What is LTE Cat 4 and Its Applications

PublishTime： 2023-07-19 Article Source：usr News

Cat. The full name of is LTE UE-Category, where UE refers to user equipment, which is the classification of wireless performance of user terminal equipment under LTE network.

According to 3GPP related standard specifications, a UE category is a set of a series of radio performance parameters that are variable in uplink/downlink. LTE provides high-speed data transmission and low-latency network connectivity.The LTE network can meet different application requirements through different UE (User Equipment) classes, including UE devices of different levels such as LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat 2, LTE Cat 3, and LTE Cat 4.

4G refers to the fourth generation of cellular communication technology, which replaces the GSM and HSPA standards. Since it is completely IP-based, it greatly improves data throughput and reduces latency on 2G and 3G networks.Since 4G is IP-based, it no longer supports circuit-switched network nodes, so the base station only needs to support IP traffic, which means all 4G voice traffic is sent over the IP infrastructure.

The LTE Cat 4 classification supports uplink data rates of up to 50Mbps and downlink data rates of up to 150Mbps, enabling services such as high-speed video surveillance and broadband Internet backup for server farms and high-reliability installations. However, in order to achieve these high uplink and downlink data rates, it is necessary to use multiple antennas to allow the entire data transmission.LTE Cat 4 classifications are compatible with LTE Cat 1 classifications on the same network, and these classifications can be used interchangeably with higher LTE classifications to achieve higher data rates.

LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat 2, LTE Cat 3, and LTE Cat 4 are different classes of LTE wireless user equipment (UE). They differ in the maximum rate supported, the modulation scheme, the MIMO antenna technology, etc.

Note: The table lists the characteristic differences between LTE Cat 1 and LTE Cat 4, including the differences in maximum downlink rate, maximum uplink rate, supported frequency bands, MIMO, number of antennas, applicable scenarios, standby time, and power consumption.It can be seen that with the increase of the level, the supported data rate is gradually increased, and more frequency bands and antennas are supported, and the applicable scenarios are more extensive. In terms of power consumption, as the level increases, the typical transmission power consumption also increases gradually, so it is necessary to select the appropriate level according to the specific application scenario to balance the data rate and power consumption.

The above table lists the characteristic differences of LTE Cat. 1 to LTE Cat. 4, including data rate, modulation, MIMO technology, coverage and application scenarios.It can be seen that the LTE Cat. 1 is suitable for the Internet of Things, smart home, car networking and other scenarios, and has a wide coverage and a low data rate. LTE Cat 4 is suitable for high-speed mobile broadband, video surveillance and other scenarios, with narrow coverage and high data rate.In terms of modulation mode and MIMO technology, with the improvement of the level, higher-level modulation mode and more complex MIMO technology are supported, thereby improving the data transmission rate and stability. The differences are detailed below.

1. Difference

(1) Maximum speed

LTE Cat. 1 has a maximum downlink rate of 10 Mbps and a maximum uplink rate of 5 Mbps. LTE Cat. 2 has a maximum downlink rate of 50 Mbps and a maximum uplink rate of 25 Mbps. LTE Cat 3 has a maximum downlink rate of 100 Mbps and a maximum uplink rate of 50 Mbps. LTE Cat 4 has a maximum downlink rate of 150 Mbps and a maximum uplink rate of 50 Mbps.

(2) Modulation mode

LTE Cat. 1 only supports QPSK and 16Qam. LTE Cat. 2 supports QPSK, 16Qam and 64Qam. LTE Cat. 3 supports QPSK, 16Qam, 64Qam and 256Qam. The LTE Cat. 4 also supports QPSK, 16Qam, 64Qam and 256Qam, and also supports 2x2 MIMO technology.

(3) MIMO antenna technology

LTE Cat 1 does not support MIMO technology. LTE Cat 2 and LTE Cat 3 also do not support MIMO technology. Only LTE Cat 4 supports 2x2 MIMO technology.

2. Principle

LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat 2, LTE Cat 3, and LTE Cat 4 are UE devices based on LTE wireless communication technology. LTE uses OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) technology to achieve multi-user access, and uses MIMO technology to improve network capacity and data rate.

3. Characteristic

(1) LTE Cat 1

LTE Cat 1 is the lowest level of LTE wireless user equipment. It is suitable for scenarios such as low-speed data transmission and M2M (machine-to-machine) communication. It is characterized by low cost, low power consumption, high reliability and wide coverage, and is suitable for applications with low bandwidth and low latency.

(2) LTE Cat 2

LTE Cat 2 supports higher data rates and more modulation methods, which are suitable for general data transmission and video streaming scenarios. It is characterized by high speed, moderate power consumption and wide coverage, and is suitable for applications with high bandwidth and low latency.

(3) LTE Cat 3

LTE Cat 3 supports higher data rates and more modulation methods for scenarios such as high-speed data transmission and high-definition video streaming. It is characterized by faster speed, support for more modulation methods, moderate coverage, and is suitable for high-bandwidth and low-latency applications.

