UPSC Prelims 2019·GS1·science-and-technology·it and communication

With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference/differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)? 1. LTE is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G. 2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. A1 only
  2. B2 only
  3. CBoth 1 and 2
  4. DNeither 1 nor 2Correct

Explanation

Let's analyze the differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution): 1. LTE is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G. This statement is incorrect. LTE is widely marketed as 4G technology, representing a significant advancement over 3G (like UMTS or HSPA). VoLTE is a technology that specifically enables voice calls over the 4G LTE data network, thus building upon and enhancing 4G capabilities, not 3G. 2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology. This statement is incorrect. LTE is primarily designed as a data-centric technology for high-speed internet access. However, it can support voice calls through various mechanisms, including circuit-switched fallback (CSFB) to 2G/3G networks, or, more efficiently, using Voice over IP (VoIP) if VoLTE is not available. VoLTE, on the other hand, is specifically designed to carry voice traffic as data packets over the LTE network, providing higher quality voice calls and enabling simultaneous voice and data usage. Therefore, neither is 'only' data or 'only' voice. Thus, neither statement 1 nor statement 2 is correct.
science-and-technology: With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference/differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) a

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