3G & 4G

3G & 4G really have nothing to do with prepaid services yet, but I get this question a lot, so here is a tidbit of education:

Lately there has been a decent contention between AT&T and Verizon’s coverage. There is no question that Verizon has more 3G coverage than AT&T, however AT&T is still using their 2.5G service in many locations. All the "G" coverage is for internet purposes mostly. For those who have no idea the difference between 3G & 4G: G stands for Generation, and the number means that there has been a significant improvement with capacity and speed for using the internet. Eventually every technology needs an upgrade. Generally speaking, a 3G network has speeds around 768kbps (kilobits per second), whereas 4G says it get 1.5mbps (megabits per second) or better. From my experience, unless you are running more than 3 applications at a time while using the internet, the average person doesn’t need more than 768kbsp to accomplish their wireless internet endeavors. Most people are just happy to find a wifi spot that they can use, and those usually run at 200kbps, not to mention that they are unsecured.

Verizon works on a consistent 3G network nationwide, whereas AT&T works on a 2.5G network nationwide, with a few 3G and 4G networks in very select cities. If you have seen the commercials between Verizon and AT&T, then you will see their 3G coverage. But as I mentioned before, AT&T has their 2.5G network nationwide, which means their internet generally is slower… but they are building. Sprint seems to be the farthest along with the 4G network

When I worked for the nation’s first WiMax provider, we used a slang term called “stacking the tower”. (WiMax and Cellular Wireless work on different frequencies, and provide different services, but work on somewhat of the same idea) What "stacking the tower" means is that the cellular microwave on the tower is completely maxed out with users. That’s when I found out the sad truth about a cellular network: there are up to 50 times more cellular users than a single tower can handle per capita. If one tower had the capacity to handle 100 users, then there is one tower to service the surrounding 5,000 customers. Why? I have no idea. What I do know is that many cellular phone calls didn’t go through from New York City during 9/11. The wireless traffic was overloaded with everyone getting on the phone at the same time. This is also why it’s smarter to text than to talk in emergency situations. There is a greater chance your text will go through, because it waits for a connecting signal versus opening a line when you hit “call”.