Monday, 7 January 2008
3G vs 4G
There has been more talk about 4G (fourth generation) mobile broadband recently and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN's) has announced that the first 4G field trials have been completed in Berlin.
As 4G seems to have taken a step closer to reality, I decided to do some research and find out what advantages 4G may offer over 3G. The specifications for 4G are not standardized yet but the following 3G vs 4G table gives an idea of what 4G is likely to provide.
The existing 3G W-CDMA standard will be replaced in 4G by VSF-OFCDM and VSF-CDMA. VSF-OFCDM allows extremely high downlink connections, both indoors and outdoors. VSF-CDMA provides high-efficiency, high-speed packet transmissions for the uplink.
The 4G adoption of concatenated FEC (Forward Error Correction) will allow much larger data packets to be transmitted and at the same time reduce the bit error rate. This will increase the overall data through-put.
One of the main advantages that 4G technology will have over 3G is higher data rates. This will benefit the end user by allowing faster access to multimedia and video while on the move.
We may still have to wait a while for 4G though, as it looks like 4G networks won't be launched until 2008 and won't become widely available until 2010.
As 4G seems to have taken a step closer to reality, I decided to do some research and find out what advantages 4G may offer over 3G. The specifications for 4G are not standardized yet but the following 3G vs 4G table gives an idea of what 4G is likely to provide.
| Technology | 3G | 4G |
| Frequency band | 1.8 - 2.5GHz | 2 - 8GHz |
| Bandwidth | 5-20MHz | 5-20MHz |
| Data rate | Up to 2Mbps | 100Mbps moving - 1Gbps stationary |
| Access | W-CDMA | VSF-OFCDM and VSF-CDMA |
| FEC | Turbo-codes | Concatenated codes |
| Switching | Circuit/Packet | Packet |
The existing 3G W-CDMA standard will be replaced in 4G by VSF-OFCDM and VSF-CDMA. VSF-OFCDM allows extremely high downlink connections, both indoors and outdoors. VSF-CDMA provides high-efficiency, high-speed packet transmissions for the uplink.
The 4G adoption of concatenated FEC (Forward Error Correction) will allow much larger data packets to be transmitted and at the same time reduce the bit error rate. This will increase the overall data through-put.
One of the main advantages that 4G technology will have over 3G is higher data rates. This will benefit the end user by allowing faster access to multimedia and video while on the move.
We may still have to wait a while for 4G though, as it looks like 4G networks won't be launched until 2008 and won't become widely available until 2010.
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22 comments:
lol this is true, its 2010 now and a couple networks are using it
your a douche for even suggesting ppl are using it.
wat do u call wimax
u who calls others douches
Sprint has 4G data plans now.
Why on earth do they keep going from 1G to 2G to 3G and 4G. Why not just go to 1H and 1I, etc.?????
they use G because G stands for Generation and combined with the number thay are read as 1st Generation (1G), 2nd Generation (2G), 3rd Generation(3G), and 4th Generation (4G) Technology.
I think its going to be a while until 4G phones really kick in. The T-Mobile G1 phone running Android has just been released and its still a 3G phone.
the G1 was released well over a year ago. It was the first android os and now android is on 2.1+ 4g will hit quick, its just a standard, just means the next phones will be more capable (mainly higher theoretical speeds are enforced) and google stays on top of standards pretty well.
There are a few companys using 4g as a standard now, so dont even say anything like "your a douche for saying people are using it". I bet within a few months after the iPhone 4g comes out, that it will be the standard for communication.
And just because something is labled 1g, 2g, 3g, or 4g, does not state what communication it uses! It is mostly a coincidence that the iPhone has stayed in tuned with that, seeing as its their 4th phone and its the 4th networking system.
THE NETWORK AND THE PHONES ARE DIFFERENT
What would be the latency in MS for 3g compared to 4G?
