Re: Do It Show: Question #4 - 3G vs. 4G

MeiShinLee Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:36 am

I think the largest difference between 3G & 4G is speed. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 3G provides 14 megabits per second (Mbit/s) download and 5.8 Mbit/s upload. This is compared to the projected minimum 100 Mbit/s transfer speed of 4G. As the mobile computing is getting more and more important, I do think it's necessary to market 4G. But at the same time, the qulity of 3G network is also very important. If I were the service provider, I should know the consumer who need 4G service are totally different form the consumer who take the 3G service. Although the 4G sounds really great, the mobile provider should to understand what is the main demand of the targeted customer to the provider.

chaohungchen Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:42 am

aiko wrote:After doing some search of 4G, most of the resources only mention that the speed has been improved, this makes me start to think that why should we need more speed? At the first though, I have come out with download file in an extremely fast motion. KaiCamenzind’s comment about downloading 50 GB 3D movies with your mobile device is interesting, it seems funny or kind of ridiculous at this point, but probably it is common in the future?

I really love Joern’s comments, it’s always full of inspiration. For the cloud storage which has become popular nowadays might work well with 4G. If the network speed is fast enough, we don’t have to save everything in our phone. Every time when we want to use the service or application, we can load it from the cloud, and it feels just like load it from the SD card! (This general idea is kind of like “desktop virtualization”). In this case, we don’t have to worried about “memory out of space” on our mobile phone!

I think Aiko mention an very important part of 4G.
It's about the cloud service in 4G.
If the network speed is fast , we don't need processors and SD cards anymore.
we can do every computings in cloud and save all of data in cloud.
Then we don't have to worry about lose our photos and data when lose our smartphone.

But in Taiwan, now I only hope we'll have more stable and high-quailty 3G.
I guess the monopoly of CHT is one of the reasons why our 3G developments and 3G infrastructures are a little bit slow.

rio ohmori Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:42 pm

I've also tried to figure out what 4G can do. On top of movies or streaming videos, following link mentioned about "graphically intensive game online" This might be 4G's strength for the market. Though I am not sure if people want to play graphically intensive game online on small monitor like smart phone, company needs to appeal something that previous generation couldn't achieve. Or do you think 3G is enough to play mobile device online game?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdzEzBlVULY

Khanh Linh LAM Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:39 pm

I personally would like to have the 4G on my phone. It actually shows that mobile Internet becomes ever more important, websites more affluent, applications ever more connected. Photos and videos quality is also better, so to upload on a web service, it is quicker (for instance if you use Android and Google +, when you take a picture you can upload it automatically on the web). It's faster, so normally better. But I agree, that doesn't solve the problems of connection, for instance in the public transports, where everybody use it.

Mu Jou Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:25 pm

joern.esdohr wrote:The ongoing question how users can be convinced that 3G speed is not enough is very good indeed.

I think, a major driver of the adoption of 4G and future network technologies are, for instance, the increasing consumption of quality online media: websites, interactive content, web apps -- but most significantly perhaps the classic media like videos, from Youtube, whole movies from Netflix, Hulu, etc. and music streaming. Mobile ecosystems are drifting into the cloud. Media services like iCloud, Google's, Amazon's cloud music services and Microsoft's Zune Pass, Pandora, Spotify,...., all leverage the benefits of mobile broadband.

One criteria is connectivity and coverage: if you don't have a connection, you can't access your content. The other criteria is connection speed: you want your content quickly, and in as high-quality as possible. Most of us might not be using those services yet (I'm actually just using mail, calendar, chat and occasionally viewing one or two sites -- nothing too demanding), but eventually maybe.

A big issue I perceive is Net Neutrality being at stake.

Joern has already mentioned about an important point of 3G/4G - "Most of us might not be using those services yet".

I'm not sure about the situation in other countries.
As the period of changing from 2G/2.5G to 3G in Taiwan, all the mobile service providers changed the chip for all the users for free, whether you adopted 3G or not.
And all of those "services" were coming like a big wave to lead & create the real necessaries of 3G in coming years.

I believe the only one way to prompt consumers moving from 3G to 4G would be new or better services with more data demands.

