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LTE Categories


You may have heard the term “Cat” before when it comes to Ethernet cables (e.g. Cat 5, Cat 6), but what about when someone is talking about cellular? “Cat” refers to the category of a 4G LTE modem (5G does NOT use categories). 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a cellular technology in which both voice and data service can operate.

Categories are used to define the performance specs of the LTE device. They range from 1 to 22 and differ with regards to the frequency band support as well as the upload and download speeds they are capable of running. For example, Cat 1 modems can download at up to 10 Mbps (megabits), while Cat 22 modems are going to receive download speeds of up to 4 Gbps (gigabits).

Cat 20

This is generally what most 5G modems are backwards compatible with. This is because in some cases, 5G network performance may be similar to that of 4G LTE. Cat 20 is a better choice for users needing more download bandwidth. Enterprise businesses like warehouses, hotels, or universities may opt for this type of modem. Throughput maxes out at 2000Mbps down and 300Mbps up. 

LTE Category

Max Download Speed

Max Upload Speed

Cat 1

10 Mbps

5 Mbps

Cat 3

100 Mbps

50 Mbps

Cat 4

150 Mbps

50 Mbps

Cat 6

300 Mbps

50 Mbps

Cat 7

300 Mbps

100 Mbps

Cat 11

600 Mbps

75 Mbps

Cat 12

600 Mbps

100 Mbps

Cat 15

800 Mbps

226 Mbps

Cat 18

1200 Mbps

300 Mbps

Cat 20

2000 Mbps

300 Mbps

Cat 22

4000 Mbps

450 Mbps