Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
What were the performance targets for LTE Release 8?
Release 8 targeted peak rates of 327 Mbps downlink (with 4x4 MIMO and 64-QAM) and 86 Mbps uplink, data-plane latency under 30 ms, and channel bandwidths up to 20 MHz.
LTE Release 8 target table:
| Property | Target |
|---|---|
| Peak data rate, downlink | 327 Mbps (4x4 MIMO, 64-QAM) |
| Peak data rate, uplink | 86 Mbps (64-QAM) |
| Latency, data plane | < 30 ms |
| Latency, control plane | < 100 ms |
| Spectral efficiency (average, DL) | 1.87 bps/Hz |
| Spectral efficiency (cell edge, DL) | 0.06 bps/Hz |
| Spectral efficiency (cell edge, UL) | 0.03 bps/Hz |
| Supported channel bandwidth | up to 20 MHz |
Two figures worth dwelling on:
- Peak vs. cell edge: average spectral efficiency (1.87 bps/Hz) is ~30x higher than at the cell edge (0.06 bps/Hz). Marketing quotes peak numbers; physics delivers cell-edge numbers when you're far from the tower.
- Data plane vs. control plane latency: moving user data (<30 ms) is faster than signaling operations like connection setup (<100 ms) — two separate latency budgets for two separate planes.
Note: the headline "LTE = under 10 ms ping" refers to the optimal round-trip time in good conditions; the Release 8 requirement was <30 ms for the data plane.
Go deeper:
E-UTRA (Wikipedia) — the Release 8 air-interface: 299.6 Mbit/s with 4×4 MIMO over 20 MHz, FDD/TDD, and where each target comes from.- Spectral efficiency (Wikipedia) — unpacks the bps/Hz figures and why peak vs cell-edge efficiency differ wildly.