So what good is 4G

steveanderson13

So would some knowledgeable people chime in about the USABLE difference in order to quiet the din people are making about the subject.

And what is the purpose of it all?

 

Firstly, phones:  I don't think it will make any difference for most customers.  I have streamed video on 3G  to my phone and to my computer.  Both are adequate.  I found some phone browsers to be slow; but that was because of the phone or the browser; not the network.  So unless you're downloading movies to your phone which in itself wouldn't make any sense, I don't see any difference.

 

 

On home computers.  the same thing would apply except downloading a movie would make sense. That would be several times faster.And is Netflix streaming or downloading?   That's why they are making the modems first, imo.  

 

So if it doesn't make much difference to customers, what's it for?  In my opinion, the increased speed will enable increased volume.  And who needs more volume?  I would like to hear from customers who do.  How many customers were shorted every month because they couldn't download enough volume in 30 days.  Are there any?  Like, "Well, I was trying to get 800 movies, but the network is so slow, I could only get 150."  So increased volume equals increased traffic and who wants more traffic?  And it may make wireless competitive with wired networks; I'm sure that's the aim.  Which may make things better for everyone; we'll see.

 

 

unknown

4G is faster, that means faster downloads, page views, the ability get content that refreshes regularly (sports score, etc.) faster, etc., etc.  Why do some people pay for a 3MB/s download speed on their internet connection and some people pay much more for 150MB/s or higher through FIOS?  Because they like the speed, or have multiple data intensive applications going on multiple computers.  The speed increase will be an especial boon to those who use MiFi or Fivespot devices to share their connection with more than one device/user.

 

4G is a strong more consistent signal (or at least its supposed to be).  This will be a boon to people in rural areas who have, at best, spotty 3G coverage.  We all know that 1X and the old analog signals get more penetration into low coverage areas than 3G, 4G is supposed to provide stronger coverage AND increased speed.

 

The issue of capacity is not, generally, a per user issue, its a per tower or per area issue.  In many areas, Verizon's 3G network experiences slowdowns at times of high traffic due to too many users.  The number of folks regularly accessing data on their smartphones is exploding, and if it continues to grow, more capacity will be sorely needed.  4G will help with that and make it viable for Verizon to try to put a smartphone or wireless data connection in every home.

 

Ultimately, you're correct, once they reach the true 4G standard, they want their wireless network to compete with wired services for home internet and other purposes.  The "internet-connected" home becomes much easier when you don't need any networking on your end, just dial everything into your Verizon 4G signal.