The wireless technology industry has undergone remarkable changes in the past decade and is expected to continuously advance with major changes in the near future. The major drivers for the call on new technology platforms include the high bandwidth requirements of mobile data applications. However there are considerable differences between 3G and 4G.
USER PERCEPTION
4G is the next generation standard that supersedes 3G in its functionalities. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the brand name accorded to the 4th generation (4G) development efforts by 3GGP. LTE is considered to be a huge upgrade in the network technology services, it seeing its adoption worldwide as the primary telecommunications service, with cellular radio methods such as 2G and 3G being phased out (Mishra, 2009). Carriers are trying to build new LTE networks while mobile device manufacturers are ensuring that their new devices are compatible with this new technology.
SPEED
According to Agbinya (2011), LTE stands out as an extremely complex wireless system. It is a broadband wireless technology that utilizes wide channels to accommodate many users and accomplish high data rates. Bandwidths of up to 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz are permitted. In average the 4th generation is four times faster than 3rd generation, which mean the LTE network, service is the fastest network so far. Studies by AT &T and T–Mobile both utilizing GSM networks showed an improved data transmission speed upon upgrading their systems to 4G. Results from two speed tests using a Samsung Epic and a Dell Streak comparing 4G and 3G network between Sprints and AT&T, showed that Sprint's 4G were to a great extent faster than the rest. To summarize, Verizon’s 4G LTE network was the fastest followed by T-Mobile HSPA+, AT&T 4G HSPA+, 4G WiMaX and finally Verizon 3G (Erik Dahlman, 2011).
ARCHITECTURE
4G has abandoned the old circuit switching technology used in telephone systems and adopted packet switching. Packet switching technology is rampant in computer networks but has been used in mobile gadgets as well. It is more efficient in that it utilize the resources only when there is data signals to be sent across. This feature allows the compression of many conversations into the same bandwidth. The network infrastructure in 4G has been completely overhauled with the core network and the RAN system upgraded. The 4G RAN or LTW consist of a simplified architecture in a single hierarchy with eNodeB elements. The features implemented by the 3G RAN have been moved into the eNodeB and the Service Gateway in the LTE Evolved UTRAN.
4G security architecture has introduced QoS and Mobility as security management apparatus. Another concept used is called “always best connected” meaning that the terminal will always be connect to the most excellent possible access. In addition 4G uses the IPV6 address scheme (Erik Dahlman, 2011). This makes it possible for each and every mobile device to have its own IP address. 3G has manifold security issues that are reduced through the encryption of the protocol stack. 3G is not convenient in the utilization of power and transmission delay, the concept of interlayer security, where only one layer is configured to do encryption of data, takes care of the concern.
SERVICES AND APPS
Long Term Evolution in 4G technology employs the IP transport and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access air interface as its central technologies. The modulation technique subdivides a channel of 5,10, or 20 MHz into small size sub-carriers 15KHz wide each. (Sauter, 2011)Using several modulation schemes such as QPSK or 16QAM the high-speed data is modulated into slower streams, LTE data rates just like most wireless LANs are asymmetrical.
LTE also describes MIMO operations that exploit several transmitter-receiver antennas. The data stream is shared between the antennas to boost speed and attain reliability in the link (Erik Dahlman, 2011). The OFDM and MIMO enable LTE to attain the high speed data delivery of 100 MB/s and 50 MB/s peak download and upload rate respectively (Agbinya, 2010).
3G technologies provide high bandwidth network WAN connectivity through Code Division Multiple Access and Global System for Mobile Communication (Mishra, 2007). The two technologies differ in that, CDMA uses Time Division Multiple Access and a packetized GPRS to offer the user broader radio spectrum and high data rates as compared to GSMs EDGE capabilities.
4G provides significant Quality of Service. QoS is a kind of technology extensively used in the land-based data networks. It works by allowing data streaming to be carried out at different levels of priority. For instance, implementing Quality of Service will prioritize voice over IP (VoIP) data over ordinary data to enhance the quality of voice. Other data services not significantly affected by latency as much as voice is given lower priority in order to create adequate bandwidth for VoIP services .
LTE, WiMax and WiBro
LTE stands for Long Term Evolution a radio platform technology that allows operators to achieve the highest throughputs as an extension of 3GPP. Verizon LTE can achieve a download speed of 9.46 Mbps on average while uploads averaged at about 1.35. This is higher than WiMax 3Mbps download and 1.5Mbps upload speed. LTE has a better transition between 3G and 4G while WiMax has considerable problems. Generally, 4G WiMax under ideal conditions can deliver 128Mbps downstream and 56Mbps upstream while 4G LTE can deliver 100Mbps downstream and 50Mbps upstream.
WiMax stands for WorldWide interoperability for Microwave Access and is a standard known as 802.16. WiMax allows so many users on the standard but only up to a certain limit. Wimax comes next to LTE in upload and download speeds with average speeds of 20 Mbps.
Wimax and LTE has incompatibility problems between them. WiMax can push data up to
1Gbps while maintaining backward compatibility with existing WiMax radios. WiMax is far much ahead of LTE in terms of backward compatibility (Sauter, 2011).
WiBro stands for Wireless Broadband and is similar to Wimax in terms of speed. The only difference is that WiBro can track a mobile receiver. WiBro is a standard that is still under development and as such may be developed to become another standard.
COMPETITION AND COVERAGE
Competition in the wireless mobile devices has been rife thanks to availability of mobile broadband speeds and increased interest among mobile operators in competing against current wireless carriers in the home telephony services utilizing their own technology instead of wholesale access lines. The competition is expected to stimulate growth and deliver better, faster and more reliable internet connection to customers in the UK and the US.
Verizon’s 4G LTE network is the best option for home mobile broadband users in the US because of the services it offers. With the launch of HomeFusion, consumers are able to connect up to 20 wireless and 4 wired devices through an LTE router (Erik Dahlman, 2011). The HomeFusion package comes with a $199 equipment charge in addition to monthly data plans and a two year commitment. Though considerably expensive, the LTE service provides amazing download and upload speeds. The rapacious bandwidth appetites of new apps for Smartphones met with increasing demand for internet TV and video content delivered over the internet has prompted carriers to carry on with the speed (Erik Dahlman, 2012).
Verizons LTE network has coverage of 2/3 of the U.S population and is expected to have a countrywide exposure by the end of 2013.
This explains why Verizon has been able to reach to 200 million American subscribers unlike the 20 million target of AT$T.
Reference
Agbinya, J. I. (2010). Planning and optimization of 3g and 4g Wireless Networks. River Publishers.
Erik Dahlman, S. P. (2012). 4G: LTE/LTE-Advanced for mobile broadband. Academic Press.
Mishra, A. R. (2007). Advanced cellular network planning and optimization: 2G/2.5G/3Gevolution to 4G. John Wiley & Sons.
Sauter, M. (2011). Beyond 3G - Bringing networks, terminals and the web together:LTE, WiMAX, IMS, 4G Devices and the Mobile Web 2.0. John Wiley & Sons.
