If you own a smartphone, you undoubtedly have heard the terms 3G,
4G, and LTE. Cellular providers such as AT&T and Verizon
continuously advertise they have biggest or fastest 4G network or LTE
network. It's difficult to understand how each company can make those
claims. However, when buying a new smartphone, it is important to
understand the difference. The type of data network can directly impact
the performance of your smartphone.
When you buy a smartphone, you
are typically required to sign up for a service plan that defines a
certain amount of calling minutes and data usage. Once connected to the
cellular provider's network, the smartphone can communicate with the
outside world to support features such as email, maps, and Internet
browsing. Many of the smartphone apps rely on sending and receiving data
across the network.
When describing smartphone data networks, you
commonly hear the terms 3G, 4G,
and LTE. This refers to the generation
of network technology. The third generation network, known as 3G, is the
oldest technology of the group. 4G is the fourth generation data
network and LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. The basic difference
between them is the speed of the network. When selecting a smartphone,
the older models may not support the newer data network technology. It
is important to select a model that supports a data speed appropriate
for your needs.
3G Network
The 3G network
was the first technology with sufficient speed to provide a decent user
experience on a smartphone. There were some smartphones that used the
older 2G EDGE technology, but the data speeds were slow and the user
spent a lot of time waiting for data to load.
Each of the major
cellular providers have 3G networks that provide coverage across most of
the country. There are two competing 3G technologies currently being
used: Global System for Mobiles (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access
(CDMA). AT&T and T-Mobile use the GSM technology while Verizon and
Sprint use the CDMA technology. Since the technologies are not
compatible with each other, this is the reason you can't use a Verizon
phone on an AT&T network (or vice versa).
4G and LTE
The
4G technology is the successor to the 3G technology. Cellular providers
are still building out their 4G networks. Theoretically, 4G is much
faster than 3G. But before we start comparing 4G speed to 3G speed, it
is important to understand there are different versions of 4G.
When
talking about 4G, things can get a little confusing. Basically, there
is 4G and 4G LTE. Many people consider LTE to be true 4G technology.
Generally, if a cellular provider describes a 4G network without
mentioning LTE, they are probably talking about a High Speed Packet
Access (HSPA) network. The HSPA network is a faster version of the 3G
GSM network. While not as fast as an LTE network, it is still faster
than a 3G network. Since LTE is still relatively new, the cellular
providers haven't fully built out their LTE networks yet. Be careful
when looking at the network coverage maps on the providers' websites.
Some companies claim to have broad nationwide 4G coverage. They may
really be taking about HSPA coverage and not LTE coverage.
In
theory, LTE can be up to ten times faster than 3G. In practice, the
actual network speed will vary based on network load and signal
strength. Even if LTE does not meet its theoretical speed, it is still
much faster than 3G. Activities that require large amounts of data, such
as streaming movies, work very well on an LTE network. If you plan to
perform a lot of data-hungry activities or simply want the best
performance when surfing the Internet, you should really plan on buying a
smartphone that supports LTE.
If you are considering buying an
iPhone, you will find three models available: iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, and
the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 are sold at reduced prices
because they are older models. The iPhone 5 is the newest model and
supports LTE. The iPhone 4S supports HSPA, which some cellular carriers
call 4G. The iPhone 4 will only support 3G networks.
When buying a
new smartphone, don't be fooled by all the marketing hype about 4G and
LTE networks. Understand the different network technologies available
and try using the Internet on the smartphone before you buy. The LTE
technology provides the fastest cellular data network available and the
speed difference between LTE, 4G (HSPA), and 3G can be quite noticeable.