What actually 4G is?

Nowadays, 4G becomes one of the hot topic in telecommunication system. $G is the fourth generation of cellular mobile communications standards which is a successor of the third generation (3G) standard. With the move to the fourth generation (4G), there are a lot new emerging technologies and confusions coming along, for example, one of the emerging technologies like LTE and Mobile WiMax. So, it is important for us  to understand the 4G before we really go for those emerging technologies.

Basically, 4G is a technologies standard which has a set of requirements. In March 2008, the set of requirements for 4G had been specified by the International Telecommunication Union-Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R) and named it as IMT-Advance (International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced). A technology must fulfill the requirements then only can be said it is a 4G system. The following shows the requirements:

• Based on an all-IP packet switched network.

• Peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access.

• Dynamically share and use the network resources to support more simultaneous users per cell.

• Scalable channel bandwidth 5–20 MHz, optionally up to 40 MHz.

• Peak link spectral efficiency of 15 bit/s/Hz in the downlink, and 6.75 bit/s/Hz in the uplink (meaning that 1 Gbit/s in the downlink should be possible over less than 67 MHz bandwidth).

• System spectral efficiency of up to 3 bit/s/Hz/cell in the downlink and 2.25 bit/s/Hz/cell for indoor usage.

• Smooth handovers across heterogeneous networks.

• Ability to offer high quality of service for next generation multimedia support
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So, since 4G just a standard or a reference for network developers to develop of their own technology, but why people always relate LTE to 4G as promoting it to public? The reason why the question appears in my mind it because LTE is only able to have a maximum peak download speed only rates at 100Mbit/s meanwhile peak upload speed only at 50Mbit/s, comparing to the requirement of 4G, it is still falling very far from it. The only possible answer to explain it is marketing issue, to attract the attention from the market, thus mobile phones and telecoms are forced to flaut their product as 4G in order to compete with their rivals. But luckily, a good news is coming, after some time, there will have a new technology is coming into the market, that is LTE Advanced, a actual technology which satisfies all the requirements of 4G. Public eventually can enjoy those benefits from real 4G network.