Difference between 3G and 4G in Australia
3G and 4G are both terms that refer to wireless communication networks. 3G is currently used all over the world and 4G is still being rolled out because it is in the development and testing stage. Only a few larger centers in Europe and North America have access to this newer technology. Australia uses 3G technology as well, but it is called Next G and is the network of Telstra that services all of the country. Telstra is not the only network carrier in Australia though. Other carriers such as SingTel, Three, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile currently offer 3G technology in this country.
At the World Mobile Conference that was held in Barcelona in February 2011, the CEO of Telstra, David Thodney, announced that his company was getting ready to release 4G technology to its network later in the year. They plan to use LTE technology and this will have an impact on the NGN scopes used by the government. This is because in theory, LTE can offer the required Mbps so that every household can have Internet access. This will interfere with the Australian government’s plan to provide all homes in the country with ultra broadband. When the LTEAdvanced or WiMAX 2 is released on the market it will have the capability of 1.2Gbps and this will serious impact the government initiative.
Telstra’s plan to deploy 4G technology will also have an impact on the tablet and smart phone market in Australia. Users will have to purchase new handsets because the ones that are currently being used for the 3G networks will not be able to support 4G technology. The new handsets will be able to support LTE, which means that users buying new smart phones or tablets now have to look for ones that can support both technologies.
Manufacturers of the 4G smart phones will certainly target the market in Australia in the coming months. This will affect the Apple iPhone market because these devices are not designed for the newer technology. This means that users will think seriously before purchasing these devices when they have to sign a two-year contract.
3G networks in Australia
3G offers faster connections in wireless communication than the former 2G network. Smart phones on the market today enable users to connect to the Internet as well as make voice calls. They can download various applications and use data and voice transfer at the same time. Although it does offer fast access for mobile environments at the rate of 200kbit/s, the rate for stationary environments is much faster at several Mbit/s.
Some of the networks that use 3G technology are:
- EDGE
- UMTS
- HSPA
- HSDPA
- HSUPA
- Ev-Do
- WCDMA
4G networks in Australia
The newest focus is on 4G technology because of the high speed of data transfer rate. In mobility environments, it offers 100Mbit/s and in fixed locations it is at 1Gbit/s. This faster rate of speed is a dramatic change in the world of wireless communication. It will be almost the same as the manner in which you connect to the Internet at home or in the office by means of a LAN or Ethernet connection.
It will be accessible with smart phone, laptops, tablets and other handheld devices that offer mobile wireless communication. You will be able o run any Internet application on your device as long as you have at least 54mbit/s download. In fact whatever you can download on your desktop computer, you will be able to download on these devices.
The introduction of 4G technology is going to impact the voice calling market. This is because users will be able to make VoIP calls from the mobile devices. The operating system will be totally IP whereas 3G technology uses switching and packet circuit access.