What is the difference between 3G and 4G?
There is a lot of talk about the wait for the new iPhone 4G, with its launch supposedly during Summer 2011, and hitting the market in Malaysia may be another additional 6 months wait.
Both 3G and 4G are standards for mobile telecommunications, with the “G” representing the word ‘generation’. The main differences is probably the significant improvement in speed and delivery of data, but you may say that the 4G is a totally different technology compared to the generations from 1G right up to the 3.5G technology. 3G is digital and transfers through broadband using packet data. 4G is still digital, broadband and still employing packet data, but it is All IP, which gives it a very high throughput.
For 3G, the frequency band is between 1.8 and 2.5GHz, while 4G uses between 2 and 8GHz. The 3G uses Turbo codes for error correction, while 4G uses concatenated codes instead. The Data throughput for 3G is up to 3.1mbps although users may expect “already good” speed between 500 to 700 kbps, and for 4G it has the potential of an estimated range of 100 to 300mbps, although practically speaking, it is usually between 3 to 5mbps.
But then again, how much faster is 4G compared to 3G? The answer relies heavily on the implementation. In some networks, 4G may offer an improvement of data transmission speeds up to four times faster than the maximum speed that they could upgrade with 3G.
Also, 3G was typically designed for voice communications, and 4G was initiated for data transmission. Since the objectives are different for both, it is safe to say that the higher intensity 4G will offer faster access to data using mobile phones. For example, if you use 4G to stream videos, conduct video conferencing or execute multiple players for online games, it will be significantly faster than using 3G technology.
Theoretically, 4G should have so much more improvements over 3G when it comes to communications and data transfer, but there are still many factors to be taken into consideration. Some of the factors affecting the performance of 4G within a vicinity will be how many cell phone towers there are in the area, how many subscribers are sharing the towers and the bandwidth available to these cellphone towers to connect to the Internet or the carrier’s network. Also, the device used for the connection with these technology will also affect the users’ experience regardless of the technology.