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Nairaland Forum / Science/Technology / Phones / From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? (2227 Views)
Important Information For Those Upgrading Their Airtel Sim To 4G LTE. / Is Anyone Currently Using Glo 4G LTE? What Is The Speed Like? / MTN 4G LTE - What's The Big Deal? (2) (3) (4)
From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by matrixx9(m): 7:17am On Oct 14, 2016 |
Recently MTN, GLO and Etisalat Upgraded their Network Services to 4G LTE . You’ve heard, probably seen it plastered across billboards, and read about it on your cellphone . But the question remains, what is 4G LTE, and how do its speeds and coverage compare to other 3G and 4G networks? A History of 3G and 4G In order to understand what LTE is–beyond “a really fast network”– we have to take a little step back in time. When the 3G, or 3rd generation, standard was the best thing in the early 2000s–it made accessing the internet on your phone significantly faster and more convenient. 3G is required to meet IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications-2000) technical standards, which means a peak download rate of 200 Kbps, or 0.2 Mbps. This will obviously seem slow to you now, but at the time, it was enough to get your email in a timely fashion. So logically, the next step after 3G–the third generation of wireless mobile communications technology–would be 4G, or the fourth generation. The the ITU Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R) set some requirements as to what would constitute a 4G network: it must provide peak 100 Mbps downloads if you’re using a mobile device such as a phone or tablet. Stationary devices, such as mobile hotspots, should be able to provide peaks speeds of 1 Gbps. In recent years, 3G has really made some admirable advancements. High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), for example, can give theoretical speeds up to 7.2 Mbps, and is often called 3.5G or Turbo 3G. Then came 4G, in the form of Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Only HSPDA+ was marketed as 3.75G while LTE was marketed this as “4G”, even though both didn’t meet the ITU’s standards–neither reached that 100 Mbps download rate. LTE, however, wasn’t just another improvement of 3G. It was meant to be more of an umbrella term given to the technologies designed to get us to the 4G standard. In other words, it’s what 4G will be be when the technology evolves enough to provide those speeds. It’s 4G-Eventually. Despite the high standards they set earlier , the ITU-R decided that mobile carriers could market LTE (and HSPA) as 4G , since they represented a significant improvement over 3G and paved the way for true 4G speeds. How LTE Stacks Up in Speed and Coverage Okay, I'm done with the history lesson. Let’s tackle the question that truly matters: What kind of speeds does LTE actually offer right now? Frankly, it depends on where you are and who you are using for your wireless service. According to a speed test by a YouTube Vlogger , the average MTN LTE download speed is 5.5 Mbps while the global average is 13.5 Mbps. That’s far off the ideal 100 Mbps 4G standard, but a marked improvement over old 3G speeds. Remember, that’s an average. Your speed may be faster, or it could be slower. But it’s not just about speed: coverage matters too. After all, if you never see that “LTE” icon in the menu bar of your phone, you won’t ever get those highly-advertised speeds. Coverage depends on your carrier. Each of the Nigerian carriers–MTN , GLO and ETISALAT ,–utilize different frequency bands, which is how they separate their signals from one another. A frequency band is a group of radio frequencies mobile carriers thus use to communicate with clients. Network coverage at lower frequencies, particularly the 700Mhz range, will provide LTE access in more locations such as buildings and sheltered areas. In fact, in terms of coverage–measured by how much time subscribers are able to get an LTE signal, the top 3 carriers haven't reached parity. The Future: LTE Advanced and 5G That’s the present. So what does the the future hold ? Mobile broadband speeds will no doubt continue to advance and gain speed. LTE Advanced is the new standard some companies are hyping, which promises to finally deliver “True 4G” speeds.So basically, LTE Advanced is what 4G was supposed to be all along. 5G , meanwhile, will be the next logical step up from 4G. As you might guess, 5G stands for fifth generation, and is supposed to promise speeds up to 10 gigabits per seconds– enough to download a full HD movie in mere seconds. Unlike LTE, which occupies lower frequency bands, 5G can occupy both lower frequency bands and ultra-high bands. Using these higher bands means 5G won’t travel as far as 4G LTE and will need to be throttled to make it practical to a wide audience. None of this matters much at this point however, as the technical standards are still being worked out and won’t be finalized until 2020. For right now, 4G LTE is good enough for the vast majority of mobile users, and will be for some time. Logically, if or when True 4G or LTE Advanced becomes the norm, it will suffice for a time while mobile providers roll out 5G and so on. Considering how long it took the top network providers to upgrade to 4G LTE. I don't know when Nigeria will get to 4G LTE Advanced or 5G. However most people still fear that once there's a drastic increase in people using 4G enabled smartphones, the speed would reduce. Let's keep our fingers crossed and leave the top OEMs to decide. 3 Likes 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by matrixx9(m): 7:18am On Oct 14, 2016 |
