AT&T 'upgrades' its 3G network by renaming it to 4G

[Bouncer]

People are so fucken stupid, not just AT&T customers either. All this 4G bullshit, people dont even know what the fuck it is, it has no set standards etc.. They just want it because 4G is a higher number then 3G. :retard:

AT&T Renames Its 3G Network a 4G Network - Marketing move could be driven in part by rumored Verizon iPhone

[Bouncer]

Little more info for dumb fucks like rado who have undoubtedly went out and got themselves a 4G phone!! :lmao:

The Dirty Secret of Today's 4G: It's not 4G


"T-Mobile claims the largest "4G" network in the country. Verizon's launching its "4G" LTE network later this year. And Sprint loves talking about "4G" WiMax. Thing is, none of these networks are actually 4G. Not by a long shot.

Who decides what's 4G?
There's like a bajillion massive, international organizations that jockey for position to dictate a lot of what technology standards look like. When it comes to 3G/4G, there are a few major groups at play:

• The International Telecommunication Union is a United Nations agency that, among other things, sets international standards for telecommunications. This group ultimately decides if a wireless technology is 3G or 4G or, like, 9000G. To be considered 4G, a network technology has to meet a set of specs known as IMT-Advanced.

• 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is a group of telecom standards bodies that originally got together to develop the technical specs for a 3G network. This group developed the standard for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications), which GSM carriers use for 3G data transmission. They're also the cats behind LTE, the next-gen wireless network that GSM carriers like AT&T will migrate to. (I highly recommend reading our CDMA vs. GSM primer now if you haven't, BTW.)

• If you've ever bought a router, you're probably familiar with the number 802.11. What that weird string of digits refers to is IEEE 802.11, the set of standards for wireless local area networking, and the working group that defines them. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers does a lot of things, and one of them is set technical standards. What's relevant here is that a subset of these governing geeks, the IEEE 802.16 working group, standardizes Wireless Metropolitan Area networks—what you know better as WiMax.

None of these "4G" networks is really 4G
Right now, every major carrier in the US is touting a "4G" network that's either available or being rolled out. Sprint is pushing WiMax. AT&T and Verizon are pushing LTE (Long-Term Evolution). T-Mobile is pushing HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Evolved). They're all faster than the "3G" speeds than we're used to, with WiMax and HSPA+ delivering consistent, real-world speeds of anywhere from 3Mbps-12Mbps today. But a rep for the ITU told me flatly, "The fact is that there are no IMT-Advanced—or 4G—systems available or deployed at this stage." Calling their newer, faster networks "4G" is "completely marketing" by the carriers, says Gartner analyst Phil Hartman.

The ITU has actually just decided which technologies are officially designated as IMT-Advanced—"true 4G technologies" in its eyes—after looking at six candidates. The winners: LTE-Advanced (LTE Release 10)and WirelessMAN-Advanced (aka 802.16m aka WiMax Release 2). In other words, the next versions of today's LTE and WiMax. Despite sharing the names, and being developed by the same groups as their predecessors, the for-serious 4G networks will be "pretty different" at a technical level, says Hartman.

If you think top speeds of 300Mbps for LTE and 72Mbps for WiMax are impressive, true 4G makes them look downright pokey. Today's 4G is "not anywhere near what the 4G experience will be in 10-15 years," says Hartman. You're talking about speeds of "up to a gigabit a second" in a wireless LAN, and 100Mbps for fully mobile applications. In other words, true 4G is a massive leap, not a dainty skip forward. There's also little things, like full capability for voice in LTE-Advanced, which there's no standard for in the current LTE spec.

The goal of true 4G is to create a superfast, incredibly interoperable, basically ubiquitous global networks. What we've got now and in the very near future is pretty good, and definitely better than what we've had. But they're no 4G."

[blm]

Verizons LTE network is consistently putting out over 12 megs download speed in some areas upwards of 21 meg. This I have personally tested and know as fact. I don't know what Sprints "4g" does or if it is even classified a true next generation or if att will be this year as they claim. But the corporate nazi verizon is for real and their prices will most likely reflect it.

These new speed brackets and capabilities are definitely next generation. If you don't classify them as 4G then what are they? 3G Advanced, etc..? It's 4th generation. By the time we reach speeds that this article claims it will be a completely new generation. Comparing router classifications B,G,N isn't the same as they imply in the article. As you stated they are set standards. 4G is simply just that, the next step above 3G capabilities not a set standard.

[Bouncer]

If you don't classify them as 4G then what are they? 3G Advanced?

absolutely. they certainly are not even close to true 4G network speeds.

call it 3GS, Super 3G, call it what you will, but to call it 4G is not correct in any sense.

[blm]

call it 3GS, Super 3G, call it what you will, but to call it 4G is not correct in any sense.

I re-edited before you posted this. Why is it not 4G? It's the next tier or generation of speeds and there is no set standard for "4th Generation" just what people are estimating will be or should be classified as 4G.

[Bouncer]

"T-Mobile claims the largest "4G" network in the country. Verizon's launching its "4G" LTE network later this year. And Sprint loves talking about "4G" WiMax. Thing is, none of these networks are actually 4G. Not by a long shot.

