4G: What it is it? How Fast is it? What’s the UK Coverage?
There’s been a lot of buzz about 4G mobile broadband lately however many consumers are in the dark about exactly what this technology is and when it will be available to them. This article explains more about the technology, the speeds and its availability.
4G describes the 4th generation of mobile wireless communication which succeeds the 3G technology behind most current mobile broadband connections. However exactly what qualifies as 4G can be a little confusing as there is some ambiguity around what does and doesn’t count as 4G.
The short answer is that none of the current commercially available technologies (in the UK, US or elsewhere), officially meet the definition of 4G however 2 different technologies (LTE and WiMAX) that are both forerunners to the technologies that will eventually provide true 4G and an Advanced version of 3G called HSDPA+ are being marketed as 4G mobile broadband.
True 4G is defined (in Wikipedia) as having “peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbps for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1 Gbps for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users)”. Technically this only applies to two technologies called LTE Advanced and WiMAXMAN-Advanced and excludes the current LTE, WiMAX and HSDPA+ technologies. However the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), sent out a statement in December 2010 saying that they recognised that the term could be applied to the forerunners to 4G (LTE & WiMAX) and evolved 3G (HSPA+) thus rubber stamping the carriers right to market their networks as 4G.
Interestingly whilst T-Mobile are marketing HSPA+ as 4G in the US of the UK networks only 3 has been actively rolling out HSPA+ but is not yet marketing this as 4G.
How fast is 4G mobile broadband? What speeds will I really get?
4G has the capability to be much, much faster than the 3G mobile internet connection you currently use on your phone or the connection from the 3G mobile broadband device you plug in to your laptop. Standard 3G connections have a maximum speed of 7.2Mbps (and real world speeds of 1-2Mbps), whereas true 4G could offer realistic download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps. Whilst true 4G is not yet available the current technologies marketing themselves as 4G still offer considerably faster speeds, more of which below:
Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Of the two forerunners to true 4G LTE is behind most of the 4G networks that are both currently available in the US and planned for the UK. Even US carriers such as Sprint who currently use a WiMAX network are thought to be planning to move to the rival technology, LTE. LTE has a theoretical top download speed of 300Mbps and an Upload Speed of 75Mbps however real world download speeds (based on the US where LTE networks are in use) are 6-12Mbps.
WiMAX
None of the major UK mobile operators are planning on building a WiMAX network however US provider Sprint claims its WiMAX network achieves real world download speed of 3-6Mbps. Having used their WiMAX network myself on a few occasions I was never capable of getting close to these speeds so am a little sceptical. Theoretically WiMAX has a peak download speed of 128Mbps and upload speed of 56Mbps.
HSPA+
Whilst HSPA+ might not be capable of delivering the same potential top speeds as LTE it has an important role to play as it is much easier, quicker and cheaper to upgrade the existing 3G network to HSPA+ meaning it is a very viable short to medium term solution. In the US where T-Mobile has been using this technology for some time real world speeds are reported at between 1Mbps and 7 Mbps. In the UK 3’s HSPA+ network can theoretically reach 21Mbps though 3 say that you can realistically expect speeds of double your standard 3G connection so somewhere in the 2Mbps – 4Mbps range is realistic. It’s with noting that you will need the more pricey Huawei E367 HSPA+ compatible dongle from 3 to take advantage of these speeds.
HSPA+ has the potential to further increase download speeds to 42Mbps through something called dual-carrier which is something to watch out for in 2012.
4G broadband Coverage in the UK?
The bad news is that UK is sadly lagging behind much off the rest of the word in that we’re not going to get LTE ‘4G’ until the government, or more specifically Ofcom auctions of the 2 bands of spectrum (the 2.6GHz band and the 800MHz band) which the mobile networks can use to provide 4G. It was expected that Ofcom would release spectrum early next year however the 4G auction has recently been pushed back to late 2012.
If you are desperate for LTE now it is being trialled in very limited areas in the UK. O2 have been testing LTE 4G in and around Slough near their HQ since 2009. Everything Everywhere (the merger of T-Mobile & Orange), in partnership with BT Wholesale are providing LTE mobile broadband on a trial basis in Cornwall which started in October 2011. Elsewhere, in December 2010 Alcatel-Lucent and Arqiva announced a trial of LTE in west of Wales.
In the short to medium term the best bet for faster mobile broadband speeds is through advanced 3G such as HSPA+. Mobile network 3 who are currently offering HSPA+ (which refreshingly they are not marketing as 4G but as advanced 3G), say that by the end of 2011 HSPA+ will be available on 80% of their 3G network. It is believed Vodafone has HSPA+ available in some trial areas though details remain unclear.
It’s worth pointing out that once 4G (or advanced 3G) is available you will need a mobile broadband dongle or smartphone compatible with the technology in question to take advantage of the increased speeds.
If you’ve been lucky enough to trial 4G or have used it in the US or elsewhere we’d love to know how your experience was? For those who want to stay updated on the latest 4G news you can check in on the 4G section of our blog.
Leave a Facebook comment