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.

4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards, with its first availability reported in US since 2009. However, there is not yet an agreed industry standard that defines 4G except for the definition by the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) cellular system, so it is probably just another marketing term.

The 4G is supposed to be a successor to the 2G and 3G families of standards, and it should be an improvement in speed for connections.  It is expected to provide a complete and secured all-IP based mobile broadband solution. Its capacity should be better than your regular broadband, giving it the term of ultra-broadband Internet access, with IP telephony and other usage models including gaming and multimedia streaming made easier and faster for users, with connectivity to devices such as smart phones and laptop computers.

Some mobile carriers may have confused the current 3.9G technology as 4G, especially if it refers to the IMT-Advanced with the International telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) defined principles for 4G standards. The ITU-R recently identified several broadband service providers technology as officially not 4G, but this does not seem to matter to the average consumer, as long as there is faster mobile broadband speeds available in the market.

What the IMT-Advance cellular system covers as 4G Is the ability to deliver a peak download speed of up to 100Mbps in a high mobility environment (meaning to say with mobile phone access) and up to 1Gbps in a low mobility environment (which is the local wireless access). As such, many providers are not able to meet the requirements to qualify as 4G providers, and here is a list of identified standards for mobile data communications standards and speeds:

• Basic GSM (2G) – 14.4Kbps Download
• GPRS (2G) – 48Kbps Download
• EDGE (2G) – 236Kbps Download
• UMTS (3G / IMT-2000) – 384Kbps Download [64Kbps upstream]
• HSPA (3G / IMT-2000) – 14.4Mbps Download [5.8Mbps upload]
• HSPA+ (3G / IMT-2000) – 42Mbps Download [22Mbps upload]
• WiMAX 802.16e (3G / IMT-2000) – 128Mbps Download [56Mbps upload] – Frequency: 500–800MHz, 2.3GHz, 2.5-2.6GHz, 3.3-3.5GHz
• LTE (3G / IMT-2000) – 100Mbps Download [50Mbps upload] – Frequency: 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2.6GHz
• WiMAX2 802.16m (4G / IMT-Advanced) – 1Gbps Download – Frequency: 2.3GHz, 2.5GHz, 2.6GHz (UK) or 3.5GHz
• LTE-Advanced (4G / IMT-Advanced) – 1Gbps Download – Frequency: 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2.6GHz

(taken from http://www.ispreview.co.uk/broadband_mobile.php)

The Yes 4G Mobile Internet service uses the selling point of combining mobile Internet with voice, tapping into the potentials of users wanting to have it all in one, with one comprehensive plan to ease users management. It boasts of being able to stream videos, check emails, video conference and chat on the go without buffering or delays (is that possible?) using either your smartphone or your notebook.

Yes 4G has coverage in major towns in Malaysia, and is expected to go worldwide. However, at this moment the navigation of its own site is a bit confusing, and there are only service centers in Kuala Lumpur. The website showed some Yes 4G device, but it is not exactly the prettiest thing around, if you look at the designs of HTC EVO, myTouch and Epic as examples of best selling 4G phones. The 4G device looks like a very conventional Samsung mobile, without touch screens, so you can imagine how small the display is. Also, just a 2.0 megapixel camera? Does not sound appealing with the advance of up to 12.0 megapixel camera with today’s technology. But can you use Yes 4G with other 4G devices?

The plan sounds fantastic, although it does not seem to benefit those who are enjoying discounts with family plans. Most family plan users provides for the elderly, but the YES 4G seems to neglect this generation as the Yes Plan does not seem to give an alternative to not need the Internet service. It reveals exactly the market that YTL is targeting in this business.