Despite 4G infrastructure growing rapidly, many people don’t know the difference between 3G and 4G service. 3G was the technology that brought us widespread mobile internet access, currently with download rates of up to 14.0 Mbit/s while stationary. Connectivity is still available when moving, but rates are significantly reduced. 3G phones include the Apple iPhones, Nokia E96 and other models, Blackbery Bold 9000, and phones running on the Android operating system. They vary in price from around $200-300 when sold with a provider plan to over $600 when purchased separately.
4G aims to provide connectivity of 100 Mbit/s for users moving at high speeds relative to the station, and 1 Gbit/s for stationary users. It also aims to provide a data rate of at least 100 Mbit/s between any two points in the world over a flexible channel bandwidth. These rates are faster than most wired connections currently offered. They aim to accomplish this by switching to an all IP, packet switched network. There are also many other features of the 4G network that are an improvement on 3G services.
4G phones have been in development for many years by many different companies. Sprint’s EVO 4G based on the Android operating system is currently available. Sprint is offering the EVO 4G for $199 with a contract and $450 without a contract which indicates the 4G phones probably won't be significantly, if any, more expensive than 3G phones. The iPhone 4G is coming out at the end of June. Verizon Wireless 4G will be available some time in 2011.
The infrastructure required for worldwide 4G connectivity is still young. Even if you have a 4G phone, you can’t get 4G service in most states, and only a few cities in the states that offer service. However, this shouldn’t deter you from upgrading to 4G when you need a new phone, you can still get 3G service with a 4G phone. When the 4G network expands to include your area, you won’t have to make any changes to experience the network improvement.
Source: Wiki
Looking for help with travel and technology? Then call a Tech Travel Agent at 800-736-8772. Or see this link for a Laptop Rental on your next trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment