atency, larger coverage for the low data rates, longer battery lifetime, and lower-cost devices for Internet of Things (IoT) modems, and higher capacity. These radio enhancements enable a large set of new applications on top of LTE networks. This chapter focuses on the features and the benefits of LTE-Advanced Pro. Section 16.2 briefly illustrates LTE technology timing and evolution. More detailed descriptions of LTE technology can be found from [1-3]. Section 16.3 describes in more detail the tech- nological components of LTE-Advanced Pro. Section 16.4 presents the benchmarking between LTE and 5G technologies. The chapter is summarized in Section 16.5. 5G Technology: 3GPP New Radio, First Edition. Edited by Harri Holma, Antti Toskala, and Takehiro Nakamura. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 16 LTE-Advanced Evolution LTE Release 8 LTE Advanced Pro 10x data rate 10x lower latency 150 Mbps 10x larger coverage New service 10 ms latency 10x battery life capabilities 10x lower IoT cost 10x more capacity Figure 16.1 Main performance benefits of LTE-Advanced Pro. 16.2 Overview of LTE Evolution The history of LTE dates back to 2004 when the first 3GPP workshop for LTE was held. The first set of specifications was completed in Release 8 in March 2009. Release 9 added a few additional capabilities on top of Release 8. These two releases enabled LTE to become a successful technology for delivering mobile broadband data and Voice over LTE (VoLTE). The first commercial LTE network was opened by Teliasonera in Decem- ber 2009 followed by a large number of other networks during 2010-2011. The second phase of LTE work started in Release 10 as LTE-Advanced. Release 10 was finalized in 3GPP 2011, and the first networks with LTE-Advanced features were available in 2013. LTE-Advanced specifications were further enhanced in Releases 11 and 12. Release 11 was completed in 3GPP in December 2012 and Release 12 in March 2015. The third phase of LTE technology was defined in Releases 13-15 under the na