Future of Engineering

There has been a buzz around the news that 3G is coming to the next version of the iPhone possibly in a few months. But it’s 4G the next generation, that’s on the minds of many mobile and iPhone enthusiasts. Not just these enthusiasts, the ever-hyped mobile industry is on a constant chatter about 4G. So let's look at what 4G could offer and where indeed we are on 4G.

The most exciting aspect of the 4G phones is the download speed - expected to be 100 Mbps - and its equally awesome 50 Mbps upload speed.

In terms of speed, 2.5G can offer web access at a rate of between 144 and 384 kilobits per second. 3G is even faster - anywhere between 500 Kbps and 1.5 Mbps. 4G holds the promise of routinely delivering the higher end of that transmission rate, and much faster, in some cases, up to 100 Mbps for downloading, and 50 mbps for uploading.

Naturally, such an order-of-magnitude increase in speed implies that the multimedia browsing apps will get a shot-in-the-arm. The big application thing that 3G and 4G will bring, with such fast upload speeds, is enabling much higher mobile web browsing and richer mobile social networking. Today it takes a while to upload a video to your favorite social networking site using your mobile or camcorder. With promised speeds of 50 Mbps for upload ( at least in selective cases), this should be a cinch.

For many around the world, who are just getting used to 512 Kbps browsing on their PCs, just imagine what a 100 Mbps speed on their mobiles could mean!

Oh well, 4G is not going to be without its attendant niggling issues. Among the 4G issues are what tech standards should be used for it, how existing cell systems can be “backhauled” to put it into effect, and at what cost to network operators — and ultimately — customers. Part of the reason is cost. Data plans, for e-mail and web use, add to a cell customer’s monthly bill by at least $30 to $60 and often more, depending on usage. And last, but not the least, the 100 Mbps and 50 Mbps speeds will not be available to every user of mobile but we suspect it will be available only to select audiences in select locales, at least to begin with.

There is another reason not to get overly excited about 4G. The fact is, even assuming everyone agrees on all standards quickly (which in itself will be a mini-miracle), it is probably 4-5 years before the ordinary you and me can have it on our mobiles.

It is also sobering to remember that in the United States, sales of 3G phones have just topped 50 percent with the remainder being 2.5G or 2G phones. Part of the reason is that the networks aren’t built out yet for 3G, and less than half of cell customers whose phones are equipped for 3G are using its capabilities.

But all said, just the prospect of 100 Mbps download speed on mobile is just too enticing to not get excited. So all of us mobile junkies will have to wait a while before we get our hands on awesome 4G phones, but it appears that it's worth the wait!

Labels: Electronics-Communications-Engineering