Dab solver

Most tools require the use of JavaScript. If you are using Firefox with the NoScript addon, please mark toolserver.org as trusted. See the Help page for details.

Feedback / Report a bug

0 points on this page / 19,509 points earned collectively this month / Disambiguate pages on your watchlist

==== New Zealand ====

In [[New Zealand]], the first 4G network has been introduced for some parts of Auckland by [[Vodafone New Zealand|Vodafone NZ]] on 28 February 2013. 4G will be live in parts of Christchurch in May, and parts of Wellington in August/September 2013 .^ref^ref

==== Phillippines ====

As part of its massive network upgrade, Globe ^ref has launched its 4th Generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) network for mobile and broadband. To date, Globe has completed over 2,700 4G LTE network sites, with the number expected to rise to over 4000 by the end of 2012.

In September, Globe launched its 4G LTE network covering key commercial as well as residential areas in Makati, with more sites following shortly in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other select regions. As more key activations are completed in the coming months, Globe subscribers will soon enjoy best-in-class mobile and broadband services across the Philippines.

==== Romania ====

On 31 October 2012, [[Vodafone]] has launched 4G tests.^ref Now 4G connectivity is available in several cities: [[Otopeni]], [[Constanta]], [[Galati]], [[Craiova]], [[Brasov]], [[Bacau]], [[Iasi]], [[Cluj-Napoca]],  and [[Timisoara]].^ref

==== Scandinavia ====

[[TeliaSonera]] started deploying LTE (branded "4G") in Stockholm and Oslo November 2009 (as seen above), and in several Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish cities during 2010. In June 2010, Swedish television companies used 4G to broadcast live television from the [[...|Swedish Crown Princess' Royal Wedding]].^ref

Single scrollbar

{{About|the mobile telecommunications standard}}
{{multiple issues|
{{lead rewrite|date=March 2013}}
{{update|date=March 2013}}
{{technical|date=December 2011}}
{{expert-subject|date=March 2013}}
}}
In [[telecommunication]]s, '''4G''' is the fourth generation of [[cellular network|mobile phone]] [[mobile communication]] technology standards. It is a successor of the [[3G|third generation]] (3G) standards.  A 4G system provides [[mobile broadband|mobile ultra-broadband]] Internet access, for example to laptops with [[USB]] [[wireless modem]]s, to [[smartphone]]s, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended [[mobile web]] access, [[IP telephony]], gaming services, [[HDTV|high-definition]] [[mobile TV]], video conferencing, [[3D television]] and [[Cloud Computing]].

Two 4G candidate systems are commercially deployed: the [[Mobile WiMAX]] standard (at first in South Korea in 2006), and the first-release [[Long Term Evolution]] (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden since 2009). It has however been debated if these first-release versions should be considered to be 4G or not, as discussed in the [[#Technical definition|technical definition]] section below.

In the U.S., [[Sprint Nextel]] has deployed Mobile WiMAX networks since 2008, and [[MetroPCS]] was the first operator to offer LTE service in 2010. USB wireless modems have been available since the start, while WiMAX smartphones have been available since 2010, and LTE smartphones since 2011. Equipment made for different continents are not always compatible, because of different frequency bands. Mobile WiMAX are currently (April 2012) not available for the European market.

==Technical definition==
In March 2008, the [[ITU-R|International Telecommunications Union-Radio communications sector]] (ITU-R) specified a set of requirements for 4G standards, named the [[IMT Advanced|International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced]] (IMT-Advanced) specification, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100&nbsp;[[megabits per second]] (Mbit/s) for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1&nbsp;[[gigabit per second]] (Gbit/s) for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users).<ref>[http://wirelessman.org/liaison/docs/L80216-08_008.pdf ITU global standard for international mobile telecommunications ´IMT-Advanced´], Circular letter, ITU-R March 2008.</ref>

