From Russia with bandwidth: A Russian start-up shows how 4G wireless might work

http://www.economist.com/node/16846752?story_id=16846752&fsrc=scn/tw/te/rss/pe

by razin • 16 years ago

15 9 16 years ago

economist.com

Romme• 16 years ago

Sorry, but WiMAX isn't 4G. I've also used their service and found it to be quite slow.

nanairo2• 16 years ago

I think that technically WiMax as in 802.16e (note the 'e') isn't properly 4G, but the following (802.16m, I think) is.

A bit like LTE isn't 4G but LTE advanced is.

However that's from a purely technical point of view. In terms of speed: LTE >> 802.16e.

ANH• 16 years ago

I'm about to move to a rural area where landline internet is unavailable, so I'm watching 4G development closely. Clear offers 4G in the nearby metropolitan area (DC), but I'll still be a good 20 miles outside the footprint. I'm not looking forward to conforming to Verizon's 5GB monthly limit on 3G even if I do understand the business need for the restriction.

quanticle• 16 years ago

You know, I'd like a clear definition on what exactly each "generation" of wireless technology means. From what I've read, everyone seems to have their own definition for what constitutes a generational change in wireless technology, which signals to me that this these labels are that much more marketing fluff (like Comcast's "SpeedBoost").

I'd be okay with them structuring their marketing like this for user looking for a quick shorthand if they actually wrote down what those shorthand terms meant. However, they're not actually doing that. Worse yet, they're going back and revising the boundaries between generations so that only the latest technology is at the latest generation. When EDGE was introduced, it was marketed as 3G. These days, its considered "2.75G," whatever that means.

How can I know what the difference is between 3G and 4G when the differences between generations aren't clearly explained and are subject to historical revision?

nanairo2• 16 years ago

That might be an American thing, dunno... In Europe things seem quite clear (or at least they are consistent ;) )

* GSM -> 2G

* GPRS -> 2.5G

* EDGE -> 2.75G

* UMTS -> 3G

* HSPA -> 3.5G

* HSPA+ -> 3.7G

* LTE -> 3.9G (here I agree with you: this is something advertised as 4G, mostly because of the speed difference)

* LTE Adv -> 4G

I don't know about non-European standards.

That said many of those numbers are just a handy way to explain to the common user concepts like: "An intermediate GSM=2G to take us to UMTS=3G". Hence it is called 2.5G. Then UMTS takes longer to appear then expected, so in the meantime a new intermediate standard appears between GPRS=2.5G and UMTS=3G. Etc... :)

Hope that helps.

known2• 16 years ago

    1G - Analog technology (AMPS et al)
    2G - Digital transmission (GSM, TDMA, CDMA et al)
    3G - WCDMA (UMTS (aka the orginal 3G), HSDPA, EVDO et al)
    4G - OFDM (LTE, WiMax et al)

sedachv• 16 years ago

All the most innovative wireless technology gets deployed in Asia. Mobile operator features (like cellphone payments), mobile phone features, and network capabilities are on the whole about a decade behind in the US.

The big thing about Yota in Russia is the lack of download caps. That is unusual for Russian ISPs and a source of many complaints.

But holy shit, read the comments on the Economist. Is everyone there a troll or a moron?

Geee• 16 years ago

Just get a clue what WiMAX is, even Mongolia got it in 2005.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deployed_WiMAX_networks

known2• 16 years ago

http://client0.cellmaps.com/tabs.html#cellmaps_intl_tab

From Russia with bandwidth: A Russian start-up shows how 4G wireless might work

Related Stories