But what Exactly are 4G Networks?

As more and more people buy mobile devices that require lots of data, networks have to keep up. I ignored the catcalls and kept the phone for six long years; it was still working just fine when another friend forcibly dragged me to a shop and made me buy a shiny blue flip phone with fancy texting features.This was the beginning of the end of my stubborn resistance to cell phone culture. The hardware that's replaced generally isn't the cell tower equipment that you see by the highway or on tall buildings. It's just a new way of combining established knowledge with more powerful processing equipment. It won't be long before you start to hear more about carriers upgrading their LTE networks to LTE Advanced. Right now you won't find much in the way of pure 4G LTE networks. It's the fact that these devices are now wildly powerful, pocket-sized computers that can serve up critical (or just trivial) information of every kind no matter where you happen to be. Many such phones now have dual-core processors, which equates to computing power unheard of just a few years ago. You can read more about older air interfaces and their tangle of acronyms here in How Cell Phones work.

This idea of IP-based wireless is just one factor that defines 4G. On the next page you'll see that a lot more ingredients go into the recipe that makes for tasty 4G performance. You can see an overview of coverage with the interactive maps at OpenSignalMaps. Advanced air interfaces, such as LTE, can use a lot of different frequencies, such as 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.7 GHz, 2.1 GHz and dozens more. Rather, it's a method for squeezing more life from existing infrastructure. But as 4G infrastructure advances, the all-IP data delivery system will be more fully realized. By contrast, higher frequencies work in a line-of-sight fashion and they're more easily scattered by random objects and other interference. 3G needed more oomph. But smartphones and other devices receive far more data than they send, which is why 4G networks assign far spectrum for receiving, and as result, achieve better overall speed. These devices will need beefing up in order to keep pace with their own capabilities. Con tent was cre at᠎ed wi th GSA C​on​tent ​Genera᠎to r  DEMO !

With older technologies, carriers needed a contiguous block of spectrum in order to provide service. Other than capital for building infrastructure, spectrum is the single most vital resource for carriers. But carriers and their data-loving users should be realistic about the speeds 4G promises. HSPA and CDMA/EV-DO are two types of networks with very fast, albeit 3G, speeds. Felendzer, Wojtek. Nokia Siemens Networks Technical Solutions Marketing Manager. Like 3G, 4G networks are IP-based (Internet protocol), meaning that it uses a standard communications protocol to send and receive data in packets. What your suffering smartphone really needs is the kind of broadband (high-speed) Internet service that you tap into on your home computer. A base station is just industry speak for those tall cell towers affixed with all sorts of antenna equipment; a base station relays data to and from the Internet and your mobile device. But 4G uses clever coding schemes to dramatically increase the amount of data that rushes through the spectrum.

When thousands of people are suddenly stuck on a highway, they start using their phones, which causes a major spike in demand for data services in that area. Instead, engineers start by replacing routers and servers to new versions that will scale up easily as more capacity is required in the future. Those with spectrum access can provide the best reception for their customers, and thus haul in more subscribers and revenue. Spectrum is extravagantly expensive. Reed, Brad. "LTE vs. WiMAX." Network World. A 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) tower, however, can serve around 300 or 400 people. And how can you tell a 4G network apart from 3G? Lawson, Stephen. "ITU Softens on the Definition of 4G Mobile." Network World. It means only that a network is faster than 3G. That's it. In a sense, the world of 4G is as disorienting as being lost in a megalopolis without your collection of online maps. For example, they're better equipped to deal with unexpected congestion caused by random world events, such as traffic jams. Still under development, this standard could make your current 3G smartphone 100 times faster.

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