Why is 4G a big deal?

[0m3ga]

That's because, in the United States, 3G networks really suck. In Europe, some telecom providers offer up to 28.8 Mbps over 3G networks (which results in something like 20 Mbps of real world speeds) which is really fast enough. In the US, coverage isn't always great: I have seen videos where 3G speeds in the United States are slower than EDGE speeds are here in Europe.

LTE will be great to use in the future but right now it is far from a necessity.

This is because European countries are tiny compared to the whole of the US. Creating a 3g net over Portugal is a fraction of the cost of what it takes in the US, as Towers can be closer together as the populous is bunched in higher ratios per square kilometer.

By the way, not all Euro countries are the same. 3G speeds on the iPhone all over England sucked.

 

[kfergiez]

Is this question seriously being asked??

That's like saying what's the point of dsl?? Dial up works just fine for my needs. Please... Technology is advancing! Get with the times people. Why wouldn't you want to welcome a superior network?

Yep, I'm seriously asking it. The question is not whether or not 4G is better, it clearly is. The question is why on earth do we need that kind of speed on cell phones. To me it's like having a T1 line connected to a single laptop. Unless people are downloading massive amounts of data on a phone, why compromise battery life for a couple of seconds of faster load times.

 

[mbell1975]

Yep, I'm seriously asking it. The question is not whether or not 4G is better, it clearly is. The question is why on earth do we need that kind of speed on cell phones. To me it's like having a T1 line connected to a single laptop. Unless people are downloading massive amounts of data on a phone, why compromise battery life for a couple of seconds of faster load times.

You don't NEED a high speed connection to go on line either, are you still on dialup? Didn't think so. Why did Apple put a dual core processor in the new iPhone when a single could work? Why 1GB of RAM when 512MB could work? Why are phones starting to come with quadcore processors when a single core could work?

 

[RainCityMacFan]

When it comes to technology, we really don't truly need anything. Needs are created.

100 years ago, we didn't know that we needed the Internet until it was invented. Couple decades ago, we didn't need GUI to compute but now we feel as if it is necessary.

The same will go for LTE. Am I happy with 3G, somewhat. But that's because I've experienced faster and reliable. I want my phone to get to the point where it is just as fast as Wifi or a T1 line. Where streaming doesn't become a bitch and hopefully with VoLTE, my calls aren't dropped in high congested area (and yes Verizon drops every single call in my school's extremely populated dining hall despite having full five bars).

Point is that we really don't need LTE until we've experienced it. While for some of us with the amount of data we use, 3G just isn't enough.

 

[takeshi74]

Can someone explain to me why 4G is such a big deal for cell phones?

It's s subjective matter. Some people need the speed. Some people just think they need the speed. Various reasons exist in both cases. If you don't see the need then you probably don't need it.

Even in you did get those speeds, why would you need it on a phone? I can understand wanting it in an iPad, or for tethering usage, but that's about it.

Don't confuse "you" and "I". Never assume your needs and wants are universal. If you can't understand that then you'll never understand the answer to your question. It's not all about you despite how it seems from your perspective. It's never about just any one person with any mass produced product.

i liken it to my gramma owning a 500 hp WRX rally car. It may be cool, but she lives in a tiny town, and the only time she drives is to go get her hair cut.

Same deal here. Your grandma isn't everyone. Further, "it may be cool" is reason enough for many whether you get it or not.

 

[cyks]

It's s subjective matter. Some people need the speed. Some people just think they need the speed. Various reasons exist in both cases. If you don't see the need then you probably don't need it.

Except that, at some point, almost everyone will need the speed.

For the most part, the 'web' worked fine on the old baud modems...but as speeds increased, images became more and more prevalent forcing people to get 28.8k+. Then the same thing happened again with broadband and video. And here we are now, even the original DSL or T1 line speeds wouldn't be fast enough for the average person.

4G may be too much for some now, but in time, the Internet will force it to be (at least) the standard.

 

[Eddie Bombay]

Once you go 4G, the rest is history.

 

[Technarchy]

If I were on Verizon or Sprint I'd care more.

On AT&T the HSPA+ coverage in several times larger than anyone's LTE network and more than fast enough for me.

 

[JAT]

Yep, I'm seriously asking it. The question is not whether or not 4G is better, it clearly is. The question is why on earth do we need that kind of speed on cell phones. To me it's like having a T1 line connected to a single laptop. Unless people are downloading massive amounts of data on a phone, why compromise battery life for a couple of seconds of faster load times.

Are you not aware of the speed of a T1 line? You may want to update your rant, it is no longer 1995. I have nearly the equivalent of a T3 at my house.

And yes, it is quite simply for speed. To me, a more useful question is why YOU think speed is not necessary. Esp on a phone, where you are mobile and don't want to stand around waiting.

 

[w00t951]

Are you people serious? I pay over $80 a month to get rubbish speeds. I hate waiting for that loading bar to finish or that YouTube movie to buffer. I'm paying a ludicrous amount of money for cellular service. Give me enough bang for my buck.

 

[Dmunjal]

Here's a better way to look at it. ATT and Verizon rolled out LTE and didn't charge extra for it compared to 3G. It is a no brainer. If they had an extra charge then some of you might have a case. As for battery life, I think that has become a non issue. The RAZR MAXX LTE lasts longer than the 4S on 3G.

 

[Sedrick]

What I fine ironic is, just as everyone's rolling out 4g and LTE, companies are limiting thier data plans so you have to pay more for that data you can now burn through faster than ever.

And everyone's like: "thank you sir, may I have another!?"

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

The RAZR MAXX LTE lasts longer than the 4S on 3G.

No it doesn't. In fact the Razr Maxx dies quicker EVEN ON 3G than the iPhone 4S according to scientific testing (I don't care about your user opinion since its non-scientific) via Anandtech.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5533/motorola-droid-razr-maxx-review-18x-the-battery/2

 

[jeremiah256]

Plus, for Verizon and Sprint, doesn't 4G allow voice and data usage at the same time?

 

[Twixt]

Big deal because you can use phoning feature AND browse/get your emails etc at the same time

 

[BiggAW]

I guess I don't really understand 4G speed on a cell phone. I can stream all my music from Pandora without interruption on 3G, and even stream high quality movies from Netflix without interruption on 3G.

Don't worry about the speeds of LTE unless you watch video or upload ad download large files. The real benefit is latency and response time. ...

That's part of it.

This is because European countries are tiny compared to the whole of the US.

By that logic, AT&T would be super fast in Manhattan. Riiiiiiiiiiight.

The other reason is capacity. Let's assume that no one needs more than a few megabits, and 3G can provide that. HOWEVER, in large cities, and especially at large events, 3G often can provide only kilobits, or sometimes, no data at all. Right now, 4G holds up a lot better. How it will behave in a year's time is anyone's guess, as more and more people get 4G phones, but at least you will have two networks (3 in the case of AT&T with EDGE) to try and see if they work, and theoretically, LTE will hold up a lot better under high traffic conditions.

In the bigger pictures, it's also opening up greenfield spectrum, which, even ignoring the higher spectral efficiency of LTE, opens up more capacity overall for the network as a whole.

Are you not aware of the speed of a T1 line?

LOL. I would hate to be stuck on a T1. Heck, I can upload faster than a T1, and I'm on a system in the last 15% of Comcast's to be upgraded.

 

[Hackintosh Sr.]

Is this question seriously being asked??

That's like saying what's the point of dsl?? Dial up works just fine for my needs. Please... Technology is advancing! Get with the times people. Why wouldn't you want to welcome a superior network?

This

If someone came up with a new fuel that made you get better MPG would you complain?

Seriously people