What’s the Difference Between 3G and 4G?

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    • Tecca3GPOV.jpgIf you’ve ever researched a smartphone purchase, the terms 3G and 4G
    have probably shown up on your radar at some point. Both refer to a
    connection method for mobile devices and a “generation” of mobile
    technology.

    The first generation of mobile phone technology (1G) refers to the initial analog signal that was the backbone of mobile connectivity. The transition to second generation (2G) was characterized by the shift from analog signal to digital. The last popular phone to make use of 2G technology was the original iPhone in 2007, although 3G technology was already widely available.

    Introduced in 2001 and brought to consumer use in 2003, third generation (3G) mobile technology became the successor to 2G and ushered in the era of the smartphone. 3G capability was originally made available to the market through devices geared towards business users, such as BlackBerry and Palm mobile phone products. We currently stand on the bridge between 3G and 4G, and we’ll discuss why you may want to hold off on that 4G upgrade for a little while longer.

    MiFi Device

    3G: Today’s standard
    3G represents a period in the timeline of mobile phone technology. Most mobile phones today run on some type of 3G network (depending on carrier) for their voice and data access. This access makes possible advanced phone functionality such as smartphone features of email, media streaming and downloading, and web browsing.

    Theoretically, 3G speeds can reach up to 3 Megabits per second (Mbps), with average speeds tending to be closer to 1Mbps or lower. This means 1 million bits, or 125,000 bytes, of data are being transferred per second in equivalent speeds to most standard home DSL internet connections. At this download speed, it takes roughly 1 to 2 minutes to download a 4-minute MP3 file. 3G coverage spans most of the continental United States, with heavier coverage around major metropolitan areas.

    Samsung Epic 4G

    4G: The speed of what’s just ahead
    Most technologies branded as 4G aren’t quite 4G systems, but a late form of the 3G technology more commonly called “Pre-4G.” 4G development focuses around achieving ultra-broadband speeds, competing with and in some cases outstripping the speeds provided by your home internet connection.

    These goals make 4G ideal for the mobile consumer who is seeking to replace a wifi network with speed-equivalent or faster mobile technology through smartphone tethering or mobile broadband devices. 4G average speeds are targeted to be in the 100Mbps to 1Gbps range, roughly 10 to 100 times (dependent on location) faster than 3G networks. At that rate, that 4-minute MP3 download would take you mere seconds.

    The current iterations that attempt to reach 4G standards are referred to as Pre-4G because they do not yet reach these data rates. Even Sprint, the company with the apparent leg up in the 4G race, doesn’t yet offer true 4G on its 4G devices. Sprint’s service technically falls into the pre-4G category, along with Verizon’s newly launched 4G network.

    There is only one U.S. carrier that is offering true 4G service: Sprint. Sprint currently has two mobile phones, the HTC Evo and the Samsung Epic, which have been benchmarked to achieve speeds 10 times faster than 3G; coverage is still limited to major metropolitan cities. Outside of these areas, data speeds revert to 3G.

    Liz Patt
    Liz Patt
    Liz Patt is the Basics Section Editor for Tecca. She has a background in systems administration, technical support, and documentation writing in a variety of arenas. Liz strongly believes that there's no such thing as too many tech toys, and can be seen in many an airport coffee shop sprouting a variety of devices. She holds B.A. in Women's Studies from the University of Maryland and tries to put it to good use every day.

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    • http://profile.typepad.com/doctorparadox Doctorparadox

      Although it’s still the very early days of 4G, it’s exciting to think about what’s on the horizon… the potential for ubiquitous broadband internet is huge and could help revolutionize a ton of industries even beyond consumer electronics — health care, education, transportation, smart grid/smart home… can’t wait! Sure is an exciting time to be alive :)

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406373934 Prachi

        Noticed you made a stop in my home town….Welcome to the Windy City!! Good luck to your boy Aaron….this will be an interesting fight ceoridnsing Ross Pearson is VERY hungry to fight in the UFC. I liked Pearson in the Ultimate Fighter’s Season 9…but I’ll be cheering for your boy…LC

    • http://profile.typepad.com/nemets Aleksandr Nemets

      Ok, download speed is clear.
      What about upload speed?
      How fast I can upload anything to the server or Facebook apps?