Since the first-release versions of [[Mobile WiMAX]] and [[Long Term Evolution|LTE]] support much less than 1 Gbit/s peak bit rate, they are not fully IMT-Advanced compliant, but are often branded 4G by service providers. On December 6, 2010, ITU-R recognized that these two technologies, as well as other beyond-3G technologies that do not fulfill the IMT-Advanced requirements, could nevertheless be considered "4G", provided they represent forerunners to IMT-Advanced compliant versions and "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed".<ref name="ITUSeminar">{{cite web |url=http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/48.aspx |title=ITU World Radiocommunication Seminar highlights future communication technologies |publisher=International Telecommunication Union}}</ref>

[[Mobile WiMAX Release 2]] (also known as ''WirelessMAN-Advanced'' or ''IEEE 802.16m''') and [[LTE Advanced]] (LTE-A) are IMT-Advanced compliant backwards compatible versions of the above two systems, standardized during the spring 2011,{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} and promising speeds in the order of 1 Gbit/s. Services are expected in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/08/atandt-commits-to-lte-advanced-deployment-in-2013-hesse-and-mead/ |title=AT&T commits to LTE-Advanced deployment in 2013, Hesse and Mead unfazed |publisher=Engadget |date=2011-11-08 |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref>

As opposed to earlier generations, a 4G system does not support traditional [[circuit-switched]] telephony service, but all-[[Internet Protocol]] (IP) based communication such as [[IP telephony]]. As seen below,  the [[spread spectrum]] radio technology used in 3G systems, is abandoned in all 4G candidate systems and replaced by [[OFDMA]] [[multi-carrier]] transmission and other [[single-carrier FDMA|frequency-domain equalization]] (FDE) schemes, making it possible to transfer very high bit rates despite extensive [[multipath propagation|multi-path radio propagation]] (echoes). The peak bit rate is further improved by [[smart antenna]] arrays for [[MIMO|multiple-input multiple-output]] (MIMO) communications.

The term "generation" used to name successive evolutions of radio networks in general is arbitrary. There are several interpretations of it, and no official definition has been made despite the large consensus behind ITU-R's labels.  From ITU-R's point of view, 4G is equivalent to IMT-Advanced which has specific performance requirements as explained below. But according operators, a generation of network refers to the deployment of a new non-backward-compatible technology. This usually corresponds to a huge investment with its own depreciation period, marketing strategy (if any), and deployment phases. It can even be different among operators. From the end user's point of view, only performance and cost makes sense. It is expected that the next generation of network performs better and cheaper than the previous generation, which is not that simple to state. Indeed, while a new generation of network arrives, the previous one can keep evolving to a point where it outperforms the first version of the new generation. In many countries, GSM, UMTS and LTE networks still coexist. It is thus much less ambiguous to use the name of the technology/standard, possibly followed by its version number, than a subjective arbitrary generation number which is destined to be challenged endlessly.

==Background==
The nomenclature of the generations generally refers to a change in the fundamental nature of the service, non-backwards-compatible transmission technology, higher peak bit rates, new frequency bands, wider channel frequency bandwidth in Hertz, and higher capacity for many simultaneous data transfers (higher [[system spectral efficiency]] in [[bit]]/second/Hertz/site).

New mobile generations have appeared about every ten years since the first move from 1981 analog (1G) to digital (2G) transmission in 1992. This was followed, in 2001, by 3G multi-media support, [[spread spectrum]] transmission and at least 200&nbsp;[[kbit/s]] peak bit rate, in 2011/2012 expected to be followed by "real" 4G, which refers to all-[[Internet Protocol]] (IP) [[packet switching|packet-switched]] networks giving [[Ultra Mobile Broadband]] (gigabit speed) access.

While the ITU has adopted recommendations for technologies that would be used for future global communications, they do not actually perform the standardization or development work themselves, instead relying on the work of other standards bodies such as IEEE, The WiMAX Forum and 3GPP.

In mid-1990s, the [[ITU-R]] standardization organization released the [[IMT-2000]] requirements as a framework for what standards should be considered [[3G]] systems, requiring 200 kbit/s peak bit rate. In 2008, ITU-R specified the [[IMT-Advanced]] (International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced) requirements for 4G systems.

