Mobile Internet. Computers and Internet

home Most clients purchasing smartphones and modems mobile communications

, want to get a fast and high-quality Internet connection. Today, absolutely all smartphones and modems on the market are equipped with a so-called 3g connection, and modern models have a 4g connection. However, what is the difference between 3g and 4g? How to understand what is better and what to pay attention to?

3g and 4g - what is the difference 3g is the third generation of mobile communications, which combines high-speed access to the Internet, as well as a certain set of functions related to radio communications and communication. basis of this type

communication is packet data transmission. 3ji operates on the border of two existing bands - decimeter and centimeter, therefore it allows data transmission speeds of up to 3.6 Mbit/s. this allows absolutely any user to view available information on the Internet, read mail, and view pictures. In addition, it is possible to listen to music and watch your favorite films and videos online. 3ji is represented on the market in five families of standards: UWC-136, DECT, TD-CDMA/TD-SCDMA, CDMA2000/IMT-MC and UMTS/WCDMA. The most common and widely available technologies are CDMA2000 and UMTS. 4g is a technology fourth generation

currently existing mobile communications. Its main difference from 3G is considered to be increased requirements, which make it possible to provide users with the highest speed Internet without interruptions. The difference between 3g and 4g Internet is that in the first mode there will be significant speed restrictions, there is no way to view videos and high resolution

. In addition, not all Google maps will load and be displayed evenly and colorfully. While 4G Internet is distinguished by providing not only fast access, but also the ability to watch your favorite movie at maximum settings.

Lte and 4 G - what's the difference?

LTE is a standard for wireless high-speed data transmission, which is distinguished by high settings and functions. Allows you to transfer data over distances, watch movies, listen to music at maximum resolutions with a maximum delay of the incoming signal of up to 5 milliseconds. Currently, this technology is only 50% widespread in Russia, but there is a tendency that in the future its coverage throughout the country will reach 90-100%. Sometimes LTE can also be called the same as 4G, so we can say that there is no significant difference between them.

What is 2g, 3g and 4g in a smartphone

In 2g 3g and 4g smartphone these are all the same mobile communication technologies that allow users to enjoy internet access. What is the difference between 3g and 4g internet on a phone? The difference between them is speed and features.

For example, 2g will only allow you to read news, view photos and download them, however, this will not be enough to watch videos. It is worth noting that 2g has advantages over its newer counterparts. It can work in cases where other networks are down due to server overload, so it is often used as a lifeline.

It is worth saying that in the near future something new awaits us. Already now, all major mobile operators in Russia are working on the development new technology in the country.

3g and 4g in a tablet

The presence of one or another network in a tablet makes it possible not only to play, but also to use it for calls, communication and other things. But it’s worth considering that tablets that support 3g and 4g technologies are more expensive and run out of charge much faster.

Most users wonder whether the 3G connection is very different from the 4G connection? We can confidently answer that the differences between 3g and 4g networks lie in data transfer speed, efficiency and cost in general, and user convenience.

HSPA - what is it?

HSPA is a high-speed packet access technology that combines high-speed access capabilities using a downlink channel.

You can also read in more detail articles on the topic: “4g Internet which operator is better”, and also find out

Due to the fact that more and more operators have begun to offer 3G Internet in Ukraine and other nearby countries, it would be useful to consider the main differences between 2G, 3G and 4G.

Indeed, for the majority, unfortunately, this is just a dry number. It is clear that 3G is better than 2G - the number is higher.

Actually, this is where the knowledge of most modern users ends. They fly to stores to buy a new SIM card for their 3G smartphone or call operators with questions about how to connect this very 3G.

But it would be better to understand what these technologies are all about and whether it is really always better to switch to 3G from 2G, as well as what 4G has to offer.

It will be interesting!

1. Introduction

2G, 3G and 4G stand for “second generation”, “third generation” and “fourth generation” respectively.

