4G Technology Seminar Topic

Abstract:

Telecommunications standards are constantly changing as technology advances and the publics hunger for more content delivered to their portable devices faster is a driving force behind these developments. At the moment you may be aware that a majority of modern mobile phones and mobile broadband services for PC and Laptop owners connect to 3G networks. This name refers to the fact that this is considered to be the 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications networking technology, and at the moment 3G networks are capable of download speeds of between 3.6 Mbps and 7.2 Mbps. This speed will depend on the network provider you choose, the level of 3G coverage and the capabilities of the mobile platform you are using to receive the signal. However, there are many companies who are working on creating 4G technologies, or the 4th generation of mobile networking, though at the time of writing 4G is not a standardized, unified technology and there are different companies working on 4G products that won't perform in the same way or to the same level

What is 4G?

At the moment 4G technologies are looking to be similar in many ways to the wireless networks that you may have used in your place of work or in your own home, only on a much larger scale and integrated into mobile devices as well as desktop solutions. For mobile users it will provide an `always on` mobile broadband connection so that voice calls, media streaming and internet access will be constantly at hand. Additionally the download speeds capable over 4G networking should be far greater than is currently available on 3G or indeed any home broadband service provided by a landline, with test 4G networks in China delivering 100 Mbps download speeds. What`s even better news is that this 100 Mbps speed is claimed by some companies to be the download speed available when the subject is on the move in a train or a car. If you're standing in one spot relative to the broadcasting beacon then up to 1 Gbps data transfer speed could be possible. This is literally an incredible development and a huge leap in terms of download speed and will no doubt further revolutionize the way in which we have access to the internet, as well as drastically lowering the cost of voice calls which use relatively little bandwidth.

Features

The general features for 4G mobile technology are laid out in International Mobile Telecommunication-Advanced (IMT-A) standards written by the ITU. According to IMT-A, 4Gmobile devices must be IP-based and able to provide data speeds of up to 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) when the device is being used while moving and up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) when stationary. All devices must also be able to be used for digital voice and rich media, which includes things like web pages with streaming videos or expandable banners. Additionally, they have to provide certain types of security for the transmissions.

There are also a number of technical specifications, including things like the wireless standard, radio interface, and frequency spectrum used. As of 2011, there were only two technologies officially designated as 4G mobile: LTE-Advanced and WiMax Release 2. Though devices using these technologies can theoretically reach the data speeds and functionality requirements set out by the ITU, the actual function varies according to the network coverage, infrastructure, and location.

Other Versions

Former versions of LTE and WiMax, and another technology called HSPA+, are also commonly referred to as 4G; despite the name, none actually meet the standards set out in IMT-A. The technologies were marketed so often as "4G" that the ITU allowed them to claim the designation. Most major carriers in the US work with at least one of these standards, with some supporting both. Generally speaking, LTE services are faster than WiMax, but WiMax can often support a farther-ranging signal than LTE, meaning that a user could conceivably use the mobile device farther away from a hotspot. Additionally, LTE is primarily used for cellphones and similar mobile devices, while WiMax is sometimes used to provide at-home Internet connections.

As Compared to 3G

The main difference between 4G mobile technology and the previous standard, 3G technology, in terms of end usage is the data transfer speeds provided. This means that users can access much more sophisticated data that requires a lot of bandwidth very quickly. Depending on theservice provider, however, 4G mobile devices may be limited to specific zones for making phone calls that are generally smaller than the areas covered by 3G. This means that people trying to make a call would have their call dropped if they went outside the covered area. Some 4G phones also have much shorter battery life than most 3G phones.