Ps. Here's another film that easily explains about the differences between 3G & 4G.

aiko Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:16 pm

After doing some search of 4G, most of the resources only mention that the speed has been improved, this makes me start to think that why should we need more speed? At the first though, I have come out with download file in an extremely fast motion. KaiCamenzind’s comment about downloading 50 GB 3D movies with your mobile device is interesting, it seems funny or kind of ridiculous at this point, but probably it is common in the future?

I really love Joern’s comments, it’s always full of inspiration. For the cloud storage which has become popular nowadays might work well with 4G. If the network speed is fast enough, we don’t have to save everything in our phone. Every time when we want to use the service or application, we can load it from the cloud, and it feels just like load it from the SD card! (This general idea is kind of like “desktop virtualization”). In this case, we don’t have to worried about “memory out of space” on our mobile phone!

joern.esdohr Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:14 pm

The ongoing question how users can be convinced that 3G speed is not enough is very good indeed.

I think, a major driver of the adoption of 4G and future network technologies are, for instance, the increasing consumption of quality online media: websites, interactive content, web apps -- but most significantly perhaps the classic media like videos, from Youtube, whole movies from Netflix, Hulu, etc. and music streaming. Mobile ecosystems are drifting into the cloud. Media services like iCloud, Google's, Amazon's cloud music services and Microsoft's Zune Pass, Pandora, Spotify,...., all leverage the benefits of mobile broadband.

One criteria is connectivity and coverage: if you don't have a connection, you can't access your content. The other criteria is connection speed: you want your content quickly, and in as high-quality as possible. Most of us might not be using those services yet (I'm actually just using mail, calendar, chat and occasionally viewing one or two sites -- nothing too demanding), but eventually maybe.

A big issue I perceive is Net Neutrality being at stake.

alex.gordiani Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:53 pm

KaiCamenzind wrote:
d.alsafi@gmail.com wrote:
Very nice, Andy Kornelius! the analyses look interesting. But I am curious about the fact that how the companies will target their customers in order to get them to use 4G instead of 3G?! And in that case, will the ROI from this technology be comparable to the one of the 3G? I personally doubt this, specially with the current market situation for this industry (unless this will imply additional features to the user)!

Any suggestions?

andykorn87 wrote:I think both have advantages. I want to sum it up and tell you my impression:

As you are well aware, most mobile phones and smartphones at present still run the 3G network, both for voice and data access. 3G is also used by some of the biggest carriers and, inspite of the advent of 4G, still manages to retain its popularity.

4G, which has also become the standard for wireless communication, also has its share of loyal customers in some pockets of the world. While 3G itself is very fast, 4G is already said to be 3-4 times faster than it.

Of course, like everything else, both the 3G and 4G networks have their pros and cons. Here is a detailed analysis of 3G vs 4G.

3G Networking

Pros

3G offers much faster data transfers, up to speeds as high as 2Mbps.
Developers can use this network to create maps and positioning services, which are regularly accessed by the younger population.3G is a preferred platform for many popular mobile phone games, especially those which contain graphics and animation.

[b]Cons[/b]

Because subscribing to 3G networks is expensive, you should understand that your clientele, though exclusive, will be limited in number. Most users prefer not to use 3G, as its cost deters them. There will still be 3G users to purchase your apps, but they will not be a concentrated part of the population.3G, though available in most parts of the world today, still has to catch on in some nations. Users in these locations may opt for other types of network

The 4G network

[b]Pros[/b]

4G offers is very good for advanced mobile services such as video and movie streaming. This offers much higher speed than 3G or WiFi.
Unlike WiFi, 4G has far expanded coverage and hence, offers more or less constant connectivity.
Users, especially business users, are more likely to use 4G, as it offers them more security than WiFi. This enhances safety and privacy of data.

Cons

Though 4G coverage is expanding rapidly, it still is not available in many locations of world.
Though 4G offers great quality connectivity, it is still in the formative stages and could result in bugs or glitches.
You will have to purchase a wireless modem or take it on rent. This is available at reasonable rates, though

In conclusion, both 3G and 4G networking have a great deal to offers in terms of speed and quality. Though in its infancy yet, 4G is expected to catch on and become the premier connectivity provider in the coming few months

Diego

I wanna add something to your question. In my personal point of view I ask myself, do I really need 4G? I mean I am already very satisfied with the current 3g technology. And especially for mobile devices, why should I really wanna more speed, altough the actual service provides enough speed? I personally think that 4G might be an interesting product for so-called "techno-freaks" (downloading 50 gb 3d movies with your mobile device) but for the general audience I can not see any advantages to upgrade, especially not when there is not any device-modified content which needs such high speed connections. But maybe you have some arguments against my claims...

KaiCamenzind

I agree with you but this same point could be stated for all the other new incremental innovations. They're not radically changing what we do but they improve, let's say, the quality of the output. And perhaps all of us are secretly addicted to such improvements and want the last generation technology (;

KaiCamenzind Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:32 am

d.alsafi@gmail.com wrote:
Very nice, Andy Kornelius! the analyses look interesting. But I am curious about the fact that how the companies will target their customers in order to get them to use 4G instead of 3G?! And in that case, will the ROI from this technology be comparable to the one of the 3G? I personally doubt this, specially with the current market situation for this industry (unless this will imply additional features to the user)!

Any suggestions?

andykorn87 wrote:I think both have advantages. I want to sum it up and tell you my impression:

As you are well aware, most mobile phones and smartphones at present still run the 3G network, both for voice and data access. 3G is also used by some of the biggest carriers and, inspite of the advent of 4G, still manages to retain its popularity.

4G, which has also become the standard for wireless communication, also has its share of loyal customers in some pockets of the world. While 3G itself is very fast, 4G is already said to be 3-4 times faster than it.

Of course, like everything else, both the 3G and 4G networks have their pros and cons. Here is a detailed analysis of 3G vs 4G.

3G Networking

Pros

3G offers much faster data transfers, up to speeds as high as 2Mbps.
Developers can use this network to create maps and positioning services, which are regularly accessed by the younger population.3G is a preferred platform for many popular mobile phone games, especially those which contain graphics and animation.

[b]Cons[/b]

Because subscribing to 3G networks is expensive, you should understand that your clientele, though exclusive, will be limited in number. Most users prefer not to use 3G, as its cost deters them. There will still be 3G users to purchase your apps, but they will not be a concentrated part of the population.3G, though available in most parts of the world today, still has to catch on in some nations. Users in these locations may opt for other types of network

The 4G network

[b]Pros[/b]

4G offers is very good for advanced mobile services such as video and movie streaming. This offers much higher speed than 3G or WiFi.
Unlike WiFi, 4G has far expanded coverage and hence, offers more or less constant connectivity.
Users, especially business users, are more likely to use 4G, as it offers them more security than WiFi. This enhances safety and privacy of data.

Cons

Though 4G coverage is expanding rapidly, it still is not available in many locations of world.
Though 4G offers great quality connectivity, it is still in the formative stages and could result in bugs or glitches.
You will have to purchase a wireless modem or take it on rent. This is available at reasonable rates, though

In conclusion, both 3G and 4G networking have a great deal to offers in terms of speed and quality. Though in its infancy yet, 4G is expected to catch on and become the premier connectivity provider in the coming few months

Diego

I wanna add something to your question. In my personal point of view I ask myself, do I really need 4G? I mean I am already very satisfied with the current 3g technology. And especially for mobile devices, why should I really wanna more speed, altough the actual service provides enough speed? I personally think that 4G might be an interesting product for so-called "techno-freaks" (downloading 50 gb 3d movies with your mobile device) but for the general audience I can not see any advantages to upgrade, especially not when there is not any device-modified content which needs such high speed connections. But maybe you have some arguments against my claims... Smile

d.alsafi@gmail.com Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:22 am

Very nice, Andy Kornelius! the analyses look interesting. But I am curious about the fact that how the companies will target their customers in order to get them to use 4G instead of 3G?! And in that case, will the ROI from this technology be comparable to the one of the 3G? I personally doubt this, specially with the current market situation for this industry (unless this will imply additional features to the user)!

Any suggestions?

andykorn87 wrote:I think both have advantages. I want to sum it up and tell you my impression:

As you are well aware, most mobile phones and smartphones at present still run the 3G network, both for voice and data access. 3G is also used by some of the biggest carriers and, inspite of the advent of 4G, still manages to retain its popularity.

4G, which has also become the standard for wireless communication, also has its share of loyal customers in some pockets of the world. While 3G itself is very fast, 4G is already said to be 3-4 times faster than it.