The fastest 3G-based standard in the [[UMTS]] family is the [[HSPA+]] standard, which is commercially available since 2009 and offers 28 Mbit/s downstream (22 Mbit/s upstream) without [[MIMO]], i.e. only with one antenna, and in 2011 accelerated up to 42 Mbit/s peak bit rate downstream using either [[Dual-Cell HSDPA|DC-HSPA+]] (simultaneous use of two 5&nbsp;MHz UMTS carrier)<ref name="LteWorld">[http://lteworld.org/blog/62-commercial-networks-support-dc-hspa-drives-hspa-investments 62 commercial networks support DC-HSPA+, drives HSPA investments] LteWorld Feb 07, 2012</ref> or
2x2 MIMO. In theory speeds up to 672 Mbit/s is possible, but has not been deployed yet. The fastest 3G-based standard in the [[CDMA2000]] family is the [[EV-DO Rev. B]], which is available since 2010 and offers 15.67 Mbit/s downstream.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}

==IMT-Advanced requirements==
This article uses 4G to refer to IMT-Advanced (''International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced''), as defined by [[ITU-R]]. An IMT-Advanced [[mobile phone|cellular system]] must fulfill the following requirements:<ref name="Vilches, J. 2010">Vilches, J. (2010, April 29). Everything you need to know about 4G Wireless Technology. TechSpot.</ref>
* Be based on an all-IP packet switched network.
* Have peak data rates of up to approximately 100&nbsp;Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1&nbsp;Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access.
* Be able to dynamically share and use the network resources to support more simultaneous users per cell.
* Using scalable channel bandwidths of 5–20&nbsp;MHz, optionally up to 40&nbsp;MHz.<ref name="IMT-Advanced-requirements">[[ITU-R]], [http://www.itu.int/pub/R-REP-M.2134-2008/en Report M.2134, Requirements related to technical performance for IMT-Advanced radio interface(s)], Approved in Nov 2008</ref><ref>[http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5989-9793EN.pdf Moray Rumney, "IMT-Advanced: 4G Wireless Takes Shape in an Olympic Year", Agilent Measurement Journal, September 2008]</ref>
* Have peak [[link spectral efficiency]] of 15 bit/s/Hz in the downlink, and 6.75 bit/s/Hz in the uplink (meaning that 1&nbsp;Gbit/s in the downlink should be possible over less than 67&nbsp;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.<ref name="IMT-Advanced-requirements"/>
* Smooth handovers across heterogeneous networks.
* The ability to offer high quality of service for next generation multimedia support.

In September 2009, the technology proposals were submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as 4G candidates.<ref>[http://www.nomor-research.com/home/technology/3gpp-newsletter/2009-12-the-way-of-lte-towards-4g Nomor Research Newsletter: The way of LTE towards 4G]</ref> Basically all proposals are based on two technologies:

* [[LTE Advanced]] standardized by the [[3GPP]]
* [[802.16m]] standardized by the [[IEEE]] (i.e. WiMAX)

Implementations of Mobile WiMAX and first-release LTE are largely considered a stopgap solution that will offer a considerable boost until WiMAX 2 (based on the 802.16m spec) and LTE Advanced are deployed. The latter's standard versions were ratified in spring 2011, but are still far from being implemented.<ref name="Vilches, J. 2010"/>

The first set of 3GPP requirements on LTE Advanced was approved in June 2008.<ref>[http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/36913.htm 3GPP specification: Requirements for further advancements for E-UTRA (LTE Advanced)]</ref> LTE Advanced was to be standardized in 2010 as part of Release 10 of the 3GPP specification. LTE Advanced will be based on the existing LTE specification Release 10 and will not be defined as a new specification series. A summary of the technologies that have been studied as the basis for LTE Advanced is included in a technical report.<ref>[http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/36912.htm 3GPP Technical Report: Feasibility study for Further Advancements for E-UTRA (LTE Advanced)]</ref>

