4G WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION
A wireless technology is a technology that transfers information over a
distance in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of
wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path.
The distances involved may be short (a few meters as in television
remote control) or long (thousands or millions of kilometers for radio
communications)
Wireless technology was un-imaginable till Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz in 1886-1888 demonstrated the transmission and
reception of radio signals. Sinking of Titanic in 1914 made
the authorities to regulate the rule and made it mandatory
to have all the ships to shore radios manned 24 hrs.This give
a boost to this radio industry and technology.This created a
new era of radio telegraphy and telephony.First
communication only satellite Telstart was launched on 1960s
and it made possible to communicate to any part of world.
TYPES OF WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY
1G technology
2G technology
3G technology
4G technology

1G TECHNOLOGY

1G (or 1-G) refers to the first-generation

of wireless telephone technology, mobile telecommunications.
These are the analog telecommunications standards that were
introduced in the 1980s and continued until being replaced
by 2G digital telecommunications.

The main difference between two succeeding mobile telephone

systems, 1G and 2G, is that the radio signals that 1G networks use
are analog, while 2G networks are digital.
Firstly, there were analog GSM systems, that existed for a few
years. And then came the digital systems.
Although both systems use digital signaling to connect the radio towers (which
listen to the handsets) to the rest of the telephone system, the voice itself
during a call is encoded to digital signals in 2G whereas 1G is only modulated
to higher frequency, typically 150 MHz and up.
One such standard is NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephone), used in Nordic
countries, Switzerland, Netherlands, Eastern Europe and Russia. Others
include AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System) used in the United
States and Australia, TACS (Total Access Communications System) in
the United Kingdom, C-450 in West Germany, Portugal and South
Africa, Radiocom 2000 in France, and RTMI in Italy. In Japan there were
multiple systems. Three standards, TZ-801, TZ-802, and TZ-803 were
developed by NTT, while a competing system operated by DDI used the
JTACS (Japan Total Access Communications System) standard.
Antecedent to 1G technology is the mobile radio telephone, or 0G.

Unlike its successor, 2G, which made use of digital signals, 1G

wireless networks used analog radio signals. Through 1G, a
voice call gets modulated to a higher frequency of about
150MHz and up as it is transmitted between radio towers. This
is done using a technique called Frequency-Division Multiple
Access (FDMA).
Different 1G standards were used in various countries.
Italy used a telecommunications system called RTMI.
France used Radiocom 2000.
Although there were use of 1G, there was the introduction of
2G which was elegant than 1G technology.

1G was introduced as the analog standard for cell phones in

the 1980s.
So, let us talk about 2G technology.
2G TECHNOLOGY

2G: the second generation of mobile

telecommunications still is the most widespread
technology in the world; youve basically all heard of
the GSM norm (GSM stands for Groupe Spcial
Mobile in French, renamed in Global System for
Mobility). The GSM operates in the 850Mhz. and
1900Mhz. bands in the US, & 900Mhz. and 1.8Mhz.
bands in the rest of the world (eg did you know
Bluetooth stands in the 2.4Ghz. area, just like your
microwave!? But thats another story, not related to
this article) and delivers data at the slow rate of 9.6
Kbytes/sec.

2.5G: For that last reason (9.6 Kbytes/sec doesnt allow

you to browse the Net or up/download an image), telco
operators came up with the GPRS (remember all the
hype around the Wap) which could enable much faster
communications (115Kbytes.sec). But the market
decided it was still not enough compared to what they
had at home.

2.75G: EDGE (I just called it 2.75G, 2.5s not the official

or unofficial number at all), which is a pretty recent
standard, allows for downloading faster. Since mobile
devices have become both a TV and a walkman or
music player, people needed to be able to watch
streaming video and download mp3 files faster thats
precisely what EDGE allows for and thats for the good
news. The bad news is that if EDGE rocks at
downloading, its protocol is asymmetrical hence
making EDGE suck at uploading ie broadcasting videos
of yours for instance. Still an interesting achievement

thanks to which data packets can effectively reach

180kbytes/sec. EDGE is now widely being used.
3G TECHNOLOGY

3rd Generation, is a generation of standards for mobile

phones and mobile telecommunications services fulfilling
specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.
[1]
Application services include wide-area wireless
voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile
TV, all in a mobile environment. Compared to the
older 2G and 2.5G standards, a 3G system must allow
simultaneous use of speech and data services, and provide peak
data rates of at least 200 kbit/s according to the IMT-2000
specification. Recent 3G releases, often
denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access
of several Mbit/s to laptop computers and smartphones.
The first pre-commercial 3G network was best launched
by NTT DoCoMo in Japan branded FOMA, in May 2001 on a
pre-release of W-CDMA technology.
Europe
In Europe, mass market commercial 3G services were
introduced starting in March 2003 by 3 (Part of Hutchison
Whampoa) in the UK and Italy. The European Union Council
suggested that the 3G operators should cover 80% of the
European national populations by the end of 2005.
Canada
In Canada, Bell Mobility, SaskTel[12] and Telus launched a 3G
EVDO network in 2005.[13] Rogers Wireless was the first to
implement UMTS technology, with HSDPA services in eastern
Canada in late 2006.[14] Realizing they would miss out on
roaming revenue from the 2010 Winter
Olympics,Bell and Telus formed a joint venture and rolled out
a shared HSDPA network using Nokia Siemens technology.

