The Difference Between 3G and 4G Mobile Broadband Service
Anyone who has purchased a cell phone or even watched a mobile phone advertisement on television in the last 5 years has heard of 3G and 4G mobile broadband service. Both of these services are mobile phone technology which allows cell phones to access the internet, send email, download pictures and much more. The \”G\” in both of these stands for generation, making it obvious that 4G is just the latest version of 3G technology. Today, most mobile phones still use 3G technology, but 4G is looming on the horizon as more service providers are extending their cell phone offerings to devices offering pre-4G and 4G technology.
The main difference between 3G and 4G is that 4G runs faster. In fact, 4G can run up to 10 times faster than 3G if the phone is being used in a high coverage area, such as a metropolitan city where cell coverage is the best. \”Running faster\” refers to download times for internet websites to your phone, pictures, streaming video and more. It is important to note that 3G and 4G only refer to internet technology on phones and things like placing phone calls are not actually affected. Getting a 4G phone will not make your calls more clear but will make sending emails faster.
One of the main factors which make a 4G phone run faster when using the internet than a 3G phone is the way 4G sends information to your phone over a provider\’s bandwidth. When you open a website on your phone, you will notice that some things are the same on a website no matter which page of the site you visit. For example, the background may always be white. Phones with 3G technology will send every last piece of information about a new page you visit to your phone when you navigate through the website. This is referred to as circuit switching. On the other hand, 4G phones will \”keep\” the information on your phone that the new page you are visiting has the same white background and will only download the new information such as pictures and texts. This is known as packet switching and is much faster for users. Most modern 3G phones use a combination of circuit and packet switching, but 4G phones exclusively use packet switching which helps them run considerably faster.
As technology continues to improve, 4G will become the standard for cell phone users who need the internet at their fingertips. However, if your cell provider doesn\’t offer 4G yet, have no fear, 3G will still keep you connected.
Although 4G mobile Internet isn\’t available in all areas just yet, the market should be fairly well covered in the next few years, and it\’s a safe bet a newer, even faster mobile broadband connection will emerge within the next decade. Regardless of coverage for 3G, or 4G broadband service it\’s useless if you don\’t know which cellular providers cover your service area. Cellular service is very location centric, so you\’ll need to narrow down which carriers you have to choose from, not only in your coverage area, but in areas you frequently travel.
Daymon Hoag is the founder of Internet by Zip Code where you can compare Mobile Internet by Zip Code or call toll free (855) 394-4855.
Daymon Hoag is the founder of http://www.internetbyzipcode.com Internet by Zip Code where you can compare http://www.internetbyzipcode.com/mobileproviders/ Mobile Internet by Zip Code or call toll free (855) 394-4855.
Author Bio: Daymon Hoag is the founder of Internet by Zip Code where you can compare Mobile Internet by Zip Code or call toll free (855) 394-4855.
Category: Internet
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