Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO: One of the other key enablers for LTE

Advanced that is common to LTE is MIMO. This scheme is also used by many other
technologies including WiMAX and Wi-Fi - 802.11n. MIMO - Multiple Input Multiple
Output enables the data rates achieved to be increased beyond what the basic radio
bearer would normally allow.
Note on MIMO:
MIMO is a form of antenna technology that uses multiple antennas to enable signals
travelling via different paths as a result of reflections, etc., to be separated
and their capability used to improve the data throughput and / or the signal to
noise ratio, thereby improving system performance.

Read more about MIMO technology

For LTE Advanced, the use of MIMO is likely to involve further and more advanced
techniques including the use of additional antennas in the matrix to enable
additional paths to be used, although as the number of antennas increases, the
overhead increases and the return per additional path is less.

In additional to the numbers of antennas increasing, it is likely that techniques

such as beamforming may be used to enable the antenna coverage to be focused where
it is needed.
Carrier Aggregation, CA: As many operators do not have sufficient contiguous
spectrum to provide the required bandwidths for the very high data rates, a scheme
known as carrier aggregation has been developed. Using this technology operators
are able to utilise multiple channels either in the same bands or different areas
of the spectrum to provide the required bandwidth.
Coordinated Multipoint : One of the key issues with many cellular systems is that
of poor performance at the cell edges. Interference from adjacent cells along with
poor signal quality lead to a reduction in data rates. For LTE-Advanced a scheme
known as coordinated multipoint has been introduced.
LTE Relaying: LTE relaying is a scheme that enables signals to be forwarded by
remote stations from a main base station to improve coverage.
Device to Device, D2D: LTE D2D is a facility that has been requested by a number
of users, in particular the emergency services. It enables fast swift access via
direct communication - a facility that is essential for the emergency services when
they may be on the scene of an incident.
LTE-Advanced has been able to provide some significant improvements in performance.
Not only has the radio access network seen upgrades and improvements, but so too
has the core network.

The result of all the upgrades is that users see significant performance
improvements with LTE Advanced. Also operators see greater returns. The cost per
bit is reduced, and with the faster speeds, users tend to consume more data,
thereby raising revenues. Accordingly LTE-Advanced has provided improvements to
both users and operators, as well as those providing additional services