3G Router Forum

The Dycon D2376 Handheld Radio Signal Analyser is a valuable tool for anybody involved in the GSM and 3G field. The Dycon D2376 is a GSM and 3G frequency analyser that will diplay the details of the available GSM (900/1800) and 3G (2100) basestations along with the network name and ID and the signal strength.


This hand held 3G signal tester can provide information about which is the best 3G network to use for your 3G Router installation or which 3G antenna will provide the best performance in relation to your chosen location and service provider and whether to use an Omni Directional or Directional 3G Antenna.

To help answer the question, "What is LTE ?" we have found the following excerpt which is the executive summary of a 2007 Ericsson White paper entitled, Long Term Evolution (LTE): an introduction.

Mobile broadband is becoming a reality, as the Internet generation grows accustomed to having broadband access wherever they go, and not just at home or in the office. Out of the estimated 1.8 billion people who will have broadband by 2012, some two-thirds will be mobile broadband consumers and the majority of these will be served by HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks.

People can already browse the Internet or send e-mails using HSPA-enabled notebooks, replace their fixed DSL modems with HSPA modems or USB dongles, and send and receive video or music using 3G phones. With LTE, the user experience will be even better. It will further enhance more demanding applications like interactive TV, mobile video blogging, advanced games or professional services. LTE offers several important benefits for consumers and operators: Performance and capacity - One of the requirements on LTE is to provide downlink peak rates of at least 100Mbit/s.

The technology allows for speeds over 200Mbit/s and Ericsson has already demonstrated LTE peak rates of about 150Mbit/s. Furthermore, RAN (Radio Access Network) round-trip times shall be less than 10ms. In effect, this means that LTE more than any other technology already meets key 4G requirements.

Simplicity - First, LTE supports flexible carrier bandwidths, from below 5MHz up to 20MHz. LTE also supports both FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) and TDD (Time Division Duplex). Ten paired and four unpaired spectrum bands have so far been identified by 3GPP for LTE. And there are more bands to come. This means that an operator may introduce LTE in new bands where it is easiest to deploy 10MHz or 20MHz carriers, and eventually deploy LTE in all bands.

Second, LTE radio network products will have a number of features that simplify the building and management of next-generation networks. For example, features like plug-and-play, self-configuration and self-optimization will simplify and reduce the cost of network roll-out and management.

Third, LTE will be deployed in parallel with simplified, IP-based core and transport networks that are easier to build, maintain and introduce services on.

Wide range of terminals - in addition to mobile phones, many computer and consumer electronic devices, such as notebooks, ultra-portables, gaming devices and cameras, will incorporate LTE embedded modules. Since LTE supports hand-over and roaming to existing mobile networks, all these devices can have ubiquitous mobile broadband coverage from day one. In summary, operators can introduce LTE flexibly to match their existing network, spectrum and business objectives for mobile broadband and multimedia services.

Since this report was written there have been several avances in LTE networks and hardware and Sweeden have recently trialed LTE Advanced which offer wireless mobile broadband connections several hundred times faster than standard LTE services and they plan to roll out LTE Advanced services in 2013.