Development of standards GSM 900, GSM E900, GSM 1800 contributed to the improvement of communication channels, but did not solve the problem of access to the Internet at the level required by modern people.

These standards belonged to the second generation (2G), in which the EDGE and GPRS protocols were used for data transmission, which made it possible to achieve speeds of up to 473.6 Kbps - catastrophically low for a modern user.

To date standards cellular communications One of the most important requirements is the data transfer speed and signal purity. Obviously, this affects the development of the market mobile operators. So, at one time, 3G networks appeared in Russia, which won the massive attention of users. And now it is for this reason that the number of people who choose 4G is increasing.

Feature of the UMTS standard

The main feature that distinguishes UMTS standard from GSM is that the use of WCDMA, HSPA+, HSDPA protocols allows users to access higher quality mobile Internet. At speeds from 2 to 21 Mbit/sec, you can not only transfer more data, but even make video calls.

UMTS covers more than 120 largest Russian cities. This is the standard in which the currently popular mobile operators (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon and Skylink) provide 3G Internet service.

It's no secret that high frequencies are more efficient for data exchange. However, Russia has its own nuances that make it impossible to use, for example, UMTS frequency 2100 MHz in some regions.

The reason is simple: frequency UMTS 2100, which is actively used for 3G Internet, quickly sits down on obstacles. This means that a high-quality signal is hampered not only by distances to base stations, but also by increased vegetation. In addition, some regions are practically closed to this frequency due to the operation of air defense systems. Thus, in the South-Western part of the Moscow region there are several military bases, and accordingly, an unspoken taboo has been introduced on the use of this frequency.

In such a situation, for 3G Internet it is used UMTS 900. Waves in this frequency range have higher penetrating ability. At the same time, at this frequency the data transfer rate rarely reaches 10 Mbit/sec. However, considering that just a few years ago many cities could not even think about Internet coverage, this is not so bad.

On this moment Huawei E352 and the more stable version E352b, as well as E372, E353, E3131, B970b, B260a, E367, E392, E3276 show excellent results with the popular UMTS900.

LTE: in what ranges will the future standard operate?

The logical development of UMTS was the development in 2008-2010. LTE is a new standard, the purpose of which is to increase signal processing speed and throughput, and in technical terms, to simplify the network architecture and thereby reduce data transfer time. In Russia, the LTE network was officially launched in 2012.

It is LTE technology that determines the development of the new generation of mobile Internet in our country - 4G. This means access to online broadcasts, fast transfer of large files and other advantages of the modern Internet.

At the moment, 4G Internet is supported by the LTE 800, LTE 1800, LTE 2600 standards, using the LTE Cat.4, Cat.5, Cat.6 protocols. This allows, in theory, to obtain data transfer speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s for upload and up to 50 Mbit/s for reception.

High LTE frequencies become an ideal solution for regions where the population density is quite high and where such data transfer speed is very important. These include, for example, large industrial cities. However, if all operators begin to work only in the range LTE 2600– a problem with radio signal coverage will immediately arise.

Now residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Sochi, Ufa and Samara can take advantage of 4G technology. In Russia, Yota became one of the first operators to develop the fourth generation of mobile standards. Now the following have joined them large operators, like Megafon and MTS.

Development is considered optimal today LTE 1800: this frequency is more economical and allows new companies to enter the market that offer services mobile communications. It is even cheaper to build networks at 800 MHz. Thus, it is possible to predict what exactly LTE 800 And LTE 1800 will be the most popular among operators and, accordingly, with you and me.

LTE frequencies of various mobile operators

- Megafon: frequencies LTE 742.5-750 MHz / 783.5-791 MHz, 847-854.5 MHz / 806-813.5 MHz, 2530-2540 MHz / 2650-2660 MHz, 2570-2595 MHz (license for Moscow and the Moscow region );

- MTS: frequencies LTE 720-727.5 MHz / 761-768.5 MHz, 839.5-847 MHz / 798.5-806 MHz, 1710-1785 MHz / 1805-1880 MHz, 2540-2550 MHz / 2660-2670 MHz, 2595 -2620 MHz (license for Moscow and the Moscow region);

- Beeline: frequencies LTE 735-742.5 MHz / 776-783.5 MHz, 854.5-862 MHz / 813.5-821 MHz, 2550-2560 MHz / 2670-2680 MHz.

