LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and it is a standard for wireless data transmission that allows high-speed mobile communication. LTE is often used synonymously with 4G, though it represents a step below 4G. When you see the LTE symbol on your device, it means you’re connected to your carriers LTE network, and you can access the internet at high speed using your cellular data connection.

LTE calls, also known as Voice over LTE (VoLTE), are high-speed wireless communication standards for voice calls using mobile phones and data terminals. VoLTE has up to three times more voice and data capacity than older 3G UMTS and up to six times more than 2G GSM. It uses less bandwidth because VoLTEs packet headers are smaller than those of unoptimized VoIP/LTE. VoLTE calls are usually charged at the same rate as other calls.

If your carrier supports VoLTE, you can enable it on your iPhone by going to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and tapping Enable LTE or Settings > Mobile Data and tapping Enable LTE. If your carrier doesnt support VoLTE, youll see other options such as LTE or 4G, 3G, or 2G, depending on the wireless carrier.