me LTE-Advanced Pro. Release 13 was completed in June 2016, Release 14 in June 2017, and Release 15 in September 2018. The timing of the 3GPP releases and the corresponding commer- cial network launches are illustrated in Figure 16.2. We note that it has typically taken 1-2 years from 3GPP specifications to the first commercially available network. Release 8 was a major new release, including a complete new radio and core network. Release 8 enabled peak data rate of 150 Mbps with 20 MHz bandwidth and 2x2 MIMO. Also 4 X 4 MIMO was defined but not included in the first devices. Release 8 supported flat radio network architecture as well. All these capabilities were clear enhancements 3GPP Release Commercial deployment Figure 16.2 LTE schedule in 3GPP and in commercial deployments. 16.2 Overview of LTE Evolution Release 8 Release 9 Release 10 150 (300) Mbps eMBMS Carrier aggregation 4x4 MIMO VoLTE Downlink 8x8 MIMO 20 MHz Femto Uplink 4x4 MIMO Flat architecture HetNet with eICIC Release 11 Release 12 Release 13 Dual connectivity Narrowband IoT feICIC eCoMP LTE-M Advanced UE License assisted access Enhanced CA Massive MIMO Release 14 Release 15 Release 16 Low latency Short TTI High power broadcast Uplink LAA URLLC 64TX MIMO 5G interworking Figure 16.3 Main LTE features of each 3GPP release. compared to the earlier 3G networks. Release 9 brought a few additions including enhanced Multimedia Broadcast Multicast System (eMBMS), VoLTE emergency calls, femtocells, and self-organizing networks (SONs). Release 10 boosted radio capabilities with carrier aggregation and multiantenna MIMO, increasing the peak rate beyond 1 Gbps. Release 10 also included improved Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) for Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) optimization, and Release 11 further enhanced ICIC (feICIC). Release 11 enhanced carrier aggregation functionality, brought Coor- dinated Multipoint (CoMP), and added advanced UE receivers with interference cancelation. The main topics in Release 12 are dual connectivity, enhanced CoMP (eCo