Estimate peak downlink and uplink data rates for any LTE configuration.
Carrier Configuration
Downlink (DL)Uplink (UL)
DL Peak Throughput
UL Peak Throughput
PRBs per CC
Total PRBs (all CCs)
RE per subframe (per CC)
Total (DL+UL)
How the numbers are derived
Formula: Layers × Qm × Code Rate × PRBs × 12 × 14 × (1−OH) × 1000 subframes/s × CCs
DL overhead assumed25%
UL overhead assumed8%
Max code rate0.9258 (948/1024)
Subframe duration1 ms (1000 subframes/s)
OFDM symbols per subframe14
Subcarriers per PRB12
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LTE peak throughput?
LTE peak throughput is the maximum theoretical data rate achievable under ideal radio conditions. Real-world throughput is typically 40–70% of the calculated peak due to varying signal quality, network load, control channel overhead, and retransmissions.
Does carrier aggregation add the throughputs together?
Yes — with carrier aggregation (CA), the UE can receive data on multiple component carriers (CCs) simultaneously. Each CC contributes its full throughput capacity, so 4 CCs at 20 MHz gives roughly 4× the throughput of a single 20 MHz carrier. CA is used in LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro.
What is the difference between FDD and TDD throughput?
In FDD (Frequency Division Duplex), DL and UL transmit on separate frequencies simultaneously, so peak DL and UL are independent. In TDD (Time Division Duplex), DL and UL share the same frequency and alternate in time — the DL/UL ratio determines how much of the time budget goes to each direction. A 75/25 DL/UL split means 75% of the time resource goes to downloading.