Some sources consider first-release LTE and Mobile WiMAX implementations as pre-4G or near-4G, as they do not fully comply with the planned requirements of 1&nbsp;Gbit/s for stationary reception and 100&nbsp;Mbit/s for mobile.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

Confusion has been caused by some mobile carriers who have launched products advertised as 4G but which according to some sources are pre-4G versions {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}, commonly referred to as '3.9G' {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}, which do not follow the ITU-R defined principles for 4G standards {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}, but today can be called 4G according to ITU-R {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}.  A common argument for branding 3.9G systems as new-generation is that they use different frequency bands from 3G technologies {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}; that they are based on a new radio-interface paradigm {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}; and that the standards are not backwards compatible with 3G {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}, whilst some of the standards are forwards compatible with IMT-2000 compliant versions of the same standards.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

==System standards==

===IMT-2000 compliant 4G standards===
Recently, ITU-R Working Party 5D approved two industry-developed technologies (LTE Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced)<ref name="ITU paves way for next-generation 4G mobile technologies">{{Citation | url = http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/2010/40.aspx | title = ITU paves way for next-generation 4G mobile technologies | publisher = ITU | type = press release | date = 21 October 2010}}</ref> for inclusion in the ITU’s International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced program (IMT-Advanced program), which is focused on global communication systems that would be available several years from now.

====LTE Advanced====
: ''See also: [[4G#3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE)|3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE)]] below''
[[LTE Advanced]] (Long Term Evolution Advanced) is a candidate for IMT-Advanced standard, formally submitted by the [[3GPP]] organization to ITU-T in the fall 2009, and expected to be released in 2013. The target of 3GPP LTE Advanced is to reach and surpass the ITU requirements.<ref>{{cite conference |url=http://www.ericsson.com/res/thecompany/docs/journal_conference_papers/wireless_access/VTC08F_jading.pdf |format=PDF |title=LTE Advanced – Evolving LTE towards IMT-Advanced |last1= Parkvall |first1=Stefan |last2= Dahlman |first2=Erik |first3=Anders |last3= Furuskär |first4=Ylva |last4= Jading |first5=Magnus |last5= Olsson |first6=Stefan |last6= Wänstedt |first7=Kambiz |last7= Zangi | conference =[[Vehicular Technology Conference]] Fall 2008 |date= 21–24 September 2008 |location=Stockholm |publisher=[http://www.ericsson.com/article/access_technologies_signal_processing_2048744927_c Ericsson Research] | accessdate =26 November 2010}}</ref> LTE Advanced is essentially an enhancement to LTE. It is not a new technology, but rather an improvement on the existing LTE network. This upgrade path makes it more cost effective for vendors to offer LTE and then upgrade to LTE Advanced which is similar to the upgrade from WCDMA to HSPA. LTE and LTE Advanced will also make use of additional spectrums and multiplexing to allow it to achieve higher data speeds. Coordinated Multi-point Transmission will also allow more system capacity to help handle the enhanced data speeds. Release 10 of LTE is expected to achieve the IMT Advanced speeds. Release 8 currently supports up to 300 Mbit/s of download speeds which is still short of the IMT-Advanced standards.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Parkvall |first1=Stefan |last2= Astely |first2=David |date=April 2009 |title=The evolution of LTE toward LTE Advanced |journal=[[Journal of Communications]] |volume=4 | issue =3 |pages=146–54 |url=http://ojs.academypublisher.com/index.php/jcm/article/view/0403146154/49 |doi= 10.4304/jcm.4.3.146-154}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Data speeds of LTE Advanced
!  !! LTE Advanced
|-
| Peak download || 1 Gbit/s
|-
| Peak upload || 500 Mbit/s
|}

====IEEE 802.16m or WirelessMAN-Advanced====
The [[IEEE 802.16m]] or [[WirelessMAN-Advanced]] evolution of 802.16e is under development, with the objective to fulfill the IMT-Advanced criteria of 1&nbsp;Gbit/s for stationary reception and 100&nbsp;Mbit/s for mobile reception.<ref>[http://www.ieee802.org/16/tgm/docs/80216m-08_003r1.pdf] The Draft IEEE 802.16m System Description Document, 2008-04-20</ref>