Rostelecom: LTE frequencies 2560-2570 / 2680-2690 MHz.

Yota: LTE frequencies 2500-2530 / 2630-2650 MHz.

Tele2: frequencies 791-798.5 / 832 - 839.5 MHz.

Signal amplification at different frequencies

When you are in an area with poor signal reception or long distance moving away from base station your operator, you can’t do without an additional antenna.

Directional Antennas UMTS 900 signal has a basic package and can significantly increase the level of communication. At the same time, not only the Internet connection becomes more stable, but also the quality of voice transmission during telephone conversation. You can't do without a UMTS 2100 antenna if you want to use the Internet while traveling: due to constant switching from tower to tower, the data transfer speed drops catastrophically.

Directed LTE antennas 800 And LTE 1800 antennas– the best option for strengthening the 4G signal in the appropriate frequencies. These standards have higher signal penetration and range.

However, LTE 2600 has a higher data transfer speed, thanks to which 80% of users in Moscow have already switched to this standard. And purchase LTE 2600 antennas is a prerequisite for those who chose 4G LTE 2600 (Megafon, MTS, Beeline, Rostelecom, Yota) to get maximum Internet speed. AmplifierLTEsignal will guarantee stable data transmission at high frequencies.

Solutions from GSM-Repeters.RU

LTE 800

Economic situation and impossibility full use 800 MHz band forces operators to more actively develop 4G in the 1800 MHz frequency band. Moreover, most experts believe that by 2020, up to 50% of all coverage will be provided by LTE 1800. Economic efficiency This range is much higher compared to 2600 MHz, and the costs are minimal. We learned from MTS technical specialists in the Urals how operators engage in “smart refarming” of GSM to LTE in practice, and what advantages and disadvantages this brings.

Currently in Russia, 4G networks operate in 83 regions out of 85. Moreover, in the vast majority of territories, LTE operates in the 2600 MHz band. And only 15 regions have test or commercial 4G 1800 MHz networks (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Tula regions, Krasnodar region, Bashkiria, Tatarstan). In the Urals, there are examples of the commercial use of this standard in the Sverdlovsk and Kurgan regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Motiv operator), as well as in the Chelyabinsk region (MTS). And if in the case of “Motive” the reasons for using the GSM spectrum are clear - the company does not have a license to use frequencies of either 800 MHz or 2600 MHz, then MTS’s activity may seem strange. Although the strangeness in this case is understandable.

Distribution of LTE networks in the world by range (analysis of the 400 largest LTE networks, OVUM and GSMA data):

These are the reasons given for such activity by MTS itself. Firstly, the economy. LTE 1800 is much cheaper and more efficient.

The coverage area of ​​a base station operating at “voice” frequencies of 1800 MHz is four times larger than that of equipment at 2500-2700 MHz, and the use of this equipment for the development of data transmission networks will allow the deployment of networks in the shortest possible time, because the same The territory can be covered with fewer base stations. At the same time, the LTE-1800 signal penetrates indoors better than the signal from base stations operating in higher bands. The increased radio coverage range makes it possible to provide remote settlements, highways, and frequency-restricted areas with a high-speed 4G network,” says Konstantin Kubantsev, technical director of the Chelyabinsk branch of MTS.

Aggregation of the spectrum of 1800 and 2600 MHz, in the presence of a 10 MHz wide band in each of the two ranges, allows increasing peak data transfer rates from 75 Mbit/s to 150 Mbit/s, and in the case of aggregation of three carriers at once - up to 225 Mbit/s. In April 2015, MTS tests in Bashkortostan at frequencies of 1800+2600+800 MHz with a total bandwidth of up to 35 MHz demonstrated peak speeds of up to 260 Mbit/s.

According to estimates from telecom equipment manufacturers and companies providing radio network optimization services based on subscriber geolocation, up to 80% of traffic is generated indoors. This fact clearly gives an advantage to the 1800 range over 2600 MHz. Losses for penetration into a room for 1800 MHz are significantly lower than for the 2600 range. Traffic will be collected better by the range whose penetration is better. The difference between WCDMA2100 and DCS1800 is quite noticeable, but due to the average sensitivity of 3G terminals, the difference is leveled out.

