ITPEC FE Subject A April 2024 Question 25

Topic: Networks

Which of the following is the name of a communication standard that is used in mobile phone networks and has the three characteristics described below?

(1)All communications are processed with a packet switching scheme.(2)It is possible to use a communication scheme called MIMO that uses multiple antennas.(3)It has been standardized in the international standardization project 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project).

Explanation

LTE (Long Term Evolution) — the 3GPP mobile standard that is all-packet and uses MIMO.

LTE was standardized by 3GPP as the successor to 3G mobile systems. Unlike earlier generations, which kept circuit switching for voice, LTE carries all traffic, including voice (VoLTE), as IP packets. It raises throughput with MIMO, sending and receiving parallel data streams over multiple antennas. All three listed characteristics fit.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

  • •(b) MAC (Media Access Control) — a sublayer of the data link layer that controls access to the shared medium and gives the MAC address; not a mobile network standard
  • •(c) MDM (Mobile Device Management) — software an organization uses to manage and secure employees' smartphones and tablets; not a communication standard
  • •(d) VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) — a technique for carrying voice over IP networks; it is not a 3GPP mobile standard and says nothing about MIMO

Key rule: For mobile generations, 3GPP standardizes LTE (4G) and 5G; the all-IP packet core and MIMO antennas are LTE's defining features.

Networks · AI-written, may contain errors

Practice this exam

This question comes from an official ITPEC past paper. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with ITPEC. See the official FE past-paper collection or Report an issue.