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Not Really 4G and T-Mobile's 3G Network...

For now, we all use the term 4G as the various marketeers want us to - but correct, no one in the US has true 4G yet.

There's a standards body called the ITU that dictates what is and isn't 4G - and they've yet to certify anything as 4G, last I checked.

Correct, which is what the link to the story expanded on and explained in detail..

So back to the question... I think my phone already roam's in T-Mobile area, if I am in a T-Mobile area with the expanded 3G (or My4G as they are branding it), shouldn't I also have access to their faster network ?

Is there a way to disable my Sprint connection, so I can connect to T-Mobile's network in the areas where T-Mobile 4G is available but Sprint is still on slow 3G ?
 
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To clarify a tad bit more. Sprints 4G is actually a completely seperate network using WiMax as the source. So technically its not 4G at all due to it not being an upgrade to an existing network. However it is a faster thru put of data speeds and can be considered 4G.
This page will explain a lot of the technical jargon to most people.
3GPP Long Term Evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The good news is WiMax is covered under the LTE conversion. "Part of the LTE standard is the System Architecture Evolution, a flat IP-based network architecture designed to replace the GPRS Core Network and ensure support for, and mobility between, some legacy or non-3GPP systems, for example GPRS and WiMax respectively"
So that is what allows Sprint to call it a 4G network. :)

Verizon and MetroPCS have launced the begining of LTE which is the first of many upgrades to bring their system to a true LTE system. LTE Advanced will actually be considered 4G. Thats covered here,
"The main advantages with LTE are high throughput, low latency, plug and play, FDD and TDD in the same platform, an improved end-user experience and a simple architecture resulting in low operating costs. LTE will also support seamless passing to cell towers with older network technology such as GSM, cdmaOne, UMTS, and CDMA2000. The next step for LTE evolution is LTE Advanced and is currently being standardized in 3GPP Release 10."

Eventually all the carriers in the US will be on the same page.
Right now its CDMA2000 or GSM / UMTS
 
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Actually yes it has been defined, See this info...

Actually, if we take defined to mean the way that standards bodies do, then this is the governing source:

The defining body on this is the International Telephone Union - here's their press release concerning 4G, released in October as announced earlier this year:

ITU Newsroom - 4G Press Release October 2010

And it says:

ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has completed the assessment of six candidate submissions for the global 4G mobile wireless broadband technology, otherwise known as IMT-Advanced. Harmonization among these proposals has resulted in two technologies, “LTE-Advanced(1)” and “WirelessMAN-Advanced(2)” being accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced, qualifying them as true 4G technologies.

1 = Developed by 3GPP as LTE Release 10 and Beyond (LTE-Advanced).

2 = Developed by IEEE as the WirelessMAN-Advanced specification incorporated in IEEE Std 802.16 beginning with approval of IEEE Std 802.16m.


All anyone needs to know is that if they get the stuff marked either LTE-Advanced or WirelessMAN-Advanced or IMT-Advanced - they've got true 4G.

It's that simple unless and until the ITU-Mobile body says otherwise.

Toss out yesterday's speculations and targets - like it or not - the ITU has defined this, anyone else calling something more than 3G as 4G without it belonging to the quoted set above is just bastardizing a tech term into a sales buzzword.

I'm not losing sleep over this pirating of a tech term by marketeers - but there's no third explanation.
 
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So looking at the standards WiMax is 4G compliant however since its not an upgrade to Sprints existing 3G techincally its not 4G. Its a seperate stand alone system.
T-Mobiles LTE upgrade is a begining upgrade and technically is 3G compliant only and not 4G Yet, it needs to be LTE Advanced to be considered 4G.

But hey the average consumer wont know this and T-Mobile will make a killing in advertisements claiming their 3G Network is 4G when its not.
 
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What standard are you referring to?

Nowhere do I see the ITU defining WiMAX as 4G compliant - it was one of the rejected proposals so far as I recall.

It was - at one time - expected to make it as 4G. I can dig up and post presentations from the WiMAX Forum (the developer's group, not an internet thing) predicting up to 70 Mbps for it in 2006, then 40 Mbps in 2007.

And there is an Advanced WiMAX that is mainly vaporware at this point...

And I can dig up the proposal language from earlier this year when we were wondering if some flavor of WiMAX was going to make it as 4G.

But that's all moot. Unless you can show me where I missed WiMAX in the standard.

Last I checked, WiMAX is not 802.16m.

Sprint = T-Mobile on this issue -- just using it as a marketing term.

Or - maybe I'm confused by your meaning...
 
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What standard are you referring to?



(1) Nowhere do I see the ITU defining WiMAX as 4G compliant - it was one of the rejected proposals so far as I recall

(2)It was - at one time - expected to make it as 4G. I can dig up and post presentations from the WiMAX Forum (the developer's group, not an internet thing) predicting up to 70 Mbps for it in 2006, then 40 Mbps in 2007.