The LTE-1800 standard supports up to 90% of LTE device models from leading manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, HTC, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Sony, ZTE and others. With its development in Russia, owners of gadgets that do not support other LTE bands common in the country, such as iPhone 5, iPad mini, can also use 4G Internet.

If we continue the comparison, then according to Konstantin Kubantsev, LTE-2600 aggravates the already tense situation with the search for additional objects on which equipment needs to be installed. “There are very few buildings in cities where we can go and get permission to install equipment from the owners. We are constantly faced with refusals. Negotiations can take more than one year.”

As a result, the company decided that LTE-2600 will be used in the largest cities in areas with the highest Internet traffic load. True, in this case it is necessary to resolve issues related to ensuring a stable signal indoors, including the use of indoor coverage.

In other cases, LTE-1800 will be used. It will not require changing the existing infrastructure, making serious investments in the construction of new base stations and spending a lot of time.

Distribution of income from Russian mobile operators by traffic type:

As a result, the bulk of base stations in the regions in just a few years will be on dual-band networks - 1800/2600 MHz or LTE800/2600 MHz, depending on the availability of frequency resources in each specific region.

The second reason for the growing interest on the part of MTS is the restriction on the use of the 800 MHz band. Despite the fact that the operator has received the appropriate frequency assignments and is already paying rent, their implementation is hampered by the operation of missile defense systems, as well as the operation of military and civilian airfields. Existing rules do not allow the use of frequencies within a 40 km radius of airports. Operators across Russia face this problem to the same extent.

The issues of full use of the 800 MHz range are quite acute. We are actively discussing problems with the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. Literally, yesterday, as part of our communication, we conveyed our proposals to Deputy Minister Dmitry Alkhazov, who oversees these issues in the government. He promised to help. Well, for now we are trying to work in the conditions that we have now, says Konstantin Kubantsev.

When asked why the first region in the Urals where the operator began to launch LTE-1800 en masse was the Chelyabinsk region, the company replied that a year ago it was in the Southern Urals that a complete modernization of the network was completed. During this time, Motorola equipment, which had been working for almost 10 years, was replaced by Ericsson of the latest generation with widespread support for LTE-1800. There is not a single old amplifier, switch or switch left on the network. At the same time, the capacity of the backbone network was expanded.

All this allowed us to use a multi-standard 3G/LTE network. Moreover, priority for data transmission will be given to LTE. Thus, we will unload our 3G networks,” says Konstantin Kubantsev.

For LTE-1800 in the Chelyabinsk region, MTS allocated a band of 5 MHz out of the available 15. According to the operator’s technical specialists, this band is enough for the existing number of 4G subscribers. At the same time, the quality of the 2G network and its capacity will not be affected. In the future, the company will analyze the possibility of increasing the frequency band to 10 MHz in each specific locality.

As for 4G sharing with Beeline, MTS emphasized that the agreements relate exclusively to LTE800/2600 MHz networks. Only the company's own subscribers will have access to LTE1800.

At the moment, the dual-band network is already operating in twenty settlements of the Chelyabinsk region, in particular, in Zlatoust, Miass, as well as in small towns such as Ozersk, Troitsk, Satka, Yemanzhelinsk, and in summer recreation areas for residents and guests of the region - on the lake Uvilda and others. Also in 2015, the LTE-1800 network will be launched in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk to improve 4G coverage inside buildings.

In the near future, MTS is going to introduce the Single RAN (Single Radio Access Network) platform with the ability to organize coverage of all GSM standards, 3G and LTE using one base station.

Despite the fact that MTS, Beeline, Megafon and Rostelecom received licenses to deploy LTE networks in the 790-862 MHz range at a competition in July 2012, none of the operators began to actively develop them. According to the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, this range is oversaturated with military communications equipment and its use is impossible without a lengthy and costly conversion process. Frequency conversion can take 7-10 years and cost 60-80 billion rubles. In 2013, only 500 million rubles were allocated from the budget for conversion (these funds will be used mainly to expand the frequency spectrum for the operation of terrestrial digital TV).