The letter G in this case stands for “Generation”, which is translated as “generation”.

All of these are sets of communication standards. Each generation is a set of standards designed for phones and other multimedia devices. They are developing in parallel with these devices.

As phones began to support text messaging and then the Internet, standards began to provide these features as well.

Today, these standards work not only for phones, but also for tablets and other devices into which a SIM card can be inserted.

This is in common parlance, but now let’s move on to what are the features and differences of each of these generations.

2.2G

Basic information about this generation of communication standards:

• maximum data transfer speed – 10 Kb/sec;
• developed in the 90s of the last century;
• the most common standards are GSM, D-AMPS and IS-95, which over time grew into the more well-known CDMA today;
• the main purpose is to support voice communication, although the Internet is also present here.

And now in more detail about what 2G is.

Rice. No. 2. 2G

- A little bit of history

After the 1G generation had become obsolete, 2G was born. The very first generation was designed exclusively for voice communication.

In principle, not much has changed in 2G, it’s just that voice communication has become more advanced - the sound is higher quality and clearer, security has been improved, there is less interference, and so on.

But at that time, these changes were simply revolutionary! Anyone could freely communicate with their friend from a very distant point globe, and the sound quality was very good.

Actually, there is nothing more to say about this generation - the set of standards has long been outdated, although at that time it was something revolutionary.

- Possibilities

For this purpose, appropriate standards have been developed. New “half-generations” began to appear (after all, there was also 2.5G, 2.75G, and so on, although why such a classification should be made remains a mystery to this day).

But the operating principle of this generation was similar to the operation of an Internet modem that worked through telephone networks.

It was impossible to be on the Internet and make a call using any of the standards at the same time. And yet, humanity has finally become one step closer to the dream called 3G.

3.3G

Basic information about this generation:

• the most well-known standards are UMTS and CDMA200;
• communication speed – 3 Mb/sec;
• support for high-speed data transfer with all the ensuing consequences;
• provides opportunities that were previously simply out of the realm of science fiction.

The 3G generation was a real breakthrough, because it gave people what they wanted.

Now any user can watch videos from YouTube, even television channels, download anything and chat with friends on Skype only using a 3G Internet connection. This was a real breakthrough.

Today, most mobile operators offer their customers starter packages or tariffs with 3G.

For this generation of standards to work, special towers are needed, which are now being actively installed in Ukraine.

True, being at some distance from one of these towers, good internet the client cannot see. And this is far from the only drawback of 3G, but first things first.

- More details about 3G capabilities

So, for some, 3G works as fast as the Internet from a regular router.

Although, if we talk about Ukraine, then a speed of 3 Mb/sec is simply ridiculous. But it also allows you to watch videos in online mode and perform many other operations.

Among all the features of this generation, the following should be noted:

• Multimedia messaging. So you can add a video, some “heavy” picture or something else to a regular e-mail.
• Downloading a variety of content. It could be the same movies, music or even games of several GB.
• Conducting video conferences. With the 2G generation, one could only dream of communicating with someone via Skype or another instant messenger. But 3G makes it possible to talk simultaneously with several friends from different parts of the globe.
• Receiving streaming information. This could be online television or constant updates of some information, for example, exchange rates, stock exchange quotes, and the like.
• Full use online games. With 3G you can safely play your favorite WoT or other similar game.
• Using navigation or simply satellite data - with 3G even ordinary Google Maps They work many times faster.
• Using programs for remote control. They require high-speed Internet to work, and 3G provides this opportunity. By the way, the most famous of these programs can be considered TeamViewer (to make it clear what we are talking about).

In general, if earlier one could only dream of such opportunities and they were only available with a connection via a router, now all this has become available via the regular Internet from mobile operator.

Rice. No. 5. 3G

- Differences between 2G and 3G

Of course, 3G is much faster (3 Mbps vs. 10 Kbps), smarter, more efficient, more functional, and so on.

