Comparative performance analysis LTE and A-WCDMA

In order to keep an edge on enhanced competitiveness of 3G technology, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) set specific targets for the longterm evolution, including increased data rates, larger coverage footprint, and reduced latency. In combination these improvements reduce operator costs in typical traffic scenarios and also reduce overall infrastructure. This paper gives an overview of the basic radio interface evolution, with OFDM and multi-antenna solution, and presents results indicating to what extent these targeted improvements can be met. It is seen that the targets for aggregate throughput are comparable for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and WCDMA combined with a multi-antenna system. Advanced WCDMA can achieve similar performance improvements with the use of MIMO antenna systems.