LTE: What is the speed of the network? You really surf that fast

If you value high speeds for mobile internet, LTE is the obvious choice. This practical tip shows you which download rates are possible.

LTE network: what is the speed?

The LTE mobile communications standard is on the rise in Germany and will probably not be replaced in the next few years. In theory, transmission rates of up to 100 Mbit / s are possible with LTE.
In Germany, however, several LTE variants are currently available, all of which are only referred to as "LTE" by the mobile phone manufacturers. A distinction is made between LTE categories 3, 4 and 6, CAT3, CAT4, CAT6 for short.
With CAT3 up to 100 Mbit / s are possible, with CAT4 150 Mbit / s. The latest standard is LTE-Advanced (CAT6) with up to 300 Mbit / s. This is always the maximum download speed, the upload speed in all variants is a maximum of 50 Mbit / s.

The respective LTE versions were gradually integrated into German mobile communications. Make sure that your smartphone also supports the desired standard. In an iPhone 6, for example, only the CAT4 standard is installed; you cannot receive more than 150 Mbit / s with it - regardless of the contract concluded.
So it is not only the network that is important, but also the hardware. However, LTE does not always mean the same thing with the mobile operator. LTE is offered in many contracts, but only to a limited extent, for example, of 20 or 50 Mbit / s. This protects the networks from overloads.
In the big CHIP network test in 2016, we were able to measure a maximum download speed of 246 MBit / s in Germany. The available values are often far below the maximum possible values.