But the main differences between this set of standards and 2G are as follows:

• 2G primarily provides voice communications, and 3G is a multifunctional family of standards that can provide all the capabilities of the regular Internet.
• These are completely different standards, although, of course, the standards from 3G one way or another originate in 2G standards. But in most cases, 3G does not use old standards.
• 3G has a higher efficiency in using the channels through which information is transmitted. Hence the increase in throughput and, accordingly, data transfer speed.
• Higher reliability of transmission of the same SMS messages compared to 2G.

It would seem that everything is very good and 3G is simply the embodiment modern technologies in every house. But this generation also has its shortcomings.

- Not so simple

The disadvantages of 3G and the advantages of 2G include the following:

• Coverage dependent. As mentioned above, if you are far from a 3G tower, or in general where the network reception is poor, you can forget about the Internet. In the case of 2G, the Internet was available wherever the network was at least somewhat accessible.
• When the network is overloaded, 3G simply crashes. If you're interested, this effect is caused by the so-called "cell breathing", which reduces the quality of communication when the cell is overloaded.
• Difficult to adjust. When problems occur, specialists need to fix the problem as quickly as possible, and this is almost always very difficult.

In general, experts say that 2G and 3G are still for a long time will peacefully coexist together, like two brothers.

When the network coverage is sufficient, 3G will work, but otherwise the familiar 2G will take effect. But now a completely new technology has appeared, 4G.

If you compare all these standards with their brothers, then 4G will be a kind of upstart. This brother is the youngest, but all the relatives do not know what to expect from him.

By at least, this is exactly the situation that has developed in the market now: someone says that 4G is great, and someone proves to everyone that this is just a deception and an advertising gimmick. Let's figure it out!

4.4G

Basic information:

• the most well-known standards are LTE and WiMAX (although there is still debate about whether these standards should even be classified as this generation);
• based on the requirements, the standards must provide a speed of 1 Gb/s for a regular connection and 100 Mb/s for a mobile connection;
• a more economical technology, if you take the cost and coverage area of ​​one 4G tower and the same data for 3G, and even more so 2G.

But, again, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance.

- Some food for thought

Yes, there are standards that should provide the above connection speed, but in practice everything turns out completely differently.

These requirements are very strict and their use will be too expensive. Therefore, to date, not a single company in the world has provided full-fledged 4G.

In practice, the LTE standard provides 4-30 Mb/s, and WiMAX - about 40 Mb/s. This is very far from the stated 100 Mb/s and 1 Gb/s.

Moreover, experts agree that companies that will make full-fledged 4G will not appear soon.

Therefore, for now it is better to focus on combining 3G and 2G - an old but proven tandem, which, moreover, came to Ukraine quite recently.

- Possibilities

If we talk about the capabilities of 4G, then their list will be exactly the same as that of 3G, only everything will happen faster.

This way, movies and videos will load faster, information will be updated more often, and video conferences will run smoothly.

Of course, thanks to this it is possible to somewhat expand these possibilities.

So now he can participate in the same conference more people. The user will be able to watch several videos simultaneously and at the same time correspond in ten instant messengers. Yes, 4G allows this.

Rice. No. 8. 4G

- Differences between 4G and 3G

The main differences between these generations are as follows:

• Speed. The main difference, of course, is speed. Manufacturers claim that 4G is at least 10 times faster than 3G. And this is true, but, as we said above, it was initially expected to be many times more.
• Completely different standards, which, by the way, it’s not really clear whether they can even be attributed to this family (if we talk about 4G).

Otherwise, everything is very similar - the same frequency range, the same functions, but different technologies.

It is interesting that in most cases, where they claim full use of 4G, the devices switch to 3G to make a voice call.

In fact, 4G is fully implemented only in some countries, for example in South Korea, where VoLTE technology is used. And the reason for this is the very low popularity of this generation.

