of frequency from 1.8GHz of frequency from auction and is planning to provide 4-Band LTE-A that combines 900MHz 10MHz band, 2.1GHz 10MHz band, 1.8GHz 20MHz band and 10MHz band based on DL. Although 1.8GHz frequency is attached to same bandwidth, it combines 20MHz and 10MHz through intra band CA technology due to regulations.
KT’s 4-Band LTE-A can provide maximum speed of 375Mbps as total capacity is 50MHz band based on DL. This is LTE that is 5 times faster and has same speed as LG Uplus’s 3-Band LTE-A that combines two 20MHz frequencies and one 10MHz frequency. However the only difference is that KT will combine 4 frequencies.
SK Telecom, which secured the most frequency, is able to provide speed that is faster than 375Mbps. Because total capacity of LTE frequency that it possesses is 135MHz, theoretically it can provide maximum speed of 525Mbps (LTE that is 7 times faster) within 70MHz band based on download. However because ground station SW that is provided by equipment business will first provide speed of 450Mbps, SK Telecom will first introduce this service to consumers.
450Mbps is a speed that can download a 1GB HD movie within 18 seconds. This speed can be doubled if 250QAM, which increases speed by 33%, or multi-antenna technologies are applied to this speed.
Key point is the timing for supporting phones. 375Mbps service that LG Uplus is planning to provide through 3-Band LTE48-A is supported by G5 and Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. This means that its service can be used if LG Uplus is allocated with additional 2.1GHz frequency in December and upgrades ground station SW.
On the other hand, new phone chip needs to be designed since 4-Band LTE-A increases RF (Radio Frequency) path and has to support capacity corresponding to speed. It is heard that Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm are manufacturing chips that will support following specifications. It is predicted that phones that have such chips will be released during this fall at the earliest or early next year.
“There aren’t much technical differences between 3-Band, 4-Band, and 5-Band.” said a representative for a telecommunication business. “However because chip set needs to be newly designed due to increased number of wireless signals from phones and performance needs to be supported, timing of release date of phones will be the key point for commercialization of 4-Band LTE-A.”
Staff Reporter An, Hochun } hcan@etnews.com