3G & 4G
Comparison chart Embed this chart
3G
4G
Data Throughput
Up to 3.1Mbps with an average speed range between 0.5 to 1.5 Mbps
Practically speaking, 2 to 12 Mbps (Telstra in Australia claims up to 40 Mbps) but potential estimated at a range of 100 to 300 Mbps.
Peak Upload Rate
5 Mbps
500 Mbps
Peak Download Rate
100 Mbps
1 Gbps
Switching Technique packet switching packet switching, message switching
Network Architecture
Wide Area Cell Based
Integration of wireless LAN and Wide area.
Services And Applications
CDMA 2000, UMTS, EDGE etc
Wimax2 and LTE-Advance
Forward error correction (FEC)
3G uses Turbo codes for error correction.
Concatenated codes are used for error corrections in 4G.
Frequency Band
1.8 – 2.5 GHz
2 – 8 GHz
For average consumers, '3G' and '4G' are two of the most mysterious terms in the mobile technology dictionary, but they're used relentlessly to sell phones and tablets. If you're shopping for a new phone, the answer isn't clear-cut, and you shouldn't always go for the higher number. Our primer will help explain which technology to pick.
3G and 4G Explained.
First things first, the "G" stands for a generation of mobile technology, installed in phones and on cellular networks. Each "G" generally requires you to get a new phone, and for networks to make expensive upgrades. The first two were analog cell phones (1G) and digital phones (2G). Then it got complicated.
Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to the U.S. in 2003. With minimum consistent Internet speeds of 144Kbps, 3G was supposed to bring "mobile broadband." There are now so many varieties of 3G, though, that a "3G" connection can get you Internet speeds anywhere from 400Kbps to more than ten times that.
New generations usually bring new base technologies, more network capacity for more data per user, and the potential for better voice quality, too.
4G phones are supposed to be even faster, but that's not always the case. There are so many
3G
4G
Data Throughput
Up to 3.1Mbps with an average speed range between 0.5 to 1.5 Mbps
Practically speaking, 2 to 12 Mbps (Telstra in Australia claims up to 40 Mbps) but potential estimated at a range of 100 to 300 Mbps.
Peak Upload Rate
5 Mbps
500 Mbps
Peak Download Rate
100 Mbps
1 Gbps
Switching Technique packet switching packet switching, message switching
Network Architecture
Wide Area Cell Based
Integration of wireless LAN and Wide area.
Services And Applications
CDMA 2000, UMTS, EDGE etc
Wimax2 and LTE-Advance
Forward error correction (FEC)
3G uses Turbo codes for error correction.
Concatenated codes are used for error corrections in 4G.
Frequency Band
1.8 – 2.5 GHz
2 – 8 GHz
For average consumers, '3G' and '4G' are two of the most mysterious terms in the mobile technology dictionary, but they're used relentlessly to sell phones and tablets. If you're shopping for a new phone, the answer isn't clear-cut, and you shouldn't always go for the higher number. Our primer will help explain which technology to pick.
3G and 4G Explained.
First things first, the "G" stands for a generation of mobile technology, installed in phones and on cellular networks. Each "G" generally requires you to get a new phone, and for networks to make expensive upgrades. The first two were analog cell phones (1G) and digital phones (2G). Then it got complicated.
Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to the U.S. in 2003. With minimum consistent Internet speeds of 144Kbps, 3G was supposed to bring "mobile broadband." There are now so many varieties of 3G, though, that a "3G" connection can get you Internet speeds anywhere from 400Kbps to more than ten times that.
New generations usually bring new base technologies, more network capacity for more data per user, and the potential for better voice quality, too.
4G phones are supposed to be even faster, but that's not always the case. There are so many