LTE450 Standards and Specifications

3GPP: The Core Standard

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the international body that produces the technical specifications governing LTE and all modern cellular standards. 3GPP is not a regulatory body; it produces voluntary technical standards that are adopted by manufacturers and network operators worldwide. The 3GPP LTE specification suite is organised into releases, with Release 8 (December 2008) defining the baseline LTE standard and subsequent releases adding capabilities.

The key 3GPP specifications for LTE450 are:

• TS 36.101: User Equipment (UE) radio transmission and reception. Defines the RF performance requirements for LTE devices, including per-band requirements. Specifies the frequency bands (including 31, 72, 87, 88), transmit power limits, receiver sensitivity, and adjacent channel selectivity for LTE450 bands.
• TS 36.104: Base station radio transmission and reception. Defines RF requirements for eNodeBs, including conducted and radiated power limits, receiver sensitivity, and spurious emissions.
• TS 36.141: Base station conformance testing. The test specification used to verify that eNodeBs comply with TS 36.104.
• TS 36.211: Physical channels and modulation. Defines the OFDMA/SC-FDMA physical layer, including subcarrier spacing, resource block structure, and reference signals.
• TS 36.213: Physical layer procedures. Defines scheduling, HARQ, power control and link adaptation procedures.
• TS 36.331: Radio Resource Control (RRC). Defines the protocol between UE and eNodeB for connection setup, reconfiguration, and mobility management.
• TS 36.401/36.410/36.420: Architecture and interfaces for E-UTRAN, S1 interface (between eNodeB and EPC) and X2 interface (between eNodeBs).
• TS 23.401: GPRS enhancements for E-UTRAN access. Defines the EPC architecture and procedures.

ETSI and the Radio Equipment Directive

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) produces harmonised standards that support the Radio Equipment Directive (RED, Directive 2014/53/EU) in the EU. For LTE450 equipment, the relevant harmonised standard is ETSI EN 301 908-13 (for base stations) and ETSI EN 301 908-14 (for subscriber stations/UEs). Compliance with these standards provides a presumption of conformity with the RED, enabling CE marking for the European market.

Post-Brexit, the UK has adopted the UK Radio Equipment Regulations 2017, which mirror the EU RED. UK Conformity Assessment (UKCA) marking is required for products placed on the UK market, supported by compliance with UK-adopted standards that are technically equivalent to the ETSI harmonised standards. For most LTE450 equipment manufacturers, a single technical file covering both CE and UKCA can be maintained with minimal additional effort.

CEPT/ECC Spectrum Harmonisation

The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) and its Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) produced the key regulatory framework for LTE450 spectrum use in Europe:

ECC Decision (09)03 (adopted 2009, revised): “The harmonised use of the frequency band 450-470 MHz for IMT systems.” This decision harmonises the 450-470 MHz band for IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) use across CEPT member countries, establishing the technical conditions (maximum EIRP, out-of-band emission masks, interference protection criteria) under which national regulators can license LTE450 spectrum. ECC Decision (09)03 is the foundational document that enabled the subsequent national spectrum licensing decisions in Germany, Finland and other countries.

ECC Report 139 and subsequent reports provide the technical studies underpinning the Decision, including compatibility studies with adjacent band users (TETRA, PMR systems, maritime communications).

ITU Framework

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations govern spectrum use at the global level. The 450-470 MHz band is identified for IMT use under the ITU Radio Regulations following the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07), which added this identification to the Radio Regulations footnote 5.286AA. This identification enables national administrations to license IMT systems (including LTE450) in this band, subject to not causing harmful interference to existing services.

Industry and Application Standards

LTE450 is the transport layer. The application layer standards are equally important for utility deployments:

• IEC 61850: Communication networks and systems for power utility automation. The primary standard for substation automation communications, including GOOSE (Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event) messages for protection functions.
• IEC 61968/61970: Application integration at electric utilities – the Common Information Model (CIM) for data interchange between utility systems.
• IEC 60870-5-104: Telecontrol equipment and systems – provides the TCP/IP encapsulation of IEC 60870-5-101 SCADA protocol, widely used over LTE450 for substation monitoring and control.
• DNP3: Distributed Network Protocol, widely used in North American utility SCADA over IP-based transport including LTE450.
• DLMS/COSEM: Device Language Message Specification / Companion Specification for Energy Metering – the standard protocol for smart meter data exchange over LTE450 AMI networks.