By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-10-20 14:08:47 | Word Count: 664
Verizon Wireless has announced that it’s making the fastest internet available to users in 38 cities. Verizon users complained they couldn’t access data and talk on their mobile devices, so the company answered with a 4G network.
So, what’s the difference between 3G and 4G? It all boils down to speed. Most 3G networks range from 600-1,700 Kbps (kilobytes per second) download speed and 500-1,200 Kbps upload speed, depending on the carrier. Verizon’s new 4G network claims it will be able to reach download speeds of 5-12 Mbps (megabytes per second) and upload speeds of 2-5 Mbps.
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Verizon is targeting on the go business users who need an internet connection all the time. But, with more and more people wanting to play games and stream videos online with their smart phone, the demand for a faster mobile internet is rising.
To ease the transition, the new 4G phones will also be 3G compatible.
Using technology called Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, the new network claims to be 10 times faster than the current 3G one most smart phones use.
According to www.ajc.com, Tony Melone – Verizon’s chief technology officer – said the migration to the new network is like adding lanes to a highway.
“The more capacity we give [people], the higher the speeds, the lower the latency, the more things that they do in a wired environment they can do in an unwired environment,” he said.
So, in an environment that’s always trying to move faster, what does that mean for the everyday smart phone user? Potentially instant video downloads, online gaming capabilities, and instant access to news statistics while simultaneously video chatting on your phone.
One question Verizon has yet to answer is what the fees for this service will be. Should calls make the transition to Skype type internet only technology, will your phone bill only consist of data fees? Time will tell.
Sprint has had a 4G network for quite some time, but it is incompatible with LTE. AT