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406385754 Ruby

        T-Mobile sent this unit to me for use with their AtHome service. Setup is prtety straightforward, plug in your SIM card, notify T-Mobile so they can activate it (arrange for 911 location service), plug in your RJ-11 phone and you’re in business. You get a nice landline phone with a dial-tone, clear connection, rj-11 plug for any standard kind of phone, 911 service, etc. However, there are two BIG problems. The first is that the RJ-11 interface is a very low power one. In other words, it will only power one phone at the most -and even that phone must use very little landline power or it will cause problems where you suddenly find yourself without service. Originally I tried connecting two phones to the unit with a splitter. The ring voltage on the Linksys is not enough to power two ringing phones. As a result, if a call comes in the phones will not ring properly and cause a power loss that messes up the router, dropping it’s connection to the internet and disabling your phone service until you give it a restart. Even if you have only one phone, it better not have a loud ringer or a lighted keypad or you’ll have similar problems. On more than one occasion I was expecting an important call only to find it dropped after two rings (I was not happy). I ended up having to shell out an extra $300 for a Viking ring & line voltage booster. Adding the booster really seemed to do the trick, I currently have 4 phones connected via a junction box and there are no more dropped calls. The other problem is Wifi range. My original router was a Netgear which I was very happy with. In order to use the AtHome service I have to replace my old router & Wifi with this Linksys. The Netgear used to give me 4 full bars all over my house where with the Linksys, I can only get two bars if I’m anything over 20 feet away from it. I tried connecting a better antenna which only slightly helped. Wifi output power is simply too low (and unlike other Wifi devices, the Linksys doesn’t offer configuration settings to increase or decrease transmit power). Cisco/Linksys would have saved a lot of people a lot of aggravation if they only designed the thing with a little more power from the get go. T-Mobile’s At Home service is a decent value until you add in all the time, effort and additional equipment needed to make it work properly. They require a two year commitment and I have to say at this point I’m sorry I ever signed up for it.

    • http://profile.typepad.com/d95759294631089932 D

      Color me confused but you contradicted yourself big time:

      “Even Sprint, the company with the apparent leg up in the 4G race, doesn’t yet offer true 4G on its 4G devices. Sprint’s service technically falls into the pre-4G category”

      “There is only one U.S. carrier that is offering true 4G service: Sprint.”

      So which is it????

    • http://profile.typepad.com/cadorette Daniel Cadorette

      1G..2G…3G…4G… when will it end…maybe 100G…this is just sugar to keep the bees coming back for more!!!

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406372781 Antonio

        I have Cingular now AT T with a 8525 Phone. I have had no issues. The 8525 sutppros the 3G network and I must say the downloads are fast, DSL speeds. Data plans are kinda pricey, I have the 1350min unlimited data and a few extras and pay about $140-$160 a month. I would recommend AT T and get a phone that is 3G compatible. The 8525 has been the best phone so far, does all my office applications. I heard the Tilt is just being released with is the upgrade to mine. I would take a look at that one.

    • http://profile.typepad.com/beaubennett Beau Bennett

      Seventy-six Democratic members of Congress wrote a letter publicly supporting AT&T’s plans to merge with T-Mobile. The problem? The argument they relied on has been proven bogus by AT&T’s own words.

      With their stated rationale for backing the merger eliminated, these members of Congress have no reason to continue supporting the merger. Please demand that they publicly renounce their support for the merger.

      Please help us stop the takeover of T-Mobile by AT&T by sending a message to congress here:
      http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/attcongress

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406385251 Anha

      We purchased this roteur when the phone service first came out about 4 years ago because we didn’t get cell service in our condo. We had two phones, as well as four computers two ps3 s, an xbox and wii and occasionally other things all running off this roteur. The signal was always great! Occasionally we would loose signal on the house phones and would have to reset the roteur, but rarely. We switched service providers about a year ago so we get service inside, so we no longer needed the house phone but we kept the roteur just for internet purposes. The internet signal was always strong! We just recently replaced the roteur because we could play online but were unable to connect to friends while playing video games. I would buy it again, and would deff recommend it as long as you’re not looking for anything fancy!