4G! So what?

2010-08-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

So what is 4G and why should I care?

Wireless services are constantly touting the advanced capabilities of their offerings. We have heard a lot about 3G networks coupled with the promise of 4G! So what does this mean to you?

Do you use your mobile device to read email? Access the web? Participate in conferences? If this is the case then 4G means more capability for you down the road. If you only use your mobile to make phone calls and occasionally send text messages then 4G should also mean lower costs in your future.

Since 2007 several standards for 4G were in progress with a number of international organizations working on them. When all is said and done, there will still be differences in the underlying radio technology of what is called 4G. So will you be able to use it everywhere? After all, if you spend a lot of money on a new iPhone, Blackberry, or other Smartphone, you want it to work to its maximum potential wherever you go. That is the point of mobility!

4G is being delivered using a number of radio technologies, WiMAX, LTE (Long TermEvolution), and others. These will be deployed by Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and other North American carriers. If you are considering the purchase of a 4G device, be sure to ask where it will work, and with whose network. The handset manufacturers are beginning to deliver dual mode devices that will operate at least two of these radio systems, so it should be possible to move between them. However, it will be several years before universal coverage is available.

When 4G arrives it will be an all Internet Protocol (IP) network. Your mobile will be seen by the network like any other digital device, e.g. computers, printers, servers. An important part of realizing the 4G network is that different applications like voice calls or web surfing will receive different treatment to provide better quality of service. The network will recognize this. For instance, your voice call will not only be digital but it will be packetized. Suppose you are in a coffee shop and make a mobile voice call. Your voice packets will be competing for space in the network along with the packets from the network game running at the next table and the file download taking place across the room. Voice packets are sensitive to delay and will be given a higher priority in the mobile network than those other applications. So you should expect quality that is as good as or better than today.

In the 3G networks operating today, you can make simultaneous voice and data calls, but they are accessing the network using separate protocols. In 4G there will be only one, IP, for the transfer of information. Introducing this will keep the cost of operations for the carriers under some control, and subscribers should see the benefit in their rates. 4G networks are designed to carry data transfer rates of up to 100 Mbps and beyond, and you should see a significant improvement in your Smartphone performance with faster file transfers and blinding web access.

So why should you care? If you are a seasoned road warrior, with the availability of hosted VoIP services and hosted private branch exchanges (PBXs) there is the real possibility that you could take your whole business to a mobile infrastructure. No need for a desk phone or local lines from the phone company. No need for separate internet access. All the functions and capabilities you use today will be available on your mobile device. Perhaps you could also do away with a computer on the desk. Of course the screens on the mobile will be a lot smaller. No doubt there will be docking stations available to remedy that. You could take all of your electronic office capabilities with you wherever you go!

If you are using your mobile just to make phone calls and send text messages all of these powerful new capabilities may not be so appealing. But if you also have a separate computer and internet connection, separate land line and long distance service, separate voice mail, fax, or other services, the convenience and speed of a 4G offering at the right price and the number of available hosted services, may just be worth considering.

Polmak.com

4G! So what?