Who decides what's 4G?
There's like a bajillion massive, international organizations that jockey for position to dictate a lot of what technology standards look like. When it comes to 3G/4G, there are a few major groups at play:

• The International Telecommunication Union is a United Nations agency that, among other things, sets international standards for telecommunications. This group ultimately decides if a wireless technology is 3G or 4G or, like, 9000G. To be considered 4G, a network technology has to meet a set of specs known as IMT-Advanced.

• 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) is a group of telecom standards bodies that originally got together to develop the technical specs for a 3G network. This group developed the standard for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications), which GSM carriers use for 3G data transmission. They're also the cats behind LTE, the next-gen wireless network that GSM carriers like AT&T will migrate to. (I highly recommend reading our CDMA vs. GSM primer now if you haven't, BTW.)

• If you've ever bought a router, you're probably familiar with the number 802.11. What that weird string of digits refers to is IEEE 802.11, the set of standards for wireless local area networking, and the working group that defines them. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers does a lot of things, and one of them is set technical standards. What's relevant here is that a subset of these governing geeks, the IEEE 802.16 working group, standardizes Wireless Metropolitan Area networks—what you know better as WiMax.

None of these "4G" networks is really 4G
Right now, every major carrier in the US is touting a "4G" network that's either available or being rolled out. Sprint is pushing WiMax. AT&T and Verizon are pushing LTE (Long-Term Evolution). T-Mobile is pushing HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access Evolved). They're all faster than the "3G" speeds than we're used to, with WiMax and HSPA+ delivering consistent, real-world speeds of anywhere from 3Mbps-12Mbps today. But a rep for the ITU told me flatly, "The fact is that there are no IMT-Advanced—or 4G—systems available or deployed at this stage." Calling their newer, faster networks "4G" is "completely marketing" by the carriers, says Gartner analyst Phil Hartman.

The ITU has actually just decided which technologies are officially designated as IMT-Advanced—"true 4G technologies" in its eyes—after looking at six candidates. The winners: LTE-Advanced (LTE Release 10)and WirelessMAN-Advanced (aka 802.16m aka WiMax Release 2). In other words, the next versions of today's LTE and WiMax. Despite sharing the names, and being developed by the same groups as their predecessors, the for-serious 4G networks will be "pretty different" at a technical level, says Hartman.

If you think top speeds of 300Mbps for LTE and 72Mbps for WiMax are impressive, true 4G makes them look downright pokey. Today's 4G is "not anywhere near what the 4G experience will be in 10-15 years," says Hartman. You're talking about speeds of "up to a gigabit a second" in a wireless LAN, and 100Mbps for fully mobile applications. In other words, true 4G is a massive leap, not a dainty skip forward. There's also little things, like full capability for voice in LTE-Advanced, which there's no standard for in the current LTE spec.

The goal of true 4G is to create a superfast, incredibly interoperable, basically ubiquitous global networks. What we've got now and in the very near future is pretty good, and definitely better than what we've had. But they're no 4G."

Why is it not 4G?

^^^

[blm]

"The goal of true 4G is to create a superfast, incredibly interoperable, basically ubiquitous global networks. What we've got now and in the very near future is pretty good, and definitely better than what we've had. But they're no 4G."

In 10-15 yrs talk of a 4th generation in terms of wireless speeds will be long gone. That is a long time in the technology world. Things move fast.

The article is spot on though. It is all labeling and marketing.

[Bouncer]

Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint are operating along what can be more accurately described as 3.5G. That is, WiMax and LTE are both faster than standard 3G but don't meet the requirements to be 4G as described in the article.

[Timma]

LOL i've been seeing articles like this ever since 4G was announced. It's all a marketing and labeling like they say. No one has set a definite number for what 4G should be so everyone is toting their faster than 3G speeds as 4G.

blm it depends on the area you are in to get those kinds of numbers with Verizons LTE. There have been reports that in some areas the most people get is the low end number of the spectrum. Of course those are higher populated areas like NYC or Portland.

The fact of the matter is it's not going to matter how fast your network is, but it depends on your area if it's going to be most beneficial to you or not in terms of speed.

[blm]

LOL i've been seeing articles like this ever since 4G was announced. It's all a marketing and labeling like they say. No one has set a definite number for what 4G should be so everyone is toting their faster than 3G speeds as 4G.

blm it depends on the area you are in to get those kinds of numbers with Verizons LTE. There have been reports that in some areas the most people get is the low end number of the spectrum. Of course those are higher populated areas like NYC or Portland.

The fact of the matter is it's not going to matter how fast your network is, but it depends on your area if it's going to be most beneficial to you or not in terms of speed.

Thanks for stating the obvious numb nuts....you mean I might get different cell coverage in different areas? Lol

[Timma]

Thanks for stating the obvious numb nuts....you mean I might get different cell coverage in different areas? Lol

I wasn't talking to you about that dickwad. I know you already know that. People like rado don't.

[Bouncer]

rado sucks

[Timma]

rado sucks tranny cock

FTFY

[Bouncer]

Lol. Thought you were dead.

[Timma]

Lol. Wished you were dead.

FTFY. Am I gonna have to correct all your posts?