1 Like 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by HQuadreal: 7:24am On Oct 14, 2016 |
Very Educative
Lalasticlala Come and See This ooo |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by hooged: 7:30am On Oct 14, 2016 |
Thank you op 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by HQuadreal: 7:32am On Oct 14, 2016 |
hooged:Fp please people need to know about this lala where you dey. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by Nobody: 7:42am On Oct 14, 2016 |
A nice read even though I only understood like half of the technical details. My major take on this educative piece is that our network providers should not rush to reel out services that would not conform to international standards because they are in competition with each other. If it is not 4G then let it not be packaged as such! 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by HQuadreal: 7:45am On Oct 14, 2016 |
stellx:You get it right. that what the op means. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by Tallesty1(m): 7:56am On Oct 14, 2016 |
When friends are on 4G and there's still no 3G in your area 1 Like
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Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by ritababe(f): 8:03am On Oct 14, 2016 |
please when will etisalat reduce their data bundle? 1 Like |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by dasphinx1(m): 8:22am On Oct 14, 2016 |
A great read @OP |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by henryobinna(m): 9:09am On Oct 14, 2016 |
nice one OP this is what I was Trying to explain to someone that there's no true 4G, we just have some marketers marketing their hardware/technology as 4G even though they didn't meet up with the standard. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by luigiajah(m): 10:01am On Oct 15, 2016 |
Nice.. Lalasticlala fp |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by lalasticlala(m): 3:30pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
luigiajah: Your works are always scattered. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by Nobody: 3:33pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by augster(m): 6:07pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
ritababe:When Jesus comes back |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by Nobody: 7:18pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
ritababe:after recession |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by dukeo(m): 7:25pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
HQuadreal: Who's this "Lalasticlala" everybody keeps calling 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by Olasco93: 7:30pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
Very educative. Weldone OP! Airtel should just patiently wait and put the necessary technology in place before rolling out a distinguished 4G option for us. It's not how far but how well. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by barackodam: 7:46pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
Answer to your question OP, 5G |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by casttlebarbz(m): 7:46pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
Bookmarked |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by HQuadreal: 8:14pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
dukeo:He is a super moderator who push relevant post to front page on on nairaland. 1 Share
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Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by dukeo(m): 11:52pm On Oct 15, 2016 |
HQuadreal: 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by luigiajah(m): 1:20am On Oct 16, 2016 |
lalasticlala:Kai.. Make I arrange am no vex .. |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by matrixx9(m): 1:30am On Oct 16, 2016 |
lalasticlala:Work Organized Now.. I'll work on any other new posts I make now.. # Scouts Honor |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by matrixx9(m): 1:32am On Oct 16, 2016 |
barackodam:lol.. 1 Like |
Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by HQuadreal: 5:44am On Oct 16, 2016 |
dukeo:Yeah. 1 Share
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Re: From 3G To 4G LTE - What Lies Ahead For Nigeria? by matrixx9(m): 12:12pm On Oct 16, 2016 |
Hmm |
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