(4) LTE Cat 4

LTE Cat 4 supports higher data rates, more modulation methods and 2x2 MIMO technology, which is suitable for high-speed data transmission, high-definition video streaming and online games. It is characterized by the fastest speed, supporting more modulation methods and MIMO technology, and relatively small coverage, which is suitable for high-bandwidth and low-latency applications.

4. Application

(1) LTE Cat 1

LTE Cat 1 is suitable for scenarios such as low-speed data transmission and M2M communication, such as smart meters, smart homes, remote monitoring and vending machines.

(2) LTE Cat 2

LTE Cat 2 is suitable for general data transmission and video streaming scenarios, such as smart TV, smart speakers, smart home and Internet of Things devices.

(3) LTE Cat 3

LTE Cat 3 is suitable for high-speed data transmission and high-definition video streaming scenarios, such as mobile office, telemedicine and high-definition video conferencing.

(4) LTE Cat 4

LTE Cat 4 is suitable for high-speed data transmission, high-definition video streaming and online games, such as high-speed mobile broadband, cloud games, smart cars and remote control.

5. Give an example

(1) Application of LTE Cat 1

Taking smart meters as an example, LTE Cat 1 can provide enough bandwidth and reliability to enable smart meters to upload real-time electricity consumption information and fault information to the cloud, thus realizing remote monitoring and control.

(2) Application of LTE Cat 2

Taking smart speakers as an example, LTE Cat 2 can provide enough bandwidth and speed to enable smart speakers to play music, voice recognition and cloud interaction in real time, so as to realize smart home control and human-computer interaction.

(3) Application of LTE Cat 3

Taking mobile office as an example, LTE Cat 3 can provide enough bandwidth and speed to enable mobile devices to download, upload and share large files in real time, thus enabling efficient telecommuting.

(4) Application of LTE Cat 4

Taking cloud games as an example, LTE Cat 4 can provide enough bandwidth and low latency to enable users to play games smoothly over LTE networks without downloading games to local devices. In industrial enterprise applications, LTE Cat 4 is also suitable for smart cars and remote control scenarios, which can achieve high-speed data transmission and real-time remote control.

Therefore, LTE Cat 1 to LTE Cat 4 are different levels of LTE wireless communication standards, each with different data rates, modulation methods, MIMO technology and coverage, and are suitable for different application scenarios.With the development of Internet of Things and 5G technology, wireless communication standards will continue to evolve and upgrade, providing faster, more reliable and more intelligent communication services for more application scenarios.

4G Like 3G, all the benefits of 2G and 3G systems have been incorporated into the 4G network to provide enhanced services and support legacy applications such as SMS.

4G spectrum operates in a similar way to 2G and 3G, with different regions supported by different bands, but the number of bands and regions is quite different compared to 2G and 3G.

4G defines 44 frequency bands, of which 13 frequency bands are defined as time division duplex (TDD) and 31 frequency division duplex (FDD). The difference between the two standards is how they transmit and receive data using shared spectrum.

TDD uses one frequency carrier to send and receive data, but at different times. FDD uses two different frequencies to send and receive data, but can send data simultaneously.

Compared with 2G and 3G, 4G has a higher cost position.

But as LTE cat 4 technology becomes more widely used around the world, this cost is coming down. 4G networks are divided into categories that define the mode of operation (TDD or FDD), frequency band, speed of operation, and number of MIMO layers. This can be seen in the table opposite.

Since the IoT market does not necessarily require high data rates, often without the enhancements that LTE cat 4 networks bring, 2G is still the preferred solution for IoT device developers. As with 3G, the significant improvement that 4G networks offer over 2G networks is the latency of the network connection between the two endpoints.This improvement means that the first byte will be received faster at the destination, which means that the overall system latency will be reduced. This opens the door to more real-time, secure applications and allows for faster response times when sending and receiving information over the network.

Unlike 2G and 3G networks, LTE cat 4 networks are investing heavily to provide more global coverage and to further develop new 3GPP releases. In addition to this investment, investments have been made for M-class and NB-class IoT that provide low-speed connectivity designed for direct 2G network replacement.

LTE CAT 4 is mainly used in high data rate transmission scenarios, mainly used in vehicle networking, smart grid, 4G wireless routing, video security, business display equipment, 4G law enforcement instrument, live video equipment, ANPR, asset tracking, environmental monitoring and other fields requiring nearly permanent connection and high data and high stability rate communication.

+1 Like
Add to Favorites

Recommend

Selection Guide

More>

Technical Resources

More>

New Products & Solutions

More>

This document is provided by Sekorm Platform for VIP exclusive service. The copyright is owned by Sekorm. Without authorization, any medias, websites or individual are not allowed to reprint. When authorizing the reprint, the link of www.sekorm.com must be indicated.

Integrated Circuits