4G Technology

     4G , short for fourth generation , is the fourth
generation of mobile telecommunications
technology, succeeding 3G and preceding 5G .
A 4G system, in addition to the usual voice and
other services of 3G, provides mobile
broadband Internet access, for example to
laptops with wireless modems , to
smartphones , and to other mobile devices.
Potential and current applications include
amended mobile web access, IP telephony ,
gaming services, high-definition mobile TV,
video conferencing, 3D television , and cloud
computing .

    
 First things first, the "G" stands for a generation
of mobile technology, installed in phones and on
cellular networks. Each "G" generally requires you
to get a new phone, and for networks to make
expensive upgrades. The first two were analog
cell phones (1G) and digital phones (2G). Then it
got complicated.
Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to
the U.S. in 2003. With minimum consistent
Internet speeds of 144Kbps, 3G was supposed to
bring "mobile broadband." There are now so
many varieties of 3G, though, that a "3G"
connection can get you Internet speeds anywhere
from 400Kbps to more than ten times that.
New generations usually bring new base
technologies, more network capacity for more
data per user, and the potential for better voice
quality, too.
4G phones are supposed to be even faster, but
that's not always the case. There are so many
technologies called "4G," and so many ways to
implement them, that the term is almost
meaningless. The International
Telecommunications Union, a standards body,
tried to issue requirements to call a network 4G
but they were ignored by carriers, and eventually
the ITU backed down. 4G technologies include
HSPA+ 21/42, WiMAX, and LTE (although some
consider LTE the only true 4G of that bunch, and
some people say none of them are fast enough to
qualify.)
There are many different ways to implement LTE,
too, so you can't assume all LTE speeds are the
same. Carriers with more available radio
spectrum for LTE can typically run faster
networks than carriers with less spectrum, for
instance.
This confusion is why we run our annual Fastest
Mobile Networks story, which tests 3G and 4G
networks in 30 cities nationwide. In this year's
tests, we generally found that on speed alone
AT&T's 4G LTE network was the fastest, followed
by T-Mobile LTE, Verizon LTE, T-Mobile HSPA+,
Sprint LTE, AT&T HSPA, Verizon 3G and finally
Sprint 3G. As Sprint ramps up its faster "Spark"
LTE network, we expect its LTE speeds to rise to
competitive levels.

     If you like to surf the Web and especially stream
video, 4G can be heaven. If you connect a laptop
to your mobile link, 4G makes a huge difference.
In general, anything involving transferring large
amounts of data gets a big boost from 4G. Watch
out for the data limits on your service plan,
though; it's easy to use up a lot of data very
quickly with 4G.
If you have a 3G phone and you've been
frustrated with slow data, 4G may be the
solution. 4G won't solve any dropped call
problems, though, as all calls will be made over
older networks until carriers switch to voice-over-
LTE during the next few years.
Finally, if you want to future-proof yourself, get a
4G phone. 4G coverage is only going to get
better, and that's where the carriers are spending
most of their money right now. You can assume
that all 4G phones also support your carrier's 3G
and 2G networks as well.
Should You Even Consider 3G?
There are a few reasons you might still settle for
a 3G phone.
If your phone is mostly for voice use, you have no
need for 4G data. Save money and save battery
life by choosing a device without the high-speed
network.
If you live in an area that doesn't have 4G
coverage, there's no advantage to a 4G phone. In
fact, you'll have serious battery life problems if
you buy an LTE phone and don't disable 4G LTE,
as the radio's search for a non-existent signal
will drain your battery quickly.
If you're strapped for cash and buying a phone off
contract, you may have to settle for 3G to save
money. In that case, make sure to get the fastest
3G phone possible. On Verizon and Sprint, you
want to check that it supports "EVDO Rev A." On
T-Mobile and AT&T, you want the highest class of
HSPA+ possible: if not 42 or 21, then 14.4.