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LTE networks are carrying an increasing amount of data. Although cells can be made smaller to help
accommodate this, it is not the complete solution and more spectrum is needed.
One approach is to use unlicensed spectrum alongside the licensed bands. Known in 3GPP as LTE-
LAA - LTE License Assisted Access or more generally as LTE U - LTE Unlicensed, it enables access
to unlicensed spectrum especially in the 5GHz ISM band.
LTE-U background
There is a considerable amount of unlicensed spectrum available around the globe. These bands are
used globally to provide unlicensed access for short range radio transmissions. These bands, called
ISM - Industrial, Scientific and Medical bands are allocated in different parts of the spectrum and are
used for a wide variety of applications including microwave ovens, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and much more.
The frequency band of most interest for LTE-U, Unlicensed / LTE-LAA, License Assisted Access is
the 5GHz band. Here there are several hundred MHz of spectrum bandwidth available, although the
exact bands available depend upon the country in question.
Downlink only: This is the most basic form of LTE-U and it is similar in approach to some of
the first LTE carrier aggregation deployments. In this the primary cell link is always located in
the licensed spectrum bands.
Also when operating in this mode, the LTE eNodeB performs most of the necessary operations
to ensure reliable operation is maintained and interference is not caused to other users by
ensuring the channel is free.
Uplink and downlink: Full TDD LTE-U operation with the user equipment having an uplink
and downlink connection in the unlicensed spectrum requires the inclusion of more features.
FDD / TDD aggregation: LTE-CA allows the use of carrier aggregation mixes between FDD
and TDD. This provides for much greater levels of flexibility when selecting the band to be
used with in unlicensed spectrum for LTE-LAA operation.
LTE-U relies on the existing core network for the backhaul, and other capabilities like security and
authentication. As such no changes are needed to the core network. Some changes are needed to
the base station so that it can accommodate the new frequencies and also incorporate the capabilities
required to ensure proper sharing of the unlicensed frequencies. In addition to this, the handsets or
UEs will need to have the new LTE-U / LTE-LAA capability incorporated into them so they can access
LTE on these additional frequencies.