(3)And there is an Advanced WiMAX that is mainly vaporware at this point...


(4)Last I checked, WiMAX is not 802.16m.

First thing, wimax is the generic or marketing name for Wireless Metropolitan area network (wirelessMAN.) WirelessMAN, is a group standards that fall under the title of 802.16xx.

Lol, I think you both need to stop.
1.) Will you both stop interchanging 4g marketing term with 4g itu-standard. The itu-standard is about 5-7 years away from being used. As used currently 4g is a marketing term that is used to mean what ever the marketing people want it to mean. So for now on, stop using it to refer to any data connection. There is no itu 4g connections.

2.)Wimax WAS NEVER EVER SUPPOSE TO BE 4G. PEROID, END OF STORY. Sorry to yell, but wimax was never considered for the part. Wimax is a 802.xx replacement. It is an evolution along the wifi line, it was suppose to be used for cellphones like wifi is used for cellphone. Wimax is like your wifi router, but for cities. Wimax is 802.16 spec.

3.) There has never been advanced wimax, only wimax 2 which is being currently tested in about 9 cities.

4.) 802.16m is a protocol for wirelessMAN, we are currently discussing it right now. Since it is wirelessMAN, it does fall under the generic name of wimax. If accepted as it stands 802.16m will be itu-advance compliant.


Wimax was and always will be, wireless broadband. It was designed to bring fiber type speeds to your home and work. It is made to replace your land line data connection. Sprint currently offers it to cellphones, but it was more designed for your home connection.
 
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What standard are you referring to?

Nowhere do I see the ITU defining WiMAX as 4G compliant - it was one of the rejected proposals so far as I recall.

It was - at one time - expected to make it as 4G. I can dig up and post presentations from the WiMAX Forum (the developer's group, not an internet thing) predicting up to 70 Mbps for it in 2006, then 40 Mbps in 2007.

And there is an Advanced WiMAX that is mainly vaporware at this point...

And I can dig up the proposal language from earlier this year when we were wondering if some flavor of WiMAX was going to make it as 4G.

But that's all moot. Unless you can show me where I missed WiMAX in the standard.

Last I checked, WiMAX is not 802.16m.

Sprint = T-Mobile on this issue -- just using it as a marketing term.

Or - maybe I'm confused by your meaning...

Actually current Wimax and LTE technology were 4g techs and ITU changed their stance and adopted the new specs..

When the ITU was asked about the current change they refuse to comment..
 
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eieio - where would I be without you?

Confused!

LOL Hardly..

I was actually surprised with their new specs for 4g.. I have to dig up that old info..

But they blessed LTE and Wimax years ago and so did the GSM groups as 4G. Then after 2 years of debating and futzing around the specs changed..

Whats worse is people repeating and quoting this crap that never heard of the ITU until a month ago
 
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LOL Hardly..

I was actually surprised with their new specs for 4g.. I have to dig up that old info..

I was very surprised.

But they blessed LTE and Wimax years ago and so did the GSM groups as 4G. Then after 2 years of debating and futzing around the specs changed..

During that period, I went faith-based and didn't follow the proceedings at all.

All I was caring about was the manufacturing processes for the chips (and chipsets), per my job.

Silly me, I was hoping against hope for either a technology merge or a winner. Don't ask me why - I know packet routing was way diff for the candidates.

Whats worse is people repeating and quoting this crap that never heard of the ITU until a month ago

Well, I dodged that bullet, but I'm no better. I didn't pick up looking again at any ITU stuff until early this year, and then by May only relied on one or two public statements they made for the unwashed saying to wait until October. I tried to peruse the proposals a bit and just decided it was standards-body business as usual. I thought they would settle on what looked like either a variant of WiMAX (wifi with routing and qos packet changes) or what looked conceptually very much like X.25 routing to me (LTE, kinda - I guess).

Dopey me (not self-effacing, just the truth), I was narrowly focused on easy delivery, not stopping to consider spectrum availability, politics and the money riding on the carriers' required updates worldwide.

~~~

Anyway - bigwrigg, I can see how I misread you, RiverOfIce, I think I said a few of the same things you did, but I'd thought WiMAX and wirelessMAN were levels of 802.16, not IEEE vs. marketing, so I totally hosed that, thanks for squaring me away.
 
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I guess no one was watching the news where they had a special on 4g. Sprint clearly admitted to no such thing as 4g, just a gimmick to sell more phones and top the 3g market. What a scam, always knew it. You could barely pick up 3g reception let alone 4g.

Anyway...
Perhaps no US carrier has "true" 4G service right now, but the new services are significantly faster, and a sure step in the right direction. When tethering my EVO on 4G its about as good as having a cable modem connection.. hard to complain about that.

Not sure what you mean about not being able to pick up 3G reception though. 99percent of my 3G experience with Sprint has been Great. As a pilot, I travel extensively and its a pretty damn solid network.
 
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