===Forerunner versions===

====3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE)====
: ''See also: [[4G#LTE Advanced|LTE Advanced]] above''
[[File:Samsung 4G LTE modem-4.jpg|thumb|[[TeliaSonera|Telia]]-branded Samsung LTE modem]]

The pre-4G [[3GPP Long Term Evolution]] (LTE) technology is often branded "4G-LTE", but the first LTE release does not fully comply with the IMT-Advanced requirements. LTE has a theoretical [[net bit rate]] capacity of up to 100&nbsp;Mbit/s in the downlink and 50&nbsp;Mbit/s in the uplink if a 20&nbsp;MHz channel is used&nbsp;— and more if [[multiple-input multiple-output]] (MIMO), i.e. antenna arrays, are used.

The physical radio interface was at an early stage named ''High Speed [[OFDM]] Packet Access'' (HSOPA), now named [[Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access]] (E-UTRA).
The first [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] USB dongles do not support any other radio interface.

The world's first publicly available LTE service was opened in the two Scandinavian capitals, [[Stockholm]] ([[Ericsson]] and [[Nokia Siemens Networks]] systems) and [[Oslo]] (a [[Huawei]] system) on 14 December 2009, and branded 4G. The user terminals were manufactured by Samsung.<ref name=Unstrung>{{cite web|url=http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=183528& |title=Light Reading Mobile - 4G/LTE&nbsp;— Ericsson, Samsung Make LTE Connection&nbsp;— Telecom News Analysis |publisher=Unstrung.com |date= |accessdate=2010-03-24}}</ref> As of Nov 2012, the five publicly available LTE services in the United States are provided by [[MetroPCS]],<ref name=MetroPCS>{{cite web|url=http://www.metropcs.com/presscenter/articles/mpcs-news-20100921.aspx|title=MetroPCS Launches First 4G LTE Services in the United States and Unveils World’s First Commercially Available 4G LTE Phone|publisher=MetroPCS IR|date=21 Sept 2010|accessdate=2011-04-08}}</ref> [[Verizon Wireless]],<ref name=VerizonLTE>{{cite web|url=http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/how-at-t-and-t-mobile-conjured-4g-networks-out-of-thin-air/7361 |title=How AT&T and T-Mobile conjured 4G networks out of thin air |publisher=TechRepublic |author=Jason Hiner|date=12 January 2011 |accessdate=2011-04-05}}</ref> [[AT&T Inc|AT&T]], [[US Cellular]],<ref name=USCellular>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57409851-94/meet-u.s-cellulars-first-4g-lte-phone-samsung-galaxy-s-aviator/ |title=Meet U.S. Cellular's first 4G LTE phone: Samsung Galaxy S Aviator |work=CNet |author=Brian Bennet |date=5 April 2012 |accessdate=2012-04-11}}</ref> [[Sprint Nextel]],<ref name=SprintTE >{{cite web|title=Sprint 4G LTE Launching in 5 Cities July 15|url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406401,00.asp|publisher=PC Magazine|accessdate=3 November 2012|date=27 June 2012}}</ref> and [[T-Mobile USA]].<ref name=T-MobileLTE>{{cite web|title=We have you covered like nobody else|url=http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com|publisher=T-Mobile USA|accessdate=6 April 2013|date=6 April 2013}}</ref>

T-Mobile Hungary launched a public beta test (called ''friendly user test'') on 7 October 2011, and has offered commercial 4G LTE services since 1 January 2012.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}

In South Korea, SK Telecom and LG U+ have enabled access to LTE service since 1 July 2011 for data devices, slated to go nationwide by 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/sk-telecom-and-lg-u-launch-lte-in-seoul-fellow-south-koreans-s/ |title=SK Telecom and LG U+ launch LTE in Seoul, fellow South Koreans seethe with envy |date=5 July 2011 |accessdate=2011-07-13}}</ref> KT Telecom closed its 2G service by Mar 2012, and complete the nationwide LTE service in the same frequency around 1.8Ghz by June 2012.

