The Current Status of 3G and the Future of 4G 3G and 4G are two mobile communications standards that are currently in use. 3G is the third generation of the standard and 4G is the fourth and most recent generation. Each successive generation usually brings new base technologies, more network capacity for more data per user, and the potential for better voice quality. 3G became available in the United States in 2002 and 4G became available in 2009 (O’Malley). Although it is a previous generation of communications standards, 3G is still in use world-wide and will probably remain so for a few more years. 4G is still relatively new and has somewhat limited coverage, but it is only going to expand and get better.
Brief History
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There are over 190 3G networks operating in over 40 countries worldwide (3G vs 4G). 4G’s coverage pales in comparison to the massive 3G network. The only 4G coverage available at the present time is in the vicinity of large metropolitan areas. 3G’s data transfer speeds have a minimum data rate of 2 Mbit/s for stationary or walking users, and 384 kbit/s in a moving vehicle (About Mobile Technology). 4G on the other hand can be up to 10 times faster, but speeds like this are only capable in certain areas where the network is capable of supporting such speeds. 3G remains relevant due to its wide coverage when compared with 4G and its consistent and still relatively high data transfer speeds. But as the 4G network grows, the future of 3G isn’t very promising. It is only a matter of time before 4G takes over completely.
Brief History of 4G 4G is the fourth generation of cell phone mobile communications standards and successor of the 3G standards. The world's first publicly available 4G service was opened in the two Scandinavian capitals Stockholm and Oslo in 2009. 4G became available in the United States later in 2009. As opposed to earlier generations, a 4G system does not support traditional circuit-switched telephony service, but uses all-Internet Protocol (IP) based communication exclusively (3G vs 4G). 4G system provides mobile ultra-broadband internet access to laptops with
In 2009 Apple released the iPhone 3GS. The 3GS does everything faster the than iPhone 3G. Other upgrades include 3-megapixel built-in camera, longer battery life, Multimedia Messaging Support (MMS), cut, copy and paste functionality, and turn-by-turn GPS. Summer of 2010 witnessed the release of the iPhone 4. Apple once again delivered an attractive device that continues an impressive legacy of product innovation. Faster processing, FaceTime video calling, multitasking, high definition video capturing (720p), and editing are all noteworthy improvements separating itself from competition. (www.infoworld.com, 2011)
Ans. The 3G UMTS systems have two logical entities – the Node-B (the radio base station) and the Radio Network Controller (RNC) while the 4G LTE systems have only one logical node – the evolved Node-B (eNode-B).
Less than a decade ago, the telecom operators in the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan were upgrading their existing networks to high-speed 3G technologies. Now the world telecommunications industry is about the switching to the next-generation super-fast 4G technologies.
In terms of architecture, it has been very challenging to provide platform, and ability to render service with high availability from the providers of the first generation (1G) networks to 4G
A large problem with LTE and all wireless technology is their limitations when it comes to bandwidth. There can only be so much information flowing through the air at any given time, and with mobile network saturation on the rise, mobile operator are scrambling to get things running smoothly. Mobile operators have gone so far as to limit the amount of usage people can incur, charging them a set amount of money, and overcharging at that. If a user or family goes over the amount in which they subscribed to, they are charged outrageous overage fees. Mobile networks are also limited by building and object penetration, meaning when you walk into a building with thicker walls, there is a chance that you may not receive a signal. Geographical constraints also affect both mobile and fixed services, by making it almost impossible to provide an area with service, either because lines are unable to be ran, or the foliage and landscape block wireless transmissions.
One of the most heavily advertised areas of technology in the United States currently is 4G technology. Every commercial and advertisement promises fast speeds, great coverage, and exceptional service altogether. However, the competition proves to be extreme and unbalanced. Since its introduction on Sprint’s network, 4G, or fourth generation cellular technology, has revolutionized both the telecommunication arena while spilling into other technological fields. There is no end in sight for the relentless competition of expanding 4G technologies as coverage and network speeds continue to increase. Currently, 4G technology is offered by all major telecommunication carriers in the United States: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. However, the term “4G” has been loosely used. The best example of this can be associated with Sprint.
As technology evolves, scientists and entrepreneur create designs to distinguish the old from the new. In the world of mobile phones, the earliest cellular systems and phones were called 1G, meaning “first generation.” The next generation wasn’t too much of an improvement in the long run, but it was a new tool back when 1G was the new thing, now a new thing now today it’s called second generation, or 2G, to distinguish them from the earlier analog (1G) phones. While 2G phones were able to receive both digital and analog signals, earlier 1G phones were restricted to the analog networks. The increasing demands placed on mobile telephones to handle even more data than 3G could lead to the development of 4G technology. In 2008 the ITU set forward a list of requirements for what it called IMT-Advanced, or 4G. These requirements included data rates of 1 gigabit per second for a stationary user and 100 megabits per second for a moving user. This is where our generation are today while major corporation are working on the new generation, fifth generation, at least that is what the public assumes what it will be called. Its rumored to be able to include data rates of 1 gigabit per second while moving and 10 Gigabits when stationary.
Since the introduction of the first mobile phone in 1924, there has been a steady climb in developing and enhancing, the mobile phone and its supporting technologies. The cellular network infrastructures as well as service providers have been hard at work; in making sure they are providing the best service as well as devices. The infrastructure alone
The iPhone 4 uses a Micro Sim card on Iphone 4s running on a GSM network. On CDMA network phones, the phone connects to the network using an ESN. As on all prior models, all data is stored in flash memory.
Today we are in Fourth Generation; it is categorized based on its characteristic services and features like transmission signals, data transmission rate, bandwidth frequency and nature of the services provided. First generation (1G) is introduced in 1980, so each generation had been comes at the end of every decade. First generation used analog signals, circuit switching and FDMA with 30 kHz channels occupying the 824MHz 894MHz frequency band .First generation supports only voice transmission .The data was not reliable; there were interrupted communication and few other problems in First Generation [1]. Second Generation (2G) technology was established in 1990, which used digital signals for transmission and two digital modulation schemes TDMA and CDMA with circuit switched network . Second Generation uses the existing radio spectrum to provide the services. It was developed to overcome the previous generation’s drawbacks, and to have data and voice transmission. But this generation also has few drawbacks like
While much of the world is connecting their personal devices to fast data sharing 4G mobile networks, on other hand industry pioneers are shaping next generation networks to feed the world’s increasing
A company can improve its revenue and profits through high speed internet connection available with the help of 4G technology.
They released the worlds first 4G phone,the Evo 4G.The phone is one of the most powerful phone in the world today and its planning to capture the market by being ready for 4G out of the box.
In Asia, Europe, Canada and the USA, telecommunication companies use W-CDMA technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks.
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is 4G wireless communications standard radio platform technologies that allow operators to achieve higher peak throughputs than HSPA+ in higher spectrum bandwidth. LTE was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and this began in 2004, with an official LTE work item started in 2006 and a completed 3GPP Release 8 specification in March 2009. Initial deployments of LTE began in late 2009, and it is part of the GSM evolutionary path for mobile broadband, following EDGE, UMTS, HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA combined) and HSPA Evolution (HSPA+). Although HSPA and its evolution are strongly positioned to be the dominant mobile data technology for the next decade, the 3GPP family of standards must evolve toward the future. HSPA+ will provide the stepping-stone to LTE for many operators.