Of course, like everything else, both the 3G and 4G networks have their pros and cons. Here is a detailed analysis of 3G vs 4G.

3G Networking

Pros

3G offers much faster data transfers, up to speeds as high as 2Mbps.
Developers can use this network to create maps and positioning services, which are regularly accessed by the younger population.3G is a preferred platform for many popular mobile phone games, especially those which contain graphics and animation.

[b]Cons[/b]

Because subscribing to 3G networks is expensive, you should understand that your clientele, though exclusive, will be limited in number. Most users prefer not to use 3G, as its cost deters them. There will still be 3G users to purchase your apps, but they will not be a concentrated part of the population.3G, though available in most parts of the world today, still has to catch on in some nations. Users in these locations may opt for other types of network

The 4G network

[b]Pros[/b]

4G offers is very good for advanced mobile services such as video and movie streaming. This offers much higher speed than 3G or WiFi.
Unlike WiFi, 4G has far expanded coverage and hence, offers more or less constant connectivity.
Users, especially business users, are more likely to use 4G, as it offers them more security than WiFi. This enhances safety and privacy of data.

Cons

Though 4G coverage is expanding rapidly, it still is not available in many locations of world.
Though 4G offers great quality connectivity, it is still in the formative stages and could result in bugs or glitches.
You will have to purchase a wireless modem or take it on rent. This is available at reasonable rates, though

In conclusion, both 3G and 4G networking have a great deal to offers in terms of speed and quality. Though in its infancy yet, 4G is expected to catch on and become the premier connectivity provider in the coming few months

andykorn87 Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:51 am

I think both have advantages. I want to sum it up and tell you my impression:

As you are well aware, most mobile phones and smartphones at present still run the 3G network, both for voice and data access. 3G is also used by some of the biggest carriers and, inspite of the advent of 4G, still manages to retain its popularity.

4G, which has also become the standard for wireless communication, also has its share of loyal customers in some pockets of the world. While 3G itself is very fast, 4G is already said to be 3-4 times faster than it.

Of course, like everything else, both the 3G and 4G networks have their pros and cons. Here is a detailed analysis of 3G vs 4G.

3G Networking

Pros

3G offers much faster data transfers, up to speeds as high as 2Mbps.
Developers can use this network to create maps and positioning services, which are regularly accessed by the younger population.3G is a preferred platform for many popular mobile phone games, especially those which contain graphics and animation.

[b]Cons[/b]

Because subscribing to 3G networks is expensive, you should understand that your clientele, though exclusive, will be limited in number. Most users prefer not to use 3G, as its cost deters them. There will still be 3G users to purchase your apps, but they will not be a concentrated part of the population.3G, though available in most parts of the world today, still has to catch on in some nations. Users in these locations may opt for other types of network

The 4G network

[b]Pros[/b]

4G offers is very good for advanced mobile services such as video and movie streaming. This offers much higher speed than 3G or WiFi.
Unlike WiFi, 4G has far expanded coverage and hence, offers more or less constant connectivity.
Users, especially business users, are more likely to use 4G, as it offers them more security than WiFi. This enhances safety and privacy of data.

Cons

Though 4G coverage is expanding rapidly, it still is not available in many locations of world.
Though 4G offers great quality connectivity, it is still in the formative stages and could result in bugs or glitches.
You will have to purchase a wireless modem or take it on rent. This is available at reasonable rates, though

In conclusion, both 3G and 4G networking have a great deal to offers in terms of speed and quality. Though in its infancy yet, 4G is expected to catch on and become the premier connectivity provider in the coming few months

Laurent Corigliano Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:59 am

Hi everyone,

My thoughts on 3G vs. 4G depend on who I want to be: a CEO of a mobile company or a user of mobile services.

If I'm the CEO of a mobile company, I would definitely try to market 4G. Indeed, the technology is already here, and we have seen in the "Do it Show" case that being the first mover is key when the technology can be easily copied by your competitors. As a consequence, given the fact that higher-speed data transmission is one cornerstone of the competition on the mobile market, i would try to associate my brand with 4G services and thus better services in order to capture more market share. In addition, the development of tablets and other mobile devices is going to require ever more efficient and faster data transmission, so I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity of being a strong actor in this promising sector.