In turn, the reasons for the low popularity of 4G can be reduced to the following factors:

• devices working with this generation are very expensive and run out of charge quickly;
• Too little time has passed since 3G and users are simply not ready for 4G;
• investors support the 4G project very little (in principle, this is due to the first two points of this list).

To summarize all of the above, we can say that the differences between 2G, 3G and 4G lie in the data transfer speed and the range of available features.

You can clearly see the difference in speed in the video below.

A 3G connection is the most common type of data transmission today using the Android OS. And, if there are no problems using this communication standard, then correct setting sometimes it takes time. Largely required settings are already programmed into the phone for a specific regional operator, but there are often situations when the owner of this device is forced to enter data for each APN point independently.

In most cases, users do not need to configure anything

What to do if 3G does not turn on

The first step is to check your SIM card balance. Then make sure that the 3G service is connected and included in the tariff price. Just call your operator's call center and find out whether the tariff plan you are using actually includes 3G Internet services.

After making sure that the 3G service is connected and there is money in your account, go to the “Settings” menu on your smartphone. Next, select the “Data Transfer” section. Then you need to press the “Mobile network” button and turn it on if it is turned off. On different models of smartphones with Android OS, the names of the sections in the settings may differ slightly, but the principle is the same and intuitive.

ATTENTION. Remember that 3G Internet will only work if data transfer from the SIM card is enabled.

Setting up an access point (APN)

Having completed the previous three steps, you are already close to solving the problem. Now all that remains is to configure the APN according to your communication service provider and enable it. The setting is hidden somewhere in “Data Transfer”, usually hidden under the “Advanced” or “More” buttons on Android.

By going to the menu dedicated to APN data settings, select “New access point”. You will need to include data, of which you will only fill in “Access Point (APN)”, “Username” and “Password”. The remaining fields can be left blank.

• MTS: access point - internet.mts.ru, username - mts, password - mts;
• Megafon: access point - megafon, username - megafon, password - megafon;
• Beeline: access point - internet.beeline.ru, username - beeline, password - beeline;
• TELE2: access point - internet.teleru, do not enter username and password.

Now the smartphone is ready for web surfing and downloading files. If you still couldn’t set up 3G Internet on Android, check whether the SIM card is working and whether it is located correctly in the smartphone. There are often cases when the problem of connecting to the network was a poorly installed SIM card.

If you cannot connect to the Internet on Android, try visiting the website of your mobile operator and find answers to your concerns there. Often these sites already have a FAQ section where you can find a solution for your specific situation.

Conclusion

Don't forget to turn off Data when you are not using 3G. This advice is useful for all situations, unless you have unlimited 3G Internet. Android with 3G connected to it loves to update installed programs and download new ones, and this invariably affects traffic. And if the traffic on the tariff has its own limit, this constant flow of updates and downloadable software can leave you without the Internet until the end of the day or slightly reduce your account balance.

A tablet is usually purchased in order to be constantly connected to the Internet. Connecting to the Internet via 3G is one of the most advanced technologies today, while 4G networks have not yet become widespread. This connection allows you to obtain a speed sufficient for work and, unlike Wi-Fi, works almost everywhere where there is coverage from mobile operators.

Setting up the 3G module

How to set up 3G on a tablet if such a module is already included in the tablet computer? To do this, you need to insert a microSIM card from one of the operators cellular communication into the tablet.

At the same time, the 3G adapter on the tablet must be compatible with domestic operators. After turning on the tablet, the connection should work immediately. You may need to go to “settings>mobile network settings>account” to configure the connection by entering the APN username, your username and password (in various models names may differ). Data for setting up different operators can be found on the Internet.

Example for setting up a connection on an iPad:

1) Go to settings and click “cellular data”

2) Click on “APN settings”

3) In the APN section, enter the required data. In this case, the name and password fields can be left blank

After this, the settings are completed.

