PhoneTalk

We've heard a lot about 4G and a couple of years ago we heard a lot about 3G. Deciding if you need to upgrade to 4G or stay with 3G can be difficult. New technology, while exciting, can be overwhelming. We wanted to make the process of picking a little bit easier by providing and answering some essential questions that should clarify in general use terms the difference between 4G and 3G:

What’s the difference between 3G and 4G?

In the simplest terms 3G and 4G are the third and fourth generation data networks. Just as 3G was much fast than 2G and 2.5G, 4G is a lot faster than 3G. The speed difference can be compared to the difference between low-end DSL speeds and basic cable speeds, which for arguments sake are essentially 768Kbps to 1.5Mbps vs. 4Mbps to 6Mbps, respectively. You don't need to do any special math to realize that cable data speeds are faster than basic DSL speeds. It's basically the same idea with data networks, though the data speeds are different. 4G data networks are a lot faster than 3G data networks.

How would you use 4G?

That’s really the big question you need to ask and be honest. 4G is all about speed. You could use your cell phone as a modem with your laptop when you’re on the road and if you’re in a 4G market you’ll likely get 4G speeds. That’s not all you can do with a fast connection on a cell phone: 4G seeds will let you download files up to 10 times faster than 3G. You can experience the web on your phone the way you experience it on your computer at home. That said, if you have a fast WiFi connection easily accessible on a WiFi-enabled 3G smartphone you can still have a fast mobile web experience via WiFi and the cell phone’s battery will last longer. In short, if you use data services (watch videos, web surfing, video chat, etc.) on your phone regularly and frequently 4G is probably a good choice for you. If you don’t, you might be just fine with a WiFi-enabled 3G phone.

Is it available where you use a cell phone most?

It’s true, 3G networks are more readily available throughout the country. Although 4G is a relatively new network it’s available in quite a few places – most notably, major cities. The issue will be finding out if the 4G network you want to use is available in your area. For example, Sprint offers its 4G service in Portland, Oregon, but Verizon doesn’t. The easiest way to find out if 4G service is offered where you use a cell phone most is to check the coverage maps for each carrier. You can do that by clicking the link to the corresponding carrier listed below and entering an address.

• AT&T  
• MetroPCS
• Sprint   
• T-Mobile  
• Verizon 

4G is definitely exciting, but as of yet there aren’t a ton of 4G cell phones available and you do need a 4G phone to use 4G services. That said, some WiFi networks also offer fast speeds for surfing the Internet on your phone and we see that feature on a lot of high-end 3G phones. If you decide that you want a 4G phone, follow the rest of our upcoming coverage that discusses the different carrier offerings. Or if you have more questions about 4G, leave a comment below.

Topics: Observed Verizon Wireless AT&T Wireless Sprint WiFi T-Mobile 4G MetroPCS Carriers