Five things you need to know about LTE

1. It in effect is fast. TeliaSonera, the Swedish carrier that in 2009 launched the first major commercial long-term evolution service, delivered an average downstream speed of 33.4Mbps in informal tests last year. Verizon Wireless, which is using narrower spectrum bands, estimates that even on a fully loaded network, individual subscribers will get between 5Mbps and 12Mbps downstream and about 2Mbps to 5Mbps upstream.

2. It has less delay. LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology) networks have lower latency than before cellular systems, so packets are less delayed. This makes a difference when timing is important, just as when using voice over IP, streaming video or working on a virtual desktop. Verizon claims LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology) cuts latency in half compared with its 3G network, and says LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology) subscribers are seeing latency of about 30 milliseconds.

3. It could become a worldwide standard. There are only 17 commercial LTE services in the world nevertheless, now 173 more carriers are planning to deploy it, the GSM Association says. The WiMax Forum says there are 592 networks using the high-speed Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access protocol, yet that figure includes both fixed and the mobile versions. Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner compared LTE to the global system for mobile communication, the cellular standard that swept Europe and Asia during the Americas and South Korea went with code division multiple access networks. "LTE will dominate to an even greater extent than GSM ever did," Entner says.

4. The 4G label doesn't matter. The International Telecommunication Union caused a minor uproar late last year when it declared that neither LTE nor WiMax would qualify as 4G until their then and there versions, which would bring speeds over 100Mbps. At the time it relented, allowing anything that offers a significant speed boost over 3G to use the label. Carriers offering advanced forms of 3G promptly adopted it. "It has turned into a marketing term," Entner says. Would-be subscribers should test drive networks and pick the one that's fastest for them, he says.

5. It's not everywhere but. Depending on how much you travel outside your home city, you may end up using 3G as much as you do LTE, meanwhile for a during. Verizon's LTE network reaches about 110 million U.S. residents today, which will double by the middle of straightway year. Its 3G network, which covers about 290 million people, will have greater coverage than the LTE network until some time in 2013, the carrier says. ATaannddT as well aims to cover its 3G territory with 4G by 2013. Until at the time, dual-mode devices will be critical.