LTE advance

4G+ or LTE Advance.

How to speed up 4G? The LTE Advance, often referred to as 4G+, is a technology used to produce more speed out of the existing 4G network. Just as the operators enhance 2G with GPRS, 3G with HSDPA, the enhancement to 4G is LTE Advance. It is claimed to double the speed of 4G with speeds of theoretical speeds of 300Mpbs but in the real world environment speeds of 150Mbps are achievable as opposed to the maximum practical speed of 4G of around 75Mbps. Users may see 4G+ on their phone beside the signal strength scale.

4G+ uses OFMA and MIMO, as does 4G but these technologies have been further developed past their use in 4G to provide a much faster network.

At the heart 4G+ is carrier aggregation. This is where a carrier sends the data wirelessly using 2 different bands. So, for example, the data can be sent on 800MHz and 2.6GHz frequencies. This is not the same as the "Double Speed 4G" where the carrier used twice as much bandwidth within the same radio band. Here two different radio bands are used to send the transmission. MIMO in 4G was focued on a single band. In 4G+ there is the potential to send the signals over any or all bands available.

The implementation of 4G+ is within large urban areas, those areas that have both frequencies available. This included the big cities of Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. 4G+ is also available in some smaller towns but not usually in rural locations.