As the third generation of wireless mobile networks reaches the end of its development and the next generation looms on the horizon, the term 4G is being increasing thrown around as the latest buzz work for the mobile industry.
Technically speaking, no network or device commercially available as of writing can truly be described as 4G. The radio-communication division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines 4G, or IMT-Advanced, compliant technology as being capable, among other key features, of data rates in excess of “100 Mbit/s for high and 1 Gbit/s for low mobility” systems. However, with the progress of the industry as it is, the strict definition of the term seems to be in danger of irrelevance.
As outlined previously on Talkstandards here, a “4G” branded network has been launch in markets such as Sweden/Norway with TeliaSonera’s LTE network, which is theoretically able to achieve data rates of 50 Mbit/s down and 25 Mbit/s up (which is not far off those achievable in the real world). Sprint’s WiMAX network in the US and the newly released HTC Evo 4G, offered by Sprint, have similarly limited bandwidth compared to the ITU requirements.
These technologies are in some ways more accurately described as pre-4G or 3.75G or any other term that emphasises the “not quite 4G” aspect of the technology. However, are these not clunky labels when for all intents and purposes, and in the eyes of the market, these are 4G technologies? Compared to UMTS/WCDMA 3G speeds of 14 Mbit/s down and 5.8 Mbit/s up, LTE/WiMAX offer a considerably improved user experience. Especially in the context that the ITU requirements were set primarily as arbitrary research targets.
The other side of this is the branding of Cell C’s (South Africa’s third largest network provider) planned HSPA+, capable of speeds up to 21 Mbit/s, network as 4G, which is misleading to consumers. As opposed to LTE and WiMAX, which are new technologies, HSPA+ is merely an extension upon UMTS/WCDMA. However I do like Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys’ comments in response, which Hilton Tarrant summarized as:
“LTE is not about the fastest speeds, but rather about more capacity,” says Uys …… He argues that it’s about offering “proper” broadband to more people. Uys would like to see the average user experience (consistent) speeds of around 1Mbps.
At the end of the day, 4G should represent a marked step forward in mobile technology least the telecommunications fall victim to a self fulfilling prophecy, such as Moore’s law in the IT sector.