In the UK, LTE services were switched on in several areas on 11 September 2012 by [[EE (telecommunications company)|EE]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://everythingeverywhere.com/2012/09/11/everything-everywhere-launches-ee-a-new-company-a-new-network-a-new-brand/ |title=Welcome to EE! &#124; Your gateway to 4G &#124; EE |publisher=Everythingeverywhere.com |date=October 23, 2012 |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Data speeds of LTE
! !! LTE
|-
| Peak download || 100 Mbit/s
|-
| Peak upload || 50 Mbit/s
|}

====Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e)====
The [[Mobile WiMAX]] (IEEE 802.16e-2005) mobile wireless broadband access (MWBA) standard (also known as [[WiBro]] in South Korea) is sometimes branded 4G, and offers peak data rates of 128&nbsp;Mbit/s downlink and 56&nbsp;Mbit/s uplink over 20&nbsp;MHz wide channels {{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}.

In June 2006, the world's first commercial mobile WiMAX service was opened by [[KT (telecommunication company)|KT]] in [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]].<ref name="kt">{{cite web |url=http://www.biztechreport.com/story/1619-super-fast-4g-wireless-service-launching-south-korea |title=Super-Fast 4G Wireless Service Launching in South Korea |last=Shukla |first=Anuradha |date=October 10, 2011 |work=Asia-Pacific Business and Technology Report |accessdate=2011-11-24}}</ref>

[[Sprint Nextel]] has begun using Mobile WiMAX, as of 29 September 2008, branding it as a "4G" network even though the current version does not fulfill the IMT Advanced requirements on 4G systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/sprint-announces-seven-new-wimax-markets-says-let-atandt-and-ver/|title=Sprint announces seven new WiMAX markets, says 'Let AT&T and Verizon yak about maps and 3G coverage'|publisher=Engadget|date=2010-03-23|accessdate=2010-04-08| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100325023708/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/sprint-announces-seven-new-wimax-markets-says-let-atandt-and-ver/| archivedate= 25 March 2010 | deadurl= no}}</ref>

In Russia, Belarus and Nicaragua WiMax broadband internet access is offered by a Russian company [[Scartel]], and is also branded 4G, [[Yota]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Data speeds of WiMAX
!  !! WiMAX
|-
| Peak download || 128 Mbit/s
|-
| Peak upload || 56 Mbit/s
|}

====TD-LTE for China market====
Just when [[3GPP Long Term Evolution|Long-Term Evolution]] (LTE) and WiMax are vigorously promoting in the global telecommunications industry, the former (LTE) is also the most powerful 4G mobile communications leading technology, and quickly occupied the Chinese market. Qualcomm and the Yota's [[TD-LTE]] is not yet mature, but many domestic and international wireless carriers one after another turn to TD-LTE.
IBM's data show that 67% of the operators are considering LTE, because this is the main source of their future market. The above news also confirmed this statement of IBM. While only 8% of the operators are considering the use of WiMAX. WiMax can provide the fastest network transmission to its customers on the market, but still could challenge LTE.
TD-LTE is not the first 4G wireless mobile broadband network data standard, but it is China's 4G standard that was amended and published by China's largest telecom operator - [[China Mobile]]. After a series of field trials, is expected to be released into the commercial phase in the next two years . Ulf Ewaldsson, Ericsson's vice president said: "the Chinese Ministry of Industry and China Mobile in the fourth quarter of this year will hold a large-scale field test, by then, Ericsson will help the hand." But viewing from the current development trend, whether this standard advocated by China Mobile will be widely recognized by the international market is still debatable.

