3G vs. 4G Networks - Android OS Tips and Tricks

With the ever increasing popularity of smartphones, cellular modems and other devices people are starting to pay more attention to what kind of service they are paying for and what kind of speeds are available to them. A couple of years ago it was just a case of being able to make cell phone calls and get good reception. Now people want to be able to browse the web, download files and do video chats with their phones.

As of this writing most people are on some sort of 3G (third generation) network and for the most part it works just fine. But there is always room for improvement and more speed. That's where 4G comes into play. 4G is the shorthand for fourth-generation standard for wireless. Standards specify how the airwaves must be used for transmitting information (voice and data)

4G networks can be up to 10 times faster than 3G networks so for people who used their smartphones for more than just phone calls this is a big deal. When the 3G network came out it was a significant improvement over 2G networks and offered higher speeds for data transfer. 2G and 3G networks were designed to be used for voice communications rather than data. 4G networks are built specifically for data/Internet content. 4G connections are good for speeds ranging from 3 Mbps to 6 Mbps with higher speeds of 12 Mbps being possible.

3G networks will still be in use even when there is 4G service available. For example when you make a call with a Sprint 4G capable cell phone, the traffic will go through 3G cell sites. But the phone uses 4G connections for Web browsing and other Internet related services. And not all 4G services are the same. For example Sprint uses WiMax technology for its 4G network and Verizon uses what they call LTE or Long Term Evolution. Verizon's own tests with LTE networks have shown that peak download speeds of 40 to 50Mbps and upload speeds of 20 to 25Mbps are possible on 4G networks.

But 4G is not the end to cell phone voice and data problems. Even though the speed has been greatly increased, 4G networks won't fix existing network problems such as dropped calls, coverage gaps and slow speeds at peak times. Also users that sign up and pay for 4G speeds won't actually be able to use the service everywhere they go because it's not offered in all cities, mostly just major ones. Another potential problem is that people are experiencing that switching between the two networks creates a lag as the phone reconnects. So if you have 3G or even 2G phone, don't worry about it being obsolete any time soon. The Evo 4G was the first 4G phone to be released in the US in June 2010 by Sprint. Experts say that by 2015, only about 5% of mobile Internet users will be on the 4G network.