Anyone heard of 5G yet? I'm sure I heard someone mention it the other day. I guess we probably wont see it for a while seeing as it took so long to go from 3G to 4G.
Thanks for the info. I was considering getting a 4G phone, so you saved me a lot of money! Who needs to surf the net at 1Gbps! This is ridiculous. 3G's 2Mbps is basically cable speed, which is more than enough to surf the web, stream movies, etc... Do these 4G phones even have processors that could handle that speed? Probably, but how many times a day do you have to recharge them? Another thing: what about upload speeds?
I read an article a few weeks ago that was recent and had more info.
It said that only a couple of carriers were planning to go to 4G, but others were planning on 3G upgrades that were equal to or better than 4G for some things, but fell short on a few others.
Depending on what type of thing you're using the system for, the newer 3G upgrades may be a better choice, but for what I want to use it for, it looks like 4G is the better way to go, which means I'm going to have to wait a bit longer. I have no idea when 4G will be up and running in my area. Sprint told me they were currently upgrading here and was originally scheduled to be up and running around Sept or Oct last year but that it had got pushed back to Dec or Jan. So far we still do not have it and Sprint now has the progress of 4G on their website telling you what cities are now 4G and which ones are currently being upgraded and which ones are soon to follow. We are not on any of those lists. So who knows how long it will be before we get it here. It's almost a year since they said we were originally supposed to have had it and we're not even on the list on their website.
I have heard from friends that are in 4G cities that it is amazing.
If anyone has 4G with Sprint (or anyone else) please let me know how it is, especially for using the WiFi/MiFi to connect computers to the internet and streaming live video to the internet as well as view a live stream.
I do live video webcasting and it would be great to have something to connect the video production computer to to stream live video while being able to monitor it on a laptop the same way other viewers will see it, plus have someone chatting with viewers at the same time, all without having to worry about paying the cable guy to come out and set up a broadband connection for me at each location and hope they show up and being sure it is actually working by showtime.
In principle, a good happen, support the views of the author
Haven't we all not seen what happens to all new technology. THEY COME, THEY REALLY FAIL THEN PICK UP AFTER A FEW YEARS ARE ARE COMPLETELY SCRAPED LIKE THE CONCORDS. Right now i will only believe on the LTE that say they will be fully functional by the year 2012.DOOMSDAY
lots of misinfo...first, there is NO SUCH THING AS AN IPHONE 4G.... there is only an iPhone 4 which runs on 3g... and yes Sprint has "4G" plans but its a gimmick. It has not rolled out much because of 2 reasons...
1) very poor coverage area, even on sprint "4g" plan, you will most likely use standard 3g most of the time
2) it draws MUCH more power and strains batteries when compared to 3G, (similar to why phones with flash will always score poorly in battery life or how wifi drains more power) it wont be until 2012 for this tech to be commonplace...
Technically "4G" is actually 3G, by definition, it is not new technology and therefore is not a new generation. It is simply an improvement on current 3G tech. It is actually called 3GPP (LTE) and "4G" is simply a coined "slang" term for ease and marketing purposes. This is why other companies say they are making a 3G that is equal or better than 4G.... it's all the same thing. These generation terms are really irrelevant at this point because of the LTE ability (long term evolution) means the technology does not need to be replaced, just tweaked. We will most likely be on 3G for a very very long time. Think of it in car terms as we will be getting new models, not new makes.
that being said, I can't wait... that is ridiculously fast speeds, especially for a mobile/wireless device
As I understand it the FAA is trying to block 4g because the frequency is bumping GPS frequencys causing havoc with GPS operations. The military would not stand for such interference.
they need to get it in more cities.
check my blog out. similar subject.
http://whatssprints4g.blogspot.com/
only nokia have 4g power transmition like 3g , other are no power all late in video and voice
waiting for 5G !
Cool opinion you got here. It would be useful to find something more concerning this article. Thx you for give that information. Olia
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i know no 1 wil probably read this but if u do u r a douche bag
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