Court decisions regarding the use of the 2.5-2.7 GHz range do not add optimism.

Suitable for modern smartphones Only Scartel (Yota) owns the LTE network in the 2600 MHz band; MegaFon has access to this network on a lease basis. At the same time, MTS’s recently launched LTE network can be ignored - although it is located in the 2600 MHz band, instead of frequency division of FDD channels, it uses temporary TDD - a rather exotic option used in a minority of networks.

The Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal added fuel to the fire, which in early March invalidated clause 14.1 of the SCRF decision on allocating frequencies in the 2.5-2.7 GHz range to Scartel for the construction of LTE networks. This decision was made in response to a claim by the Volgograd company Electronic Radio Optical Systems (EROS), which insisted that the allocation of frequencies in the 2.5-2.7 GHz range should have been carried out on the basis of a competition and that the allocation of frequencies to Scartel would interfere with the work its networks (the company has permission to use frequencies 2500-2572 MHz, 2580-2588 MHz and 2612-2692 MHz in Volgograd and Volgograd region). This creates a threat that Scartel may lose the frequencies allocated to it by the September decision of the SCRF for the construction of LTE networks, which could be extremely Negative consequences for the same Megafon, which uses Scartel frequencies, as well as for the entire communications market as a whole.

For this reason, the telecom public once again initiated heated consultations on the technological neutrality of the 1800 MHz band and that the fastest and cheapest way to develop LTE in Russia at the moment is to launch networks in this range.

This development is especially beneficial for operators that currently do not have LTE licenses. These are, first of all, Tele2, SMARTS and Ekaterinburg MOTIV. At the same time, the operators big three" and Rostelecom are not delighted with such proposals.

We have been promoting the topic of technological neutrality for 1.5 years. At the same time, we are closely monitoring the progress of the spread of technological neutrality locally in European countries,” notes Svetlana Skvortsova, director of strategic planning at Tele2 Russia. - Now we can say with complete confidence that the 1800 band is the main one for LTE networks. In this case, I refer to statistics from the GSM Equipment Suppliers Association. Today, out of 145 commercial LTE networks, 58 already operate in the 1800 MHz band. This is 40% of all networks.

LTE 1800 is already operating in Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, and South Korea.

It is worth noting that there are currently two common technology neutrality technologies used in many countries around the world: LTE 1800 MHz and UMTS 900 MHz. Wherein last option in regulatory and commercial terms appeared in 2007, when operators identified inconveniences with the 2.1 GHz spectrum, primarily in terms of coverage.

Thus, the use of the 900 MHz band became the only opportunity for adequate development of 3G in Moscow. The remaining options did not allow us to provide subscribers with quality Mobile Internet. Similar mechanisms apply in the case of LTE. LTE1800 enables rapid deployment of 4G networks with minimal additional costs.

According to the GSM Equipment Suppliers Association, there are currently 666 models mobile devices support operation in LTE networks. Moreover, 150 of them support operation in LTE1800 networks, including .

The GSA clearly points out the attractiveness of the 1800 MHz band for LTE development compared to the other band around the world - 2.6 GHz. First, the coverage of a single base station operating in the 1800 MHz band is approximately twice as high, and therefore requires less money to provide comparable coverage. Secondly, it is possible to use a significant part of the existing infrastructure and equipment already deployed for GSM, rather than spending money on new ones. Finally, the 1800 MHz band is used for communications networks around the world, and therefore LTE 1800 aims to develop into a global standard.

Opponents of the standard say that the impact of LTE1800 on the quality of voice calls on 2G networks in the same range is poorly understood. However, the experience of such refarming, accumulated by 53 operators in different countries of the world, shows the absence negative influence. There is such experience in Russia. Tele2 at one time conducted tests in two regions of our country and came to the conclusion that there was no negative impact.

In fact, at SCRF, if you believe official information, doubts have arisen regarding the interference effects of communication networks when they use different types LTE signals and GSM. Moreover, officials were not at all embarrassed by world practice.

For this reason, in December 2012, SCRF decided to re-test the impact of LTE on GSM. The test will be carried out by NIIR. In addition, all interested operators are involved in the work, including SMARTS.