Connecting a 3G modem

How to set up 3G on a tablet without a 3G module? To do this, you need to purchase a USB modem to connect to the 3G network. You just need to choose a modem model compatible with your tablet. It is also necessary for the tablet to support USB modems, but this depends on the firmware and not all devices yet have this support. And through the hyperterminal (the program is HyperTerminal, available on the Internet) you need to remove CD-image support from the modem and switch it to “modem only” mode. Install HyperTerminal on a desktop computer (in Windows XP it may already be pre-installed and located in the “Standard>Communications” section) and connect the modem for configuration. First, through the software installed from the modem, remove the PIN code check in the settings. Then, through HyperTerminal, switch to “modem only” mode.

Then on the tablet, go to the Settings>Wireless networks>Mobile network menu and check the “Data transfer” checkbox. Insert the modem and wait for the tablet to detect it and the network icon to appear (up to 30 seconds). To add a new connection point, go to “APN access point” and “menu”. When creating a new connection point, you must enter your operator's details. If the modem was purchased tied to a specific operator, then some data will already be entered. After returning to the “APN Access Point” window, the configured access point should be selected and after a few seconds the “3G” icon will appear. After this, the setup is considered complete.

An example of setting up an Android tablet when connecting a 3G modem:

1) Go to Settings>Wireless Networks and check “3G”, then go to “Mobile Network”

2) Check “Data transfer” and connect the modem to the tablet. After that, click “APN Access Point”.

3) Press “Menu” and “New access point”. Enter operator details.

5) Go to the “APN Access Point” window and wait for your access point to become active.

If the APN is not saved, then check that SIM card PIN code entry has been disabled or the tablet needs to be rebooted. If the modem does not work correctly, carefully check the compatibility of the modem and the tablet. Do not forget to switch the modem to “modem only” mode before setting it up. It is advisable to insert the modem into the same socket, otherwise on some models problems arise when working with different sockets.

3G settings menu

If there is a “3G settings” item in the menu (available in some tablet models), then enter this menu, connect the modem and select “Add 3G network”. Here you need to enter your operator data and click Connect, after which “3G” should appear at the top. The connection has occurred and everything should work.

If the described menu items are not available on the tablet, you may need to install Quick Settings downloaded from the market.

Do not forget that there must be good 3G coverage and the signal is not weak, otherwise the connection will be interrupted.

It's hard to believe, but cell phones were actually called "phones" back in the day, not smartphones, not superphones... They fit into your pocket and can make calls. That's all. None social networks, messaging, uploading photos. They can't upload a 5MP photo to Flickr and they certainly can't turn into a wireless hotspot.

Of course, those dark days are far behind us, but as promising next-generation wireless high-speed data networks continue to emerge around the world, many things are starting to seem confusing. What is “4G”? It's higher than 3G, but does it mean it's better? Why are all four US national carriers suddenly calling their networks 4G? Answers to these questions require a short excursion into the history of the development of wireless technologies.

For starters, "G" stands for "generation," so when you hear someone refer to a "4G network," that means they're talking about a wireless network built on fourth-generation technology. Using the definition of “generation” in this context leads to all the confusion that we will try to sort out.

1G

The story begins with the emergence of several innovative network technologies in the 1980s: AMPS in the US and a combination of TACS and NMT in Europe. Although several generations of mobile phone services existed before, the trifecta of AMPS, TACS and NMT are considered the first generation (1G) because these technologies allowed mobile phones to become a mainstream product.

In the days of 1G, no one thought about data services - these were purely analog systems, conceived and designed solely for voice calls and a few other modest capabilities. Modems existed, however, due to the fact that wireless connection more susceptible to noise and distortion than regular wired, the data transfer speed was incredibly slow. In addition, the cost of a minute of conversation in the 80s was so high that a mobile phone could be considered a luxury.

