Traditionally mobile phones were meant for calling and messaging but with the advent of faster networks, they can now be used to stream high definition TV and access webpages in a fraction of a second. The latest standard i.e. the 4G LTE has already rolled out in the United States and the service is soon going to be available on one network in the United Kingdom. After heavy lobbying and long hours of negotiation with regulatory bodies, Britain is going to get its first 4G network by the end of the month and this will be by EE (Everything Everywhere), the country’s largest operator. 4G services will be available in 10 cities and this gives the company a good chance to increase its already substantial 34% share in the market.
Mobile technology evolution can be mapped across decades with the huge 1G analogue phones that were followed by the small 2G phones and the smart 3G phones that rely heavily on data usage. 4G focuses primarily on increased data speeds that it delivers through better compression of data in the radio waves. A phone running on a 4G network can be expected to offer speeds as fast as traditional wired broadband. Though 4G was defined to deliver speeds as high 1Gb/s to users, the current standard falls short of that mark but is faster than existing 3G technology by a significant amount.
EE’s tested 4G network offers speeds as high as 50Mbps, which is as fast as the fastest broadband home internet services, but practical speeds have been found to be around 12Mbps, which is only slightly faster than the latest 3G bands. However, since the EE 4G network is starting from scratch, users are going to be able to experience superfast speeds, at least till a lot of users sign up for 4G plans. Actual speeds depend on a lot of factors such as the distance from the nearest tower and the capacity of the processor in the phone and the number of users accessing the same network. In addition, from the network end, the more bandwidth an operator owns, the faster the speeds will be.
It is likely that customers are going to wait till 4G is available on several networks before making a jump. However, those who decide to make the leap will be able to access mind-blowing speeds; the price notwithstanding!