On the other hand, if i'm a mobile user, my focus is on the user experience. And on that point I think Mobile service providers still need to improve the 3G service (and be in the evolution process type), before trying to launch the revolution of 4G. Indeed, in France for example, we still don't have 3G everywhere, instead of that we sometimes have EDGE (which is way slower), and on that account as a user, I still complain on the 3G service as I think it should be available everywhere. that's why before having 4G, I would prefer to have a good 3G everywhere. Then, I also hope that launching 4G will not induce buying a new mobile device, because in that case mobile producers and mobile service provider should try to work hand-in-hand in order to spread out the use of 4G, indeed such a technology cannot be marginal, it has to become the norm if the launch is done. Finally, I mentioned that the development of the tablets require higher-data transmission; as a user of the iPad, I've already tried to use the 3G on it, and I still think Wifi (dsl) is the only best way to use the tablet, as I'm not satisfied with the 3G performance. So if a 4G service is launched, I'll be very happy, but I'll be very cautious before subscribing, indeed I would want to test the technology and make sure that the quality is here. To my mind, you can still be profitable if you use a bad marketing for a great technology, but even the best marketing strategy can not overcome the defaults of a "not good enough" technology.

patrick.cato Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:36 am

For me personally, the difference between 3G and 4G is mainly determined by the massive speed. I think before providers should start to market 4G/LTE, they should provide a good 3G network, also in rural areas. To be convinced I think it shouldn’t be much more expensive than 3G services, since WIFI is everywhere and for simple browsing you do not really need 100 mbit/s.

I think LTE could be interesting to replace simple DSL and offer High-speed internet via Surfsticks everywhere. But I think LTE will only be available in bigger cities anyway. But since you can get DSL for a very low price, I doubt if LTE is able to compete. (Although the speed would be awesome)

So for me personally LTE is just a pie in the sky. I think it will take some years, since UMTS is doing good for simple browsing.

joern.esdohr Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:24 am

What I have read about 4G marketing in the US, the carriers seem to attempt to monetize on the catch phrase "4G". It's simply slapped onto a product name to associate it with high data speed, but at the end, does not support the actual 4G network at all. That and the fact that 4G does not play a role for me right now, as in Germany, there are no 4G offers I know of. Thus I'm not very familiar with the specifications. It is indeed very confusing with the different network types and names: 2G, 3G, 4G, GPSA, HSPA, HSPA+, LTE, WiMAX. If you are as confused as me, I recommend to maybe read up on some Wikipedia articles to clear any misunderstandings beforehand: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4G

I would count myself as a possible consumer of a 4G data plan. In my apartment, I don't have an actual DSL connection, instead I substituted it with a 3G data plan on my smartphone and hooked it up to my notebook to share the connection. The 3G connection is horribly slow compared to DSL, but ordinary web surfing and an occasional 240p Youtube video still work out -- and I kind of got used to it. But having just one data subscription and internet on my phone is convenient and cheap. For data heavy tasks I still have my university network at my disposal.

The issue is, that there are very few cost-effective data plans offered by carriers. They are mostly heavily restricted by traffic limits and ridiculous charges for beyond-limit usage. My provider Eplus has about the worst 3G network coverage and speed in Germany. So one important criteria when going for cutting edge network technology would be network quality and if you can actually use it at your place.

Last but not least, I don't even have a 4G capable phone, so even if I wanted to, I'm out of the game anyway.

dean.fredericks Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:04 am

No 4G for iphone 4S. Real technology specialists and speak freaks will need to get there hands on an Andriod device to really experience 4G speeds.

Iphone 3GS = 3G network speed
Iphone 4S != 4G network speed

On a serious note... the technology is here, 4G is here, LTE networks are being rolled out - but the telecoms industry really need to tell us what is better about 4G - what can we do on 4G that would couldn't already do on 3G?

At this point I'm still in the dark... and im using prepaid + wifi!

Mu Jou Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:13 am

How should 4G be marketed? What could your provider do to convince you transition you from 3G to 4G? Besides, you can share some of your understanding about the differences between 3G and 4G. And here we also welcome for all kinda ideas about 4G service could be or should be. Here we go!! Smile

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Do It Show: Question #4 - 3G vs. 4G