Separately, I would like to mention the world’s first automatic mobile communication system “Altai”, which was launched in Moscow in 1963. "Altai" was supposed to become a full-fledged telephone installed in a car. You could simply talk on it, like on a regular telephone (i.e., the sound passed in both directions at the same time, the so-called duplex mode). To call another Altai or a regular phone, it was enough to simply dial the number - like on a desk telephone, without any channel switching or conversations with the dispatcher. A similar system in the USA, IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone Service), was launched in the pilot area a year later. And its commercial launch took place only in 1969. Meanwhile, in the USSR, by 1970, Altai was installed and was successfully operating in about 30 cities. By the way, in Voronezh and Novosibirsk the system is still in effect.

2G

The early 90s saw the rise of the first digital cellular networks, which had a number of advantages over analogue systems. Improved sound quality, greater security, increased performance - these are the main advantages. GSM began its development in Europe, while D-AMPS and Qualcomm's early version of CDMA started in the US.

These nascent 2G standards do not yet support their own tightly integrated data services. Many of these networks support short text messaging (SMS), as well as CSD technology, which allowed data to be transmitted digitally to the station. This effectively meant that you could transfer data faster - up to 14.4 kbps, which was comparable to the speed of landline modems in the mid-90s.

In order to initiate data transfer using CSD technology, it was necessary to make a special “call”. It was like a telephone modem - you were either connected to the network or not. Given that tariff plans at that time were measured in tens of minutes, and CSD was akin to an ordinary call, there was almost no practical use of the technology.

2.5G

The introduction of the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) in 1997 was a turning point in the history of cellular communications because it offered continuous data transmission technology to existing GSM networks. With new technology, you can use data only when needed - no more stupid CSD like a phone modem. In addition, GPRS can operate at a higher speed than CSD - theoretically up to 100 kBit/s, and operators have the opportunity to charge traffic rather than time on the line.

GPRS appeared at a very opportune moment - when people began to continuously check their email accounts.

This innovation did not allow one to be added to the mobile generation. While GPRS technology was already on the market, International Union Telecommunications (ITU) amounted to new standard- IMT-2000 - confirming the specifications of “real” 3G. The key point was to provide data transfer rates of 2 Mbit/s for fixed terminals and 384 kBit/s for mobile terminals, which was not possible with GPRS.

Thus, GPRS was stuck between generations of 2G, which it was superior to, and 3G, which it was not. This was the beginning of a generational split.

3G, 3.5G, 3.75G... and 2.75G too

In addition to the aforementioned data speed requirements, the 3G specifications called for easy migration from second-generation networks. To this end, a standard called UMTS became the top choice for GSM operators, and the CDMA2000 standard provided backward compatibility. Following the precedent of GPRS, the CDMA2000 standard offers its own continuous data transmission technology called 1xRTT. The confusing thing is that although CDMA2000 is officially a 3G standard, it provides data transfer speeds only slightly faster than GPRS - around 100 kBit/s.

The EDGE standard - Enhanced Data-rates for GSM Evolution - was conceived as easy way GSM network operators can squeeze extra juice out of 2.5G installations without investing heavily in hardware upgrades. With a phone that supported EDGE, you could get twice the speed of GPRS, which was pretty good for the time. Many European operators did not bother with EDGE and were committed to introducing UMTS.

So, where does EDGE belong? It's not as fast as UMTS or EV-DO, so you can tell it's not 3G. But it's clearly faster than GPRS, which means it must be better than 2.5G, right? Indeed, many people would call EDGE a 2.75G technology.

A decade later, CDMA2000 networks received an upgrade to EV-DO Revision A, which offers slightly higher downstream speeds and much faster upstream speeds. The original specification, called EV-DO Revision 0, capped outgoing speeds at 150 kBit/s, but the new version makes it ten times faster. Thus, we got 3.5G! The same for UMTS: HSDPA and HSUPA technologies made it possible to add speed for incoming and outgoing traffic.

Further enhancements to UMTS will use HSPA+, dual-carrier HSPA+, and HSPA+ Evolution, which will theoretically provide throughput from 14 Mbps to a staggering 600 Mbps. So, can we say that we have entered a new generation, or can it be called 3.75G by analogy with EDGE and 2.75G?

