Verizon 3G verse 4G - Speed Test

[Zeuceone]

I thought the G stood for generation, and they use it as a gimmick for speed, which doesn't change.

[markem]

Originally Posted by Zeuceone

I thought the G stood for generation, and they use it as a gimmick for speed, which doesn't change.

Define "speed". The speed at which one chip (part of a bit) flies through the air is fixed. However, what is called 4G (actually the 3GPP2 family of standards) is skewed towards data rather than voice. This means much lower overhead and bigger data packets, which results in more user data per unit time. Most people consider this better speed since the total time to transfer the same amount of user data under 3GPP2 is less than under 3GPP standards.

Note that WiMax (IEEE 802.16-2009) is the mobile broadband 4G standard and some cellular users have access to that as well. It hauls proverbial a$$.

quick edit: the ITU-T defines the standards that are 4G, but almost everyone is going with the 3GPP2 family, especially companies like TI, Nokia, ST Micro, Siemens, and the like.