4G vs 5G Networks
4G and 5G are both mobile wireless access technologies offers Ethernet speed on mobile devices to experience the triply play services. Currently 4G is being deployed in several countries in Europe and North America. LTE and WiMAX are two different technologies to achieve 4G defined speeds. Whereas 5G is a concept only and not officially defined.
5G (Fifth Generation Networks)
5G is not officially defined term or technology but people refer technologies that can deliver the speed beyond 4G as 5G.It’s expected to be finalized somewhere in 2012 or 2013. New standard proposals or releases beyond 4G are submitted to standard bodies like 3GPP, WiMAX Forum or ITU-R. Ideal 5G model should accommodate the challenges and accommodate the short falls of the 4G Technology and 4G deployment experiences. To understand the necessities and uses of 5G could be raised once the 4G rollout is completed and experienced. Thus typical 5G concept would be raised in somewhere around 2013-2015. Expected speed may be multiple of Gigabit Ethernet. This technology would be mainly used in backhauling telecom networks rather than end user access.
4G (Forth Generation Networks)
Everyone’s focus now turns towards 4G because of its data rate. In high speed mobility communication it theoretically offers 100 Mbit/s (Such as trains or cars) and low mobility communication or fixed accessing would results 1 Gbit/s. This is a major revolution in wireless access technology.
It’s very much equivalent to getting a LAN or Gigabit Ethernet connection to a mobile device.
4G provides all IP communication with high speed access to smart phones, tablets, laptops and any mobile smart devices. Theoretically speaking this 4G access speeds are much more than Cable or DSL technologies in the sense 4G is faster than ADSL, ADSL2 or ADSL2+.
Once 4G is launched and if you have at least 54 Mbits/s (Worst case) download on your mobile handset or tablet, you can run any internet application as you do in desktop computers. For example you can run Skype, YouTube, IP TV apps, Video on Demand, VoIP Client and many more. If you have any VoIP client installed on your hand device you can make VoIP calls from your mobile. This is going to kill the mobile voice market soon. At the same time you can subscribe to any local numbers to your mobile VoIP client and start receiving calls on your mobile via IP. For example if you are living in New York you don’t need to get a NY number instead you can subscribe a Toronto fixed line number in your mobile via VoIP client. Where ever you go within 4G coverage or Wi-Fi area you can receive calls to your Toronto Number. (Even you can subscribe to Switzerland fixed number and live in New York).
You can use video calls over IP and have face to face meeting on go. You can make free video calls to your wife, girlfriend or even can have a video conference meeting while you are travelling if you are connected to 4G.
Though 4G has already been rolled out in Europe and North America (Some of the providers are Telnor, Tele2 , Telia in Europe and Verizon, Sprint in US), it is still at the development stage. 4G, in addition to the target 100 Mbits/s data rate for moving customers and 1GB for stationary users is also expected to achieve greater quality of services to end users without dropping signals and allow interactive roaming worldwide.
Difference Between 5G and 4G
(1) 4G offers theoretically closer to Gigabit Ethernet whereas users expect multiple Gigabit speed from 5G.
(2) 4G is being used in Backhauling Networks as well as user access networks whereas users expect 5G to be backhauling backbone networks.