| p>4G simply means fourth generation in mobile | | | | more if it is a mobile platform. Here is where 4G |
| technologies. It is the common name for IMT | | | | comes into play with its amazing one gigabit per |
| (International Mobile Telecommunications) Advanced | | | | second data rate. The ultra-fast 4G could truly |
| standards defined by International | | | | revolutionize our concept of interactive applications. |
| Telecommunications Union (ITU). What does the | | | | Cloud computing is another area, which is going to |
| standard mean to common man? It means an | | | | really cash on switching over to 4G networks. |
| awesome one Gigabit per second of download | | | | Increased speed, mobility and portability that 4G |
| speed, while you access the internet, through | | | | offers, is a shot in the arm for cloud computing |
| wireless means! When both the transmitting and | | | | applications. When people avoid capital expenditure on |
| receiving station are mobile, the speed is a bit less. | | | | resources, the increased data transfer rate will be a |
| When mobile, that is at a speed of at least 60mph, | | | | must for applications to work smoothly. If you are |
| 4G offers you a download speed of 100 Megabits | | | | saving your data on a server or running your favorite |
| per second. Put more bluntly, 4G allows you to | | | | application from the server, (because you do not |
| download an HD movie in no more than 30 seconds! | | | | want a hard disk carried with you,) how much time |
| ITU-Radiocommunications describes IMT-Advanced | | | | can you afford to get the data down? Even couple |
| (4G) as a next generation network providing fast | | | | of seconds would make the cloud computing |
| data access, unified messaging and broadband | | | | unattractive. Cloud computing thus enables mobile |
| multimedia. | | | | phone sized stations to be acted as powerful |
| Now more pertinent questions, there are a lot of | | | | computers, if and only if they are connected to |
| technologies offering high speed internet, how would | | | | something that offers a 4G speed in upload as well |
| one know if he/she is using this 4G stuff or not? | | | | as download. The mobility offered makes the whole |
| Well, ITU has specified certain technical standards, | | | | thing personal and portable, all the while being cost |
| which should be met by any technology that claims | | | | effective. Imagine, using the whole operating system |
| to be 4G. The specifications list the minimum data | | | | itself through the cloud computing architecture. 4G |
| transfer rate that the proposed 4G network should | | | | makes this absolutely possible! |
| have. The 4G working group has defined the | | | | Internet of Things (IoT) is the next big thing to |
| following as objectives of the 4G wireless | | | | happen. It is dubbed as the future in which physical |
| communication standard: | | | | objects, even in our everyday life, are going to get |
| -A nominal data rate of 100 Mbit/s while the client | | | | networked. It is something similar to the present day |
| physically moves at high speeds relative to the | | | | RFID cards and other types of identification |
| station, and 1 Gbit/s while client and station are in | | | | technologies. The day will not be far when our pen, |
| relatively fixed positions as defined by the ITU-R | | | | book, shirts, shoes or parts of automobiles are |
| -A data rate of at least 100 Mbit/s between any two | | | | equipped with minuscule identifying chips which |
| points in the world. | | | | exchanges information between them. Imagine the |
| -Flexible channel bandwidth, between 5 and 20 MHz, | | | | flow of information. It can doubtlessly be said 4G will |
| optionally up to 40 MHz. | | | | be a significant step towards such an internet of |
| -Peak link spectral efficiency of 15 bit/s/Hz in the | | | | things. |
| downlink, and 6.75 bit/s/Hz in the uplink (meaning that | | | | National broadband plan of the United States Federal |
| 1 Gbit/s in the downlink should be possible over less | | | | Communications Commission envisions how a |
| than 67 MHz bandwidth) | | | | paradigmatic shift can be brought about in a number |
| -System spectral efficiency of up to 3 bit/s/Hz/cell in | | | | of areas like healthcare, education, economic |
| the downlink and 2.25 bit/s/Hz/cell for indoor usage. | | | | opportunities, energy and environment, government |
| -Smooth handoff across heterogeneous networks. | | | | performance, civic engagement and public safety by |
| -Seamless connectivity and global roaming across | | | | adopting broadband. Markets will be given new |
| multiple networks | | | | opportunities and consumers can avail new products. |
| -High quality of service for next generation | | | | Using 4G, classroom experience can be dramatically |
| multimedia support (real time audio, high speed data, | | | | altered. Both inside out and outside classrooms, |
| HDTV video content, mobile TV, etc.) | | | | learning can be more fun and interactive. Interactive |
| -Interoperability with existing wireless standards, and | | | | applications and faster knowledge sharing will make |
| -An all IP, packet switched network. | | | | healthcare cost-effective and time-saving. |
| What makes 4G, or for that matter wireless | | | | Modernization of electric grid would mean more |
| broadband, inevitable? How 4G is going to bring | | | | energy conservation. 4G is environment friendly when |
| changes in everything related to internet? The last | | | | the transmission power is utilized to carry more data, |
| specification mentioned above in the ITU-R standard | | | | than previous generation technologies practically |
| makes it more attractive: the data transfer through | | | | carried. The world is moving towards e-governance. |
| the network is using packets, using IP or internet | | | | Better service delivery through 4G technology is |
| protocol. The revolution brought out by Web 2.0 is | | | | something that is desired across the globe. Broadband |
| quite conspicuous to be missed. User generated | | | | services enable the citizen to effectively utilize his |
| content literally ruled the web; portals and social | | | | right to information concerning government |
| networking sites like YouTube and Facebook became | | | | information. Another important feature of the 4G |
| nothing less than cultural icons. Twitter helped | | | | standards will be improved security of data. Due to |
| revolutions! The web is still improving. Interactive | | | | its emphasis on robustness and security, the |
| applications like IPTV just changed our concept of | | | | concerns about data theft would be minimized. |
| Television broadcasting. All these are going to radically | | | | Summarizing, 4G can be said to give the best that a |
| improve, perhaps beyond our imagination, once we | | | | wireless network is desired of. It gives ultra hi-speed |
| switch over to 4G networks. The major challenge | | | | internet with portability, reliability and easy |
| these applications facing is not the technology of | | | | accessibility. While download and upload limits and |
| themselves, but that of networks - information | | | | speed reductions continue to worry our daily |
| bottlenecks. Upload speeds are still a concern, all the | | | | routines, adopting 4G is inevitable as well as imminent. |