Iraq
Mobitel Iraq is the first mobile 3G operator in Iraq. It was
launched commercially on February 2007.
Philippines
3G services were made available in the Philippines on
December 2008.[15]
Syria
MTN Syria is the first mobile 3G operator in Syria. It was
launched commercially on May 2010.
The bandwidth and location information available to 3G
devices gives rise to applications not previously available to
mobile phone users. Some of the applications are:
Mobile TV a provider redirects a TV channel directly to the
subscriber's phone where it can be watched.
Video on demand a provider sends a movie to the
subscriber's phone.
Video conferencing subscribers can see as well as talk to each
other.
Tele-medicine a medical provider monitors or provides
advice to the potentially isolated subscriber.
Location-based services a provider sends localized weather or
traffic conditions to the phone, or the phone allows the
subscriber to find nearby businesses or friends.
Both 3GPP and 3GPP2 are currently working on extensions to
3G standard that are based on an all-IP network
infrastructure and using advanced wireless technologies such
as MIMO, these specifications already display features

characteristic for IMT-Advanced (4G), the successor of 3G.

However, falling short of the bandwidth requirements for 4G
(which is 1 Gbit/s for stationary and 100 Mbit/s for mobile
operation), these standards are classified as 3.9G or Pre-4G.
3GPP plans to meet the 4G goals with LTE Advanced, whereas
Qualcomm has halted development of UMB in favour of the
LTE family.[5]
On 14 December 2009, Telia Sonera announced in an official
press release that "We are very proud to be the first operator
in the world to offer our customers 4G services."[20] With the
launch of their LTE network, initially they are offering pre4G (or beyond 3G) services in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo,
Norway.
Now, we are on the edge of a new revolutionary technological
development i.e. 4G. Highlighting features of 4G are multicarrier transmission and ultra-broadband i.e. gigabit speed.

4G TECHNOLOGY

This new generation of wireless is intended to complement and

replace the 3G systems, perhaps in 5 to 10 years. Accessing
information anywhere, anytime, with a seamless connection to
a wide range of information and services, and receiving a large

volume of information, data, pictures, video, and so on, are the

keys of the 4G infrastructures. The future 4G infrastructures
will consist of a set of various networks using IP (Internet
protocol) as a
common protocol so that users are in control because they will
be able to choose every application and environment.
Based on the developing trends of mobile communication, 4G
will have broader bandwidth, higher data rate, and smoother
and quicker handoff and will focus on ensuring seamless
service across a multitude of wireless systems and networks.
The key concept is integrating the 4G capabilities with all of
the existing mobile technologies through advanced
technologies.
Application adaptability and being highly dynamic are the
main features of 4G services of interest to users.
These features mean services can be delivered and be available
to the personal preference of different users and support the
users' traffic, air interfaces, radio environment, and quality of
service. Connection with the network applications can be
transferred into various forms and levels correctly and
efficiently. The dominant methods of access to this pool of
information will be the mobile telephone, PDA, and laptop to
seamlessly access the voice communication, high-speed
information services, and entertainment broadcast services.
Figure 1 illustrates elements and techniques to support the
adaptability of the 4G domain.
The fourth generation will encompass all systems from various
networks, public to private; operator-driven broadband
networks to personal areas; and ad hoc networks. The 4G
systems will interoperate with 2G and 3G systems, as well as
with digital (broadband) broadcasting systems. In addition, 4G
systems will be fully IP-based wireless Internet.

This all-encompassing integrated perspective shows the broad

range of systems that the fourth generation intends to
integrate, from satellite broadband to high altitude platform to
cellular 3G and 3G systems to WLL (wireless local loop) and
FWA (fixed wireless access) to WLAN (wireless local area
network) and PAN (personal area network), all with IP as the
integrating mechanism.
With 4G, a range of new services and models will be available.
These services and models need to be further examined for
their interface with the design of 4G systems. Figures 2 and 3
demonstrate the key elements and the seamless connectivity of
the networks.
3G VS 4G

Technology

3G

4G

Frequency band

1.8 - 2.5GHz

2 - 8GHz

Bandwidth

5-20MHz

5-20MHz

Data rate

Up to 2Mbps

100Mbps moving - 1Gbps stationary

Access

W-CDMA

VSF-OFCDM and VSF-CDMA

FEC

Turbo-codes

Concatenated codes

Switching

Circuit/Packet

Packet

Kinds of 4G Tech:

