4G LTE Throughput Calculator
This calculator estimates theoretical 4G LTE downlink and uplink throughput from component carrier bandwidth, MIMO layers, modulation order, carrier aggregation, and LTE duplex configuration.
The implementation is validated against Release 18 archive baselines of 3GPP TS 36.211, TS 36.213, and TS 36.306 so the tool stays aligned with LTE frame-structure rules, modulation and coding context, and UE capability references.
LTE carrier setup
Build one or more LTE component carriers, then estimate the combined downlink and uplink data rate. The calculator assumes full PRB scheduling and uses a configurable factor to represent control and implementation overhead.
Adjust parameters and calculate.
Total throughput
Carrier breakdown
| Carrier | Duplex | Bandwidth | PRBs | DL Share | UL Share | DL Throughput | UL Throughput |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No calculation yet. | |||||||
Report an Issue or Suggest an Improvement
Found a calculation issue, formatting bug, missing band, or have an idea to improve 4G LTE Throughput Calculator? Please let us know.
How to Use This Tool
- Add one or more LTE component carriers.
- Select duplex mode and channel bandwidth for each carrier.
- Set downlink and uplink modulation, layer count, factor, and code rate.
- For TDD, select the UL/DL configuration and special subframe configuration.
- Select Calculate Throughput to generate total and per-carrier results.
- Use the combined total as the peak configured estimate, then compare it with device capability and live-network measurements.
Formula and assumptions
This page uses a practical LTE throughput formula for fast comparison between bandwidth, layers, duplex mode, and carrier count:
Throughput (Mbps) = PRB × 12 × 14 × 1000 × Layers × Qm × Factor × CodeRate × DirectionShare / 1,000,000Where:
- PRB is the LTE physical resource block count for the selected channel bandwidth.
- 12 is the number of subcarriers per PRB.
- 14 is the normal cyclic prefix OFDM symbol count per subframe used by this calculator.
- 1000 is the number of 1 ms subframes per second.
- Layers is the configured MIMO layer count for DL or UL.
- Qm is the modulation order: QPSK 2, 16QAM 4, 64QAM 6, 256QAM 8.
- Factor represents control and implementation overhead.
- CodeRate lets you reduce the estimate below the idealized peak case.
- DirectionShare is 1 for FDD and a TDD frame-share ratio for LTE TDD.
For TDD, the calculator derives the downlink and uplink share from the configured UL/DL pattern and special subframe configuration. Downlink includes full D subframes plus the DwPTS symbol portion of each special subframe. Uplink counts full U subframes only, which keeps the estimate conservative for PUSCH-oriented work.
Note: The result is a peak resource-based estimate, not a scheduler-accurate user throughput prediction. Real live-cell throughput is further reduced by reference signals, control channels, HARQ retransmissions, CQI variation, UL grant behavior, mobility, and load.
Release 18 validation notes
The calculator does not treat LTE as a frozen legacy topic. It uses Release 18 archive baselines from the 3GPP 36-series as the validation anchor for the reference rules behind the page.
- TS 36.211-j30: used for LTE frame-structure validation, especially TDD uplink/downlink configuration patterns and special subframe handling.
- TS 36.213-j30: used as the modulation and coding context reference for DL and UL shared-channel behavior and MCS interpretation.
- TS 36.306-j20: used as the UE capability reference for checking LTE UE category and supported data-rate ceilings.
In practice, this means the calculator is suitable for comparing LTE deployment options, sanity-checking lab expectations, and benchmarking category claims, while still requiring a cross-check against the actual UE, band combination, and network feature set.
Release note: Release 18 does not change LTE into a new throughput formula. The value of the Release 18 check is that the page remains aligned with the latest maintained 36-series archive baselines and current LTE capability context.
Reference tables
LTE bandwidth to PRB mapping
| Channel bandwidth | Resource blocks |
|---|---|
| 1.4 MHz | 6 PRBs |
| 3 MHz | 15 PRBs |
| 5 MHz | 25 PRBs |
| 10 MHz | 50 PRBs |
| 15 MHz | 75 PRBs |
| 20 MHz | 100 PRBs |
LTE TDD UL/DL configuration summary
| Config | Periodicity | 10-subframe pattern | DL availability | UL availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 5 ms | D S U U U D S U U U | 2 full DL subframes + 2 special subframes | 6 UL subframes |
| 1 | 5 ms | D S U U D D S U U D | 4 full DL subframes + 2 special subframes | 4 UL subframes |
| 2 | 5 ms | D S U D D D S U D D | 6 full DL subframes + 2 special subframes | 2 UL subframes |
| 3 | 10 ms | D S U U U D D D D D | 6 full DL subframes + 1 special subframe | 3 UL subframes |
| 4 | 10 ms | D S U U D D D D D D | 7 full DL subframes + 1 special subframe | 2 UL subframes |
| 5 | 10 ms | D S U D D D D D D D | 8 full DL subframes + 1 special subframe | 1 UL subframe |
| 6 | 5 ms | D S U U U D S U U D | 3 full DL subframes + 2 special subframes | 5 UL subframes |
References
FAQ
Which LTE specifications are used to validate this calculator?
The page aligns its assumptions with 3GPP TS 36.211 for LTE frame structure and TDD special subframes, TS 36.213 for modulation and coding context, and TS 36.306 for UE category and peak data-rate capability context using Release 18 archive baselines.
Is this an actual cell throughput calculator or a peak LTE throughput estimator?
It is a theoretical throughput estimator. It helps compare bandwidth, layers, duplex mode, and scheduling assumptions, but it does not model scheduler behavior, retransmissions, RF impairments, or live-user contention.
Why can LTE TDD throughput be much lower than FDD with the same bandwidth and modulation?
TDD shares the frame between downlink, uplink, and special subframes. The selected UL/DL configuration and special subframe configuration directly reduce the symbols available for payload data.
Does the calculator support carrier aggregation?
Yes. You can add multiple component carriers and the tool sums the per-carrier downlink and uplink estimates into a total throughput result.
Why should I still compare the result with UE category limits?
The formula estimates what the configured radio resources could carry, but UE category, supported layer count, supported modulation, and transport block limits from TS 36.306 still cap what a device can actually sustain.