<p><em>LTE (Long Term Evolution)</em> is a wireless <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/dsl/g/bldef_broadband.htm">broadband</a> technology designed to support roaming Internet access via cell phones  and handheld devices. Because LTE offers significant improvements over  older cellular communication standards, some refer to it as a <em>4G</em> (fourth generation) technology along with <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wirelessinternet/g/bldef_wimax.htm">WiMax</a>.</p>
<p><img src="images/lte.jpg" alt="LTE" />With its architecture based on <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/od/networkprotocolsip/g/ip_protocol.htm">Internet Protocol (IP)</a> unlike many other cellular Internet protocols, Long Term Evolution supports browsing Web sites, <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/voicefaxoverip/g/bldef_voip.htm">VoIP</a> and other IP-based services well. LTE can theoretically support downloads at 300 <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/od/speedtests/g/kbps-mbps-gbps-network-bit-rates.htm">Megabits per second (Mbps)</a> or more based on experimental trials. However, the actual <a href="http://compnetworking.about.com/od/speedtests/g/bldef_bandwidth.htm">network bandwidth</a> available to an individual LTE subscriber sharing the service provider's network with other customers is significantly less.</p>
<p>Long Term Evolution service is only available in limited geographic  areas, but telecommunications providers have been actively expanding  their LTE services.</p>