Basically, there are two kinds of this technology. These

kinds are LTE and WiMax. Let us have a look at both of
these.
LTE:
Though this is a pre-4G technology, it is associated with
3G and not with 3G. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution.
This is being so much liked all around the US that most of
the mobile carriers in States have announced that they
will convert their existing networks to the LTE. It is
important to note that the LTE is such a network which
treats each and everything that is transmitted by it as
data, no matter it is voice. Theoretically talking, the LTE
is capable of providing a high speed data transfer rate of
100MB/s regarding download and 50 MB/s while
uploading, provided that a 20 MHz channel is used.
The carriers that are planning to upgrade their networks
to LTE include Verizon and AT&T. Verizon says that their
network offers a 40 to 50 Mbps download speed and 20
to 25 Mbps upload speed. Dont forget that these are
Words; practically the scenario will be different.
Expect a 5 to 12 Mbps upload and 2 to 5 Mbps upload
speed. AT&T is yet planning to upgrade to LTE, but this is
a long term planning (probably for 2011).
WiMax:
This long abbreviation stands for even longer term;
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. It is
better to associate it with Wi-Fi technology than to the
cellular networks. It is capable of long distance
transmission; 30 miles. The peak data transmission rates
(as stated) are 128 Mbps downlink and 56 Mbps uplink.
The only mobile phone carrier to embrace and accept

WiMax with heart is Sprint. Currently, Clearwire and

Sprint hold their WiMax network in around 27 cities.
More cities are yet to be included in this list. Right now,
Sprint does not possess a 4G phone. To treat this issue,
they have introduced WiMax capable router. Sprint
declares that with WiMax, they will be offering an
average speed of 3 Mbps to 6 Mbps, with a peak speed of
10 Mbps.
What is needed to Build 4G Networks of Future?
A number of spectrum allocation decisions, spectrum
standardization decisions, spectrum availability decisions,
technology innovations, component development, signal
processing and switching enhancements and inter-vendor
cooperation have to take place before the vision of 4G will
materialize. We think that 3G experiences - good or bad,
technological or business - will be useful in guiding the
industry in this effort. We are bringing to the attention of
professionals in telecommunications industry following issues
and problems that must be analyzed and resolved:
Lower Price Points Only Slightly Higher than Alternatives The business visionaries should do some economic modeling
before they start 4G hype on the same lines as 3G hype. They
should understand that 4G data applications like streaming
video must compete with very low cost wireline applications.
The users would pay only a delta premium (not a multiple) for
most wireless applications.
More Coordination Among Spectrum Regulators Around the
World - Spectrum regulation bodies must get involved in
guiding the researchers by indicating which frequency band
might be used for 4G. FCC in USA must cooperate more
actively with International bodies like ITU and perhaps modify

its hands-off policy in guiding the industry. When public

interest, national security interest and economic interest (interindustry a la TV versus Telecommunications) are at stake,
leadership must come from regulators. At appropriate time,
industry builds its own self-regulation mechanisms.
More Academic Research : Universities must spend more effort
in solving fundamental problems in radio communications
(especially multiband and wideband radios, intelligent
antennas and signal processing.
Standardization of wireless networks in terms of modulation
techniques, switching schemes and roaming is an absolute
necessity for 4G.
A Voice-independent Business Justification Thinking : Business
development and technology executives should not bias their
business models by using voice channels as economic
determinant for data applications. Voice has a built-in demand
limit - data applications do not.
Integration Across Different Network Topologies : Network
architects must base their architecture on hybrid network
concepts that integrates wireless wide area networks, wireless
LANS (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE
802.15 and IEEE 802.16, Bluetooth with fiber-based Internet
backbone. Broadband wireless networks must be a part of this
integrated network architecture.
Non-disruptive Implementation: 4G must allow us to move
from 3G to 4G.
Industry Initiatives
WWRF (Wireless World Research Forum)- consisting of

Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens have started a research

forum for 4G
NTT DoCoMo has started conceptual (we mean paper) design
of a 4G network.

Features of 4G Tech:
This approaching technology has some awesome features
that are attracting users towards it. Though 3G is already
doing a fine job (iPhone 3G is a perfect example), there
is always room for better services and development; this
is why people do not stop working after reaching a goal
as goals are unlimited. Aims keep on appearing one after
another. So is the case with mobile network technology.
Basically, 4G will be emphasizing on high speed data
transmission without interruption. The ultra-broad band
will provide speedier internet experience to the users
and thus, better live streaming. This network is going to
be IP based; i.e. packet switched. Though the data
transfer rates are higher, charges will be low as there
will be more and higher bandwidth. Video conferencing
is also expected which will revolutionize the concept of
e-commerce and corporate world. Also, it is going to
create big difference in the teaching methodology and
distant learning programs. Options are unlimited.
Another important feature is global roaming, which is yet
one more necessity for high officials, corporate
personnel and professionals. Due to faster data
transmission, video streaming will be more like fun. Let
us get ourselves prepared for smoother, uninterrupted
and continual web streaming experience. There is a

word about video chat, too. This is a great feature for

those who have relatives and friends living far away in
other countries, and cannot see them unless they have a
computer and internet access for video chat. Indeed, 4G
sounds intelligent and genius.
There are rumors about use of senses for communicating to
others and artificial intelligence, but this is not sure whether
these developments are part of 4G or its next development.