===Discontinued candidate systems===

====UMB (formerly EV-DO Rev. C)====
{{Main|Ultra Mobile Broadband}}

UMB ([[Ultra Mobile Broadband]]) was the brand name for a discontinued 4G project within the [[3GPP2]] standardization group to improve the [[CDMA2000]] mobile phone standard for next generation applications and requirements. In November 2008, [[Qualcomm]], UMB's lead sponsor, announced it was ending development of the technology, favouring LTE instead.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1335969420081113?rpc=401& Qualcomm halts UMB project], Reuters, November 13th, 2008</ref> The objective was to achieve data speeds over 275&nbsp;Mbit/s downstream and over 75&nbsp;Mbit/s upstream.

====Flash-OFDM====
At an early stage the [[Flash-OFDM]] system was expected to be further developed into a 4G standard.

====iBurst and MBWA (IEEE 802.20) systems====
The [[iBurst]] system (or HC-SDMA, High Capacity Spatial Division Multiple Access) was at an early stage considered to be a 4G predecessor. It was later further developed into the [[Mobile Broadband Wireless Access]] (MBWA) system, also known as IEEE 802.20.

==Data rate comparison==
The following table shows a comparison of the 4G candidate systems as well as other competing technologies.
{{Comparison of mobile Internet standards}}

==Principal technologies in all candidate systems==

===Key features===
The following key features can be observed in all suggested 4G technologies:
* Physical layer transmission techniques are as follows:<ref name="WWRF WG5">{{cite web |url=http://www.wireless-world-research.org/fileadmin/sites/default/files/about_the_forum/WG/WG5/Briefings/WG5-br2-High_Throughput_WLAN_WPAN-V2004.pdf|title= High Throughput WLAN/WPAN
| year= 2004 | publisher= WWRF | author=G. Fettweis, E. Zimmermann, H. Bonneville, W. Schott, K. Gosse, M. de Courville|format=PDF}}</ref>
** [[MIMO]]: To attain ultra high spectral efficiency by means of spatial processing including multi-antenna and multi-user MIMO
** Frequency-domain-equalization, for example ''multi-carrier modulation'' ([[OFDM]]) in the downlink or ''single-carrier frequency-domain-equalization'' (SC-FDE) in the uplink: To exploit the frequency selective channel property without complex equalization
** Frequency-domain statistical multiplexing, for example ([[OFDMA]]) or (single-carrier FDMA) (SC-FDMA, a.k.a. linearly precoded OFDMA, LP-OFDMA) in the uplink: Variable bit rate by assigning different sub-channels to different users based on the channel conditions
** [[turbo code|Turbo principle]] [[error-correcting code]]s: To minimize the required [[Signal-to-noise ratio|SNR]] at the reception side
* [[Channel-dependent scheduling]]: To use the time-varying channel
* [[Link adaptation]]: [[Adaptive modulation]] and error-correcting codes
* [[Mobile-IP]] utilized for mobility
* IP-based [[femtocell]]s (home nodes connected to fixed Internet broadband infrastructure)

As opposed to earlier generations, 4G systems do not support circuit switched telephony. IEEE 802.20, UMB and OFDM standards<ref>{{cite web|title=4G standards that lack cooperative relaying|url=http://tikonaplans.blogspot.in/2012/07/4g-standards-that-lack-cooperative.html}}</ref> lack [[soft-handover]] support, also known as [[Cooperative wireless communications|cooperative relaying]].

===Multiplexing and access schemes===
{{Importance-section|date=May 2010}}
The Migration to 4G standards incorporates elements of many early technologies and many solutions use code (a cypher), frequency or time as the basis of multiplexing the spectrum more efficiently.  While Spectrum is considered finite, [[Cooper's Law]] has shown that we have developed more efficient ways of using spectrum just as the [[Moore's law]] has show our ability to increase processing.

Recently, new access schemes like [[OFDMA|Orthogonal FDMA]] (OFDMA), [[SC-FDMA|Single Carrier FDMA]] (SC-FDMA), [[Interleaved FDMA]] and [[Multi-carrier code division multiple access|Multi-carrier CDMA]] (MC-CDMA) are gaining more importance for the next generation systems. These are based on efficient [[Fast Fourier transform|FFT]] algorithms and frequency domain equalization, resulting in a lower number of multiplications per second. They also make it possible to control the bandwidth and form the spectrum in a flexible way. However, they require advanced dynamic channel allocation and adaptive traffic scheduling.