In this case, test data must be provided to SCRF by the end of the third quarter of 2013. At the same time, a decision will be made on the possibility of using LTE1800 in Russia.

Market experts note that LTE1800 is not some additional opportunity, as is often perceived in Russia, is the basic technology for 4G development for the coming decades. Let's see how this story ends.

Good day to everyone who is interested in this article! Today we will tell you about what LTE bands are used by mobile operators in Russia and which of them occupies a leading position, we will tell you about the features of LTE, and we will also explain what a “band” is and what it is needed for.

Without delay, let's quickly get to the main part of the article.

A few words about Long-Term Evolution and global indicators

This is what the abbreviation LTE stands for. And it is translated as “long-term evolution, long-term development.” However, we are more accustomed to calling this technology 4G LTE or just 4G.

LTE is the modern standard for high-speed and wireless transmission data for smartphones and other devices. Today, in developed countries of the world, the standard under discussion is no longer an innovation that surprises with its speed.

Thus, for 2016, according to statistics collected by the OpenSignal agency, the top five countries with the best 4G LTE coverage are:

1. 95.7% - South Korea;
2. 92% - Japan;
3. 84.7% - Lithuania;
4. 84.5% - Hong Kong;
5. 84.1% - Netherlands.

And the top five “nimble” states included:

1. 50 Mbit/s - Singapore;
2. 46 Mbit/s - South Korea;
3. 40.6 Mbit/s – Hungary;
4. 35.6 Mbit/s – Romania;
5. 35 Mbit/s - New Zealand.

Let's return to the technology itself. The reason for the emergence of this type of standard was the goal of the developers to increase the speed and capacity of networks using a new modulation method and digital processing signals, as well as simplify the architecture of networks working with IP addresses.

Detailed overview of the functioning of the standard

The 4G LTE specification can provide upload speeds of up to almost 173 Mbps, and download speeds of up to approximately 326 Mbps! However, the maximum transmission speed varies from country to country, region, city and other locality depending on the distance from the station and the radio frequency.

As for bands, the 1800 MHz band is mainly used in the world.

It is interesting that the described standard comes in two types: FDD and TDD.

Frequency Division Duplex, which means “frequency division of channels,” gives part of the traffic for downloading, and the second part for sending data. This ensures parallelism, i.e. simultaneous work in two directions.

And in Time Division Duplex (“time division of the channel”) the channel is either completely given for sending information, or completely for downloading.

Now let's talk about frequency. LTE networks not compatible with 2G and 3G networks. Therefore, separate frequencies are allocated for them, which should catch and support your Cell phones. Certain frequency ranges are divided into 4G LTE bands and are called bands with the addition of a serial number.

For example, band 7 for FDD loading corresponds to the range 2620-2690, and for uploading - 2500-2570.

LTE in the Russian Federation

Well, now we decided to tell you about the situation in Russia.

As for the mentioned state, the percentage of coverage almost reaches 70%, however, 4G LTE does not operate in all regions and not at full capacity. In some localities this network covers only administrative centers.

However Russian operators mobile communications companies are actively expanding their coverage areas and tirelessly participating in auctions for the sale of 4G frequencies. Thanks to this, as of 2017, the LTE specification is successfully operating in a little more than 80 regions.

Now let's understand the ranges and frequencies.

IN Russian Federation the standard operates in the 800 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. And the popular bands, as in Europe, are band 3, band 7, band 20.

The “big five” Russian mobile operators that provide their customers with 4G LTE include:

1. Yota – uses band 7 and provides a channel width of 2x30 MHz;
2. Megafon – uses band 7, 20, maximum channel width 2×10 MHz;
3. MTS – uses all four LTE bands, maximum channel width 2×10 MHz;
4. Beeline has band 7 and band 20, and the channel width reaches 2×10 MHz;
5. Tele2 – still uses bands 20 and 7, maximum width – 2x10 MHz.

All networks are FDD.

It should also be noted that not all smartphones catch such a network. The best devices that support 4G LTE are the iPhone 6s, iPhone 5, 5s and 7th generation models.

So we told you all about the LTE standard and its development in Russia.

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