Cable Forum - View Single Post - How does 4G LTE manage download and upload speeds?

Kushan · 10-04-2020, 18:32

My understanding of mobile networks is that, essentially, each provider has clumps of spectrum across various bands - some as low as 800Mhz, some well into the 60Ghz range (For a certain kind of 5G) and a bunch in between. Lower frequencies travel much further but have very little bandwidth compared to the higher frequencies that don't propagate as far but do carry much more data (no different to our 2.4Ghz/5Ghz wifi at home).

OFCOM has a neat site that lets you explore all of this here.

Most providers don't have a lot of contiguous spectrum either, each band is sliced and diced in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways, a side-effect of how its been auctioned piecemeal over the years as well as how the various providers have merged, reallocated use and so on.

Your phone or mobile device, depending on the chipset, antenna, which country it came from and how old it is, might not be able to access certain frequencies as well. Even if it can access all of the spectrum your provider has access to, it's unlikely to be able to use all of it at the same time. 4G/LTE does allow for "bonding" of those slices using Carrier Aggregation. Only so much can be aggregated at a time (Again it's very device specific), but when you try to make use of several slices of frequency across a wide spectrum, it's going to be a little funky.

Throw on top that all of your provider's other users are also using various bits of spectrum to various amounts and it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that moving your phone just a little bit might be enough to lose a weak (but otherwise empty/capable) frequency band and pick up another, stronger but more congested band.

Your device itself is as much of a transmitter as it is a receiver, so it also shouldn't come as a huge surprise that you happen to lock onto some frequencies that give you much more bandwidth in one direction, but less in another.

As with anything wireless, it's an utter gamble at any given moment how reliable it'll be. For all you know it wasn't moving your phone that made a difference but a truck passing by the transmitter a mile away.

I appreciate you're not looking to spend money if you don't have to, but you can get external fixed 4G antennas for use with a 4G modem/router. If it's looking like you're going to be stuck working from home for a while, it could be worth speaking to your employer(s) about them purchasing the equipment and getting you fitted out. For them an inlay of ~£150-200 is probably nothing.

10-04-2020, 18:32	#10
Kushan FORMER Virgin Media Staff Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Warrington Posts: 4,737	Re: How does 4G LTE manage download and upload speeds? My understanding of mobile networks is that, essentially, each provider has clumps of spectrum across various bands - some as low as 800Mhz, some well into the 60Ghz range (For a certain kind of 5G) and a bunch in between. Lower frequencies travel much further but have very little bandwidth compared to the higher frequencies that don't propagate as far but do carry much more data (no different to our 2.4Ghz/5Ghz wifi at home). OFCOM has a neat site that lets you explore all of this here. Most providers don't have a lot of contiguous spectrum either, each band is sliced and diced in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways, a side-effect of how its been auctioned piecemeal over the years as well as how the various providers have merged, reallocated use and so on. Your phone or mobile device, depending on the chipset, antenna, which country it came from and how old it is, might not be able to access certain frequencies as well. Even if it can access all of the spectrum your provider has access to, it's unlikely to be able to use all of it at the same time. 4G/LTE does allow for "bonding" of those slices using Carrier Aggregation. Only so much can be aggregated at a time (Again it's very device specific), but when you try to make use of several slices of frequency across a wide spectrum, it's going to be a little funky. Throw on top that all of your provider's other users are also using various bits of spectrum to various amounts and it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that moving your phone just a little bit might be enough to lose a weak (but otherwise empty/capable) frequency band and pick up another, stronger but more congested band. Your device itself is as much of a transmitter as it is a receiver, so it also shouldn't come as a huge surprise that you happen to lock onto some frequencies that give you much more bandwidth in one direction, but less in another. As with anything wireless, it's an utter gamble at any given moment how reliable it'll be. For all you know it wasn't moving your phone that made a difference but a truck passing by the transmitter a mile away. I appreciate you're not looking to spend money if you don't have to, but you can get external fixed 4G antennas for use with a 4G modem/router. If it's looking like you're going to be stuck working from home for a while, it could be worth speaking to your employer(s) about them purchasing the equipment and getting you fitted out. For them an inlay of ~£150-200 is probably nothing.