3G and 4G Technologies

Evolution and comparison of mobile network technologies

Violet Stevens
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3G and 4GTechnologiesCompare the pros and cons of 3G and 4G technologiesCompare the pros and cons of 3G and 4G technologies to determine the best uses of 3G and 4Gtechnologies in today’s applications. 2. Describe how an enterprise would use 3G,4G, WWAN,and WIAMX to improve business. Explain why they would use one (1) solution over theremaining three (3). 3. Analyze the changes in 4G technology since the printing of the textbook in2009 and identify those of importance for a user of 4G technology. 4. Take a position on thefollowing statement, Wireless application protocol is a necessity for wireless communicationorganizations and their users. Then, explain your position with supporting evidence. 5. 3references 6. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements (APA , title page, abstract,and references)Different wireless companies such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprintalways tries hard to convince consumers that their wireless network is the best,the fastest or offers the latest technology for mobile devices. With changingtechnology, almost everybody has a smart phone which enables them to checktheiremailsorsurf theweb.Currently,therearetwodifferentwirelessnetworks: 3G and 4G. 3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunication is prettymuch an application service that includes wide-area wireless voice telephone,mobile internet access, video calls, and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment.4G is pretty much the same concept as 3G except it’s ten times faster than 3G.(Lee, 2011).Smartphone users are now consuming more data than ever before on a per-userbasis (Kellogg, 2011). With the availability of new apps, services, and cloudstorage, users are now utilizing their internet connection more than before(Nguyen, 2012). The current architecture of the 3G network starts with a basestation what is referred as a Node B. The radio network controller (RNC) willprovide various types of radio-related functionality such as: resource allocation,link layer encryption, and paging and fine-grained location tracking for mobilesin idle mode. It will also provide mobility anchoring for mobiles` data flow asthey move from node to node. Meaning it will receive data destined for a givenmobile and redirecting the data to the mobile’s current point of attachment. TheServing GPRS support node (SGSN) is the main component of the GPRS

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network that provides high levels of mobility anchoring, paging, and locationtracking for idle mobiles moving from one RNC to another RNC. Finally theGatewayGPRSSupportNode(GGSN)wouldberesponsiblefortheinterworking between the GPRS network and the external packet switchednetworks. It will allocate IP address to mobiles and acts as a gateway router forthe subnet from which the mobile’s IP address is allocated. Data designed forthe given mobile is routed from the Internet to the GGSN. The GGSN appliesoperator policies to the data flow, which will then give a tunnel data to themobile’s serving SGSN. The SGSN will then tunnel the data to the RNC, then itwill segments the data into link layer protocol data unites which will deliver itto Node B (base station). Below is a diagram of how the 3G network architectwould look like (Agrawal & Bedekar, 2007).Figure 1. 3GPP network architecture (Agrawal & Bedekar, 2007).4G networks will not fix dropped calls or other service problems but it is a lotfaster than the 3G network. It lets the consumers browse the web, downloadsongs and stream movies a lot quicker than the 3G networks (Lee, 2011). Whencomparing 3G and 4G, the data throughput for 3g is up to 3.1 mbps and the 4Gdata throughput is 3-5 mbps. 4G networks have a higher frequency band at 2-8GHz compared to 1.8-2.5GHz. In addition, the peak download rate for 4G ismuch more than 3G (3G vs 4G, 2011). As for user perception, most peoplethink that 4G is faster than 3G, which is true. However, wireless carriers do noadvertise how fast 4G is with numbers, instead, they advertise the “experience”and the “feel” of the technology.First off, the "G" stands for a generation of mobile technology. Each "G"generally requires you to get a new phone, and for networks to make expensiveupgrades. The first two were analog cell phones (1G) and digital phones (2G).Then it got complicated.Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to the U.S. in 2003. Withminimum consistent Internet speeds of 144Kbps, they were considered mobilebroadband.Therearenowsomanyvarietiesof3G,though,thata3Gconnection can get you Internet speeds anywhere from 400Kbps to more thanten times that.New generations usually bring new base technologies, more network capacityfor more data per user, and the potential for better voice quality, too.4G phones are supposed to be even faster, but that's not always the case. Thereare so many technologies called "4G," and so many ways to implement them,

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that the term is almost meaningless. The International TelecommunicationsUnion (ITU) tried to issue requirements to call a network 4G but they wereignored by carriers, and eventually the ITU gave up. 4G technologies includeHSPA+ 21/42 (HSPA was for 3.5G), WiMAX, and LTE (although someconsider LTE the only true 4G of that bunch, and some people say none of themare fast enough to qualify.)There's one thing for sure though, each generation offers faster Internet speedsthan the last, on the same carrier. Sprint's WiMAX 4G is almost always fasterthan its CDMA 3G. But AT&T's 3G HSPA can be faster than MetroPCS's 4GLTE. You can rely on speeds to move up within your carrier, though.PC Mag runs a yearly Fastest Mobile Networks contest, and in last year’s test,they found (quoted from the magazine) “that Verizon's 4G LTE network wasthe fastest, followed by T-Mobile 4G HSPA+, AT&T 4G HSPA+, Sprint 4GWiMAX, MetroPCS 4G LTE, Verizon 3G, and Cricket 3G, with Sprint comingin last. As AT&T and Sprint put out their LTE networks, they are expected tobe competitive with Verizon's LTE speeds.”You have to ask yourself when it is right for you to get 4G. Right now themobile carriers are still building up their 4G networks, so first off, you’ll need4G coverage to appreciate a 4G phone. Of the national carriers, Verizon and T-Mobile have the broadest 4G coverage. AT&T currently only covers about aquarter of the nation’s population.Sprint is in the middle of switching 4G systems, from WiMAX to LTE. The twoare not compatible with each other, so you must check coverage in your city forthe specific variety of 4G you're buying.If your data plan is not unlimited, you better watch out for the amount of datayou use, because it's easy to use up a lot very quickly with 4G.If you have a 3G phone and the clogged-up networks frustrate you, 4G may bethe solution. You'll be switching to a different, less-trafficked network for yourInternet data. 4G won't solve any dropped call problems, though, because allcalls will be made over 3G networks until carriers switch to voice-over-LTEduring the next few years.If you want to future-proof yourself, get a 4G phone. 4G coverage is only goingto get better, and that's where the carriers are spending most of their moneyright now. As we move into 2013 and 2014, some carriers will even try to
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