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When looking for a mobile, we tend to look at its power. What processor does it use, how many gigabytes of RAM it has or what camera does it include. However, it is quite common that we leave mobile connectivity in the background. However, if you look at it, the acronym LTE appears on most modern devices. But what do they mean?
Today we have set out to explain the meaning of LTE in the simplest way possible. In addition, we will review the categories of this term, and what repercussions it may have on the daily use of our mobile device.
4G, LTE and their categories
The acronym LTE refers to the term Long Term Evolution, which in Spanish means Long Term Evolution. It is basically a data transmission technology, which allows the uploading and downloading of files at high speed. Broadly speaking, this technology is the next step in the evolution of 3G. However, the speed of pure LTE is less than 4G, by defined standards.
Still, many companies use this acronym in conjunction with 4G, partly as a marketing strategy. In other words, the 4G LTE that some companies sell would be equivalent to a '3.9G'. And it is that LTE is actually more used than pure 4G. This is so due to its low development cost compared to 4G, in addition to the speed it offers, and the adaptive bandwidth; that allows you to work on different bands in isolation or simultaneously.
However, LTE technology has not been stagnant, it is still in constant development. For this reason, and to avoid confusion, the different types of this technology are divided into categories. These categories mark both the maximum upload and download speed allowed. Thus, there are currently about 13 useful categories, in addition to several under development.
In any case, it is of little use to have the most powerful LTE category if we cannot take advantage of it. And it is that the upload and download speed of our phone depends directly on two factors: the LTE category of our terminal and the maximum compatible speed of our operator. Be that as it may, for example, if in the technical characteristics of our mobile we find that it has LTE Cat.7 it would mean that at a theoretical level it is capable of reaching up to 300 Mbps download and 150 Mbps upload when we are using mobile data. The LTE category does not influence the speed you can get connected to the WiFi.
LTE technology in Spain today
In our country, the large telephone companies do not usually provide LTE coverage to any city with less than 70,000 inhabitants approximately. This means that only around 100 populations in Spain have this kind of network. In addition, the large companies in our country have a 400 Mbps download network, but with limited reach to a small list of populations. You can check the coverage and the maximum speed in your area through the following links, both for Movistar, as well as for Vodafone and Orange.
On the other hand, between large companies and virtual operators there is in many cases a notable difference in speeds. It is speculated that this difference is due to a limitation of the network by the large operators, in order to avoid competition. For this reason, virtual operators such as Lowi or Pepephone have a maximum download of 150 and 40 Mbps. Limited speed compared to other large companies.
What does all this mean for my mobile?
In short, we can say that, if a phone has a good LTE category, it is only a matter of time before the user can take advantage of it. More and more terminals have category 9 LTE 4G technology. That is, with maximum speeds of 450 Mbps download and 150 Mbps upload. It is also to be expected that, over time, the speed of the operators will improve. In other words, little by little, this technology will continue to improve, and provide its users with better speeds on their terminals.
Therefore, always checking the category of our device is important, since this information will allow us to know if we can take advantage of all the speed that our operator offers us. Or, if on the contrary, our terminal is able to navigate at a higher speed than we have.
