Foreword
GSM, and its evolution through GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and HSPA, is the technology stream of choice for the vast majority of the world’s mobile operators. Users have experienced increasing data rates, together with a dramatic reduction in telecommunications charges; they now expect to pay less but receive more. Therefore, in deciding the next steps, there must be a dual approach: seeking considerable performance improvement but at reduced cost. Improved performance must be delivered through systems which are cheaper to install and maintain. LTE and LTE-Advanced represent these next steps and will be the basis on which future mobile telecommunications systems will be built.
Many articles have already been published on the subject of LTE, varying from doctoral theses to network operator analyses and manufacturers’ product literature. By their very nature, those publications have viewed the subject from one particular perspective, be it academic, operational or promotional. A very different approach is taken with this book. The authors come from a number of different spheres within the mobile telecommunications ecosystem and collectively bring a refreshing variety of perspectives. What binds the authors together is a thorough knowledge of the subject material which they have derived from their long experience within the standards-setting environment, the 31rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE discussions started within 3GPP in 2004, so it is not a particularly new subject. ...
