3G vs. 4G Wireless: Worth the Upgrade?

September 14, 2010, By 12 comments

3G vs. 4G Wireless: Worth the Upgrade?

Read our most recent comments on this topic here. 

 

In the mobile technology world, the term 4G refers to the fourth generation of wireless network standards for smart phones and other mobile devices. While 4G standards have not been explicitly agreed upon, 4G networks are promising to bring faster, more reliable, and more secure wireless communication.

So yes, 4G networks are faster than 3G networks, but how much faster – and is it worth paying a premium for 4G service?

3G vs. 4G Speeds

While some 4G networks are capable of transmitting at up to 100Mbps, service providers have been reluctant to claim those lofty numbers. Some of that has to do with the limitations of underlying technology, while in other cases the service provider offers lower data transmission speeds to ensure network reliability and minimum standards of service.

Wireless carriers have learned a lesson from the mistake that AT&T made when it introduced a large number of smart phones, especially the iPhone, onto its network without having the infrastructure to support the resulting high demand for data services.

Verizon’s own trials with LTE 4G technology have demonstrated that peak download speeds of 40 to 50Mbps and upload speeds of 20 to 25Mbps are quite achievable on 4G networks. However, the company only seems prepared to offer average data download rates of only 5 to 12Mbps and 2 to 5Mbps on uploads. Now that the iPhone is available through Verizon, we'll be able to see if the faster network holds up.

These aren’t bad figures; actually, they are good when you consider that this is the average speed that most consumers get on their wired DSL connections. In fact, most 4G networks are 10 times faster than 3G networks, which have average speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps.

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Comments (12):

Matt H. Step back and ask yourself. Do I need to watch full length HD movies on my smart phone? Do I need to download a song in 5 seconds, when it takes 5 minutes to listen to the whole thing? When I'm on the go, I don't need things "instantly". I actually have a 2g phone. I use it to check email and facebook...and sometimes stuff on ebay. Would l like it to be faster? Occasionally. Most times, I type in an address or click on a bookmark, and go back to what I was doing and look back in 5 seconds, and the page is loaded. Lots of other things take less than a second. Would I change what I use the phone for with a faster connection? A little. I watch a couple youtube videos a month...I might watch a dozen if it was faster.But when I'm on the go, I don't need the full internet, internet "lite" is fine with me. - 05/31/2011
Dr. Mark L. "Now that the iPhone is available through Verizon, we'll be able to see if the faster network holds up." Do your homework! The iPhone 4 uses 3G radios not 4G! The release of the iPhone has no effect on the 4G network because it doesnt use it! Currently, the HTC Thunderbolt is the only phone capable of using Verizon's 4G network. Samsung's Droid Bionic 4G will be available this summer. - 04/20/2011
Jim F. One needs to bear in mind this is an article written during 09/2010. Much has transpired in the months since. - 02/19/2011
Pete S. Sprint uses Wimax, approx. 3.5G, which was a big mistake. Wimax was born dead. By 2015, if Sprint hasn't switched to real 4G (LTE), it will start dying a fast death. These companies who charge extra for 4G will slow the public acceptance of 4G, since 3G will be fine for the average user for many years. - 01/26/2011
Bob L. CLEAR has oversold - had to cancel. Even with all the lights lit on the modem, still could not access the Internet, or if so, the old Dial network was faster. - 01/12/2011
Will H. You said Maryland twice in your list of states offering 4G services. Also, thanks for the informative article. Keep up the good work. - 12/17/2010
John S. Who has the lead? Sprint / Clear has 68 markets, soon to include NYC and LA with 4G coverage. They have dozens of devices - home / mobile modems, 2 "smart phones", laptops, and netbooks all using 4G today. 4G LTE? I think it's 4 markets, and ONE device - a USB dongle for your computer. And YES, Verizon is going to STICK you for the data.... - 12/15/2010
John F. Bob B where in the world did you get that idea? Verizon Wireless is calling it 4G LTE, but it's 4th generation, make no mistake. What gets me, is Verizon is advertising that you can watch HD movies, download games, etc.,all on their new network, but they are keeping intact their 5 GB per month cap on the bandwidth. How many movies are you going to see with that kind of cap in place? You can upgrade your plan to 10gb per month, but that's going to cost you $80 per month. - 12/09/2010
Ben D. It's not really 4G anyway. "Up to 100Mbps" is not 4G. 4G is defined as 100Mbps or more. It's really more like 3.5G. - 12/07/2010
Bob B. The International Telecommunications union, the arbiter of global wireless telephony standards, plans to approve 4G specifications sometime in 2015. Five years from now. Right now, the FCC bars ANY wireless carrier from advertising 4G service of any kind. If fact, if you scrutinize these "4G" commercials (that means that you should watch them closely) you'll notice that NONE of them are actually advertising 4G service. And if Stephen had bothered to do any homework before writing the article this would have been made rather plain. Cheers. - 11/18/2010
Dick H. www.boostmobile.com Contracts are for suckers Sent from my BlackBerry® by Boost mobile - 10/09/2010
Andrew H. This article fails to mention the disparity in speed between GSM and CDMA carriers. At the moment, the CDMA carriers (like Verizon) are pushing 4g technology because their 3g is already maxed out- and is considerably slower than the 3g of GSM competitors. In particular, a point worth making is that those with 3g GSM smart phones have a faster connection than those with 3g CDMA phones. In summary: If your carrier offers 4g phones AND 4g service in your area, you stand to gain greatly increased speed. But if your GSM carrier does not offer either, your phone is likely already faster than CDMA carriers in your area. - 09/30/2010

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