4G is a deception all around

Just as it did with the 3G standard, the ITU has taken control of 4G by tying it to a specification known as IMT-Advanced. The document calls for incoming data speeds of 1 Gbit/s for fixed terminals and 100 Mbit/s for mobile ones. This is 500 and 250 times faster compared to IMT-2000. These are truly enormous speeds that can outpace an ordinary DSL modem or even a direct connection to a broadband channel.

Wireless technologies play a key role in providing broadband access in rural areas. It is more cost-effective to build one 4G station that will provide communication over a distance of tens of kilometers than to cover farmland with a blanket of fiber optic lines.

Unfortunately, these specifications are so aggressive that no commercial standard in the world meets them. Historically, WiMAX and Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which are destined to achieve the same success as CDMA2000 and GSM, have been considered fourth generation technologies, but this is only partly true: they both use new, extremely efficient multiplexing schemes (OFDMA, in unlike the old CDMA or TDMA that we have been using for the last twenty years) and they both lack a voice channel. 100 percent of their capacity is used for data services. This means that voice transmission will be treated as VoIP. Considering how data-centric modern mobile society is, this can be considered a good solution.

Where WiMAX and LTE fail is in data transfer speeds, their theoretical values ​​are at the level of 40 Mbit/s and 100 Mbit/s, and in practice, real-life speeds of commercial networks do not exceed 4 Mbit/s and 30 Mbit/s accordingly, which in itself is very good, but does not meet the high goals of IMT-Advanced. Updating these standards - WiMAX 2 and LTE-Advanced promise to do this job, but it is still not complete and there are still no real networks that use them.

However, it can be argued that the original WiMAX and LTE standards are sufficiently different from the classic 3G standards to warrant a generational shift. Indeed, most operators around the world that have deployed such networks call them 4G. Obviously this is being used as marketing and the ITU has no power to counter it. Both technologies (LTE in particular) will soon be deployed by many telecom operators around the world over the next few years, and the use of the "4G" name will only increase.

And that's not the end of the story. US operator T-Mobile, which has not announced its intention to upgrade its HSPA network to LTE any time soon, has decided to start branding the upgrade to HSPA+ as 4G. In principle, this move makes sense: 3G technology could eventually reach speeds faster than just LTE, approaching IMT-Advanced requirements. There are many markets where T-Mobile's HSPA+ network is faster than Sprint's WiMAX. And neither Sprint, Verizon, nor MetroPCS - the three US carriers with live WiMAX/LTE networks - offer VoIP services. They continue to use their 3G frequencies for voice and will continue to do so for some time. Plus, T-Mobile is going to upgrade to 42Mbps speeds this year without even touching LTE!

It may be this move by T-Mobile that has sparked a global rethink of what "4G" really means among consumers. mobile phones. AT&T, which is in the process of transitioning to HSPA+ and will begin offering LTE in some markets later this year, calls both of these networks 4G. So all four US national carriers stole the "4G" name from the ITU - they took it, ran with it, and changed it.

conclusions

So, what does all this give us? Operators appear to have won this battle: the ITU recently backtracked, saying the term 4G "can be applied to the technology's predecessors, LTE and WiMAX, as well as other evolved 3G technologies that provide significant improvements in performance and capabilities over the initial third-generation system." . And in some ways we think that's fair - no one would argue that the so-called "4G" networks of today resemble the 3G networks of 2001. We can stream video very High Quality, download large files in the blink of an eye, and even, under certain conditions, use some of these networks as a DSL replacement. Sounds like a generational leap!

It is not known whether WiMAX 2 and LTE-Advanced will be called "4G" by the time they become available, but I think not - the capabilities of these networks will be very different from the 4G networks that exist today. And let's be honest: Marketing departments have no shortage of generational names.