[[WiMax]] is using OFDMA in the downlink and in the uplink. For the [[LTE (telecommunication)]], OFDMA is used for the downlink ; by contrast, [[Single-carrier FDMA]] is used for the uplink since OFDMA contributes more to the [[Crest factor|PAPR]] related issues and results in nonlinear operation of amplifiers. IFDMA provides less power fluctuation and thus require energy-inefficient linear amplifiers. Similarly, MC-CDMA is in the proposal for the [[802.20|IEEE 802.20]] standard. These access schemes offer the same efficiencies as older technologies like CDMA. Apart from this, scalability and higher data rates can be achieved.

The other important advantage of the above-mentioned access techniques is that they require less complexity for equalization at the receiver. This is an added advantage especially in the [[MIMO]] environments since the [[spatial multiplexing]] transmission of MIMO systems inherently requires high complexity equalization at the receiver.

In addition to improvements in these multiplexing systems, improved [[modulation]] techniques are being used. Whereas earlier standards largely used [[Phase-shift keying]], more efficient systems such as 64[[QAM]] are being proposed for use with the [[3GPP Long Term Evolution]] standards.

===IPv6 support===
{{Main|Network layer|Internet protocol|IPv6}}
Unlike 3G, which is based on two parallel infrastructures consisting of [[circuit switched]] and [[packet switched]] network nodes, 4G will be based on packet switching ''only''. This will require [[Lag|low-latency]] data transmission.

By the time that 4G was deployed, the process of [[IPv4 address exhaustion]] was expected to be in its final stages. Therefore, in the context of 4G, [[IPv6]] is essential to support a large number of wireless-enabled devices. By increasing the number of [[IP address]]es available, IPv6 removes the need for [[network address translation]] (NAT), a method of sharing a limited number of addresses among a larger group of devices, although NAT will still be required to communicate with devices that are on existing [[IPv4]] networks.

{{As of|2009|06}}, [[Verizon]] has posted [https://www22.verizon.com/opendev/Forum/LTE_Document_Archives.aspx specifications] that require any 4G devices on its network to support IPv6.<ref>{{cite web | last = Morr | first = Derek | title = Verizon mandates IPv6 support for next-gen cell phones | date = 2009-06-09 | url = http://www.personal.psu.edu/dvm105/blogs/ipv6/2009/06/verizon-mandates-ipv6-support.html | accessdate = 2009-06-10}}</ref>

===Advanced antenna systems===
{{Main|MIMO|MU-MIMO}}

The performance of radio communications depends on an antenna system, termed [[smart antenna|smart]] or [[intelligent antenna]]. Recently, [[Multiple antenna research|multiple antenna technologies]] are emerging to achieve the goal of 4G systems such as high rate, high reliability, and long range communications. In the early 1990s, to cater for the growing data rate needs of data communication, many transmission schemes were proposed. One technology, [[spatial multiplexing]], gained importance for its bandwidth conservation and power efficiency. Spatial multiplexing involves deploying multiple antennas at the transmitter and at the receiver. Independent streams can then be transmitted simultaneously from all the antennas. This technology, called [[MIMO]] (as a branch of [[intelligent antenna]]), multiplies the base data rate by (the smaller of) the number of transmit antennas or the number of receive antennas. Apart from this, the reliability in transmitting high speed data in the fading channel can be improved by using more antennas at the transmitter or at the receiver. This is called ''transmit'' or ''receive diversity''. Both transmit/receive diversity and transmit spatial multiplexing are categorized into the space-time coding techniques, which does not necessarily require the channel knowledge at the transmitter. The other category is closed-loop multiple antenna technologies, which require channel knowledge at the transmitter.

===Open-wireless Architecture and Software-defined radio (SDR)===
One of the key technologies for 4G and beyond is called Open Wireless Architecture (OWA), supporting multiple wireless air interfaces in an open architecture platform.