LTE Advanced is a certified 4G system that will roll out in the coming years as networks move from 3G technology and pre-4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology. LTE Advanced is backwards compatible with Long-Term Evolution.
It is a fourth generation standard (4G) from the 3rd Generation Partnership Group (3GPP), which is responsible for the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies that are (and have been) in wide use for commercial and other mobile communications networks around the world.
LTE is considered a step toward LTE Advanced, and is currently being rolled out by carriers around the world looking to upgrade their 3G networks to meet the ever-increasing demands put on networks from smartphones, tablets, mobile broadband services and more.
