4G News

4G technology generally refers to next-generation wireless broadband network technologies including LTE and WiMAX. The International Telecommunication Union is often cited as the international body that can define what 4G is. The group initially ruled that only “LTE-Advanced” and “WirelessMAN-Advanced” could be considered 4G technologies. However, the group in December 2010 noted that 4G “may also be applied to the forerunners of these technologies, LTE and WiMAX, and to other evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed.” From a marketing standpoint, however, the term “4G” has lost much of its meaning. All of the major wireless carriers in the United States now offer what they call 4G services, though many such technologies don’t specifically fall under the definition provided by the ITU. For example, MetroPCS brands its LTE service as 4G while both T-Mobile USA and AT&T Mobility both offer their respective HSPA+ networks as 4G. Verizon Wireless in late 2010 launched an LTE network the carrier is selling as 4G. And Sprint Nextel, through a partnership with Clearwire, resells mobile WiMAX technology under the “4G” moniker. The networks provide varying speeds, from a high of 5-12 Mbps (Verizon’s LTE service) to slower speeds for MetroPCS’ LTE service and the HSPA+ networks of AT&T and T-Mobile. Phones branded as 4G devices include Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G, HTC Evo Shift 4G, Samsung Epic 4G; Verizon’s Motorola Droid Bionic, HTC Thunderbolt 4G, Samsung 4G LTE/Samsung Inspiration, LG Revolution; AT&T’s HTC Inspire, Samsung Infuse 4G, Motorola Atrix 4G; T-Mobile’s Mytouch 4G and T-Mobile’s 4G2; and MetroPCS’ Samsung Craft.

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