We are now in a new technological era that is full of technical terminologies, some of which we may not be quite familiar with. For instance, we have moved from 1G, 2G, 3G and now we have 4G. These terminologies are very common nowadays and anybody who does not understand them will find it very hard to understand some issues related to technology. It is therefore vital to understand these terminologies so that you are not left hanging and feeling completely out of place whenever people use them in everyday discussions. So, between 3G vs. 4G, what is different? For starters, both 3G and 4G are wireless technologies that enable mobile access. 3G has been in use for quite a long time but recently, focus is now shifting to the new 4G. 4G mobile access technologies are now being deployed in many parts of Europe and America. For easier understanding of the difference between the two, let us discuss each separately.
What Is 3G Network Access Technology?
3G stands for “third generation network” and it came to replace 2G networks. 3G networks have been in use for quite a while now although their popularity is subsiding with the emergence of 4G networks. However, 3G network access technology has a major advantage over 2G. That is, it is faster and effective. Since mobile phones can now access the internet and other mobile applications, 3G network access technology becomes vital because it allows the phone users to enjoy multiple services such as voice calls and data access. The good thing about 3G network is that it is fast and reliable. You can now make or receive a call and access other data services simultaneously with less speed variation. It becomes faster if you are just accessing data alone.
What’s more about 3G network access technologies is that they have enhanced data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) from the Evolution data optimized family (EV-DO) which relies on DMA or TDMA for multiplexing. At times, it can also rely on HSPA that tends to use 16 quadrature amplitude modulation to produce a data rate of 14 Mbit downlink and 5.8 uplink speeds. It also produces a wireless interoperability for all microwave access. Remember that the major difference between 3G and 2G is that 3G is faster in voice data access. However, to answer satisfactorily the question; 3G vs. 4G, what is different? We must understand a few basics about 4G network access technology.
What Is 4G Network Access Technology?
From 3G, attention is now shifting towards 4G mobile network access technology. It is therefore important to know what 4G is all about. For starters, 4G stands for “fourth generation network”. This network technology offers a 100Mbit/s in situations where the communication is in high speed especially in moving cars or trains. In low speed communications, 4G network technology offers 1 Gbit/s. This makes it more efficient and reliable since it is almost the same as getting a Gigabit Ethernet or LAN connection to your mobile device. When you compare the two, you can now answer the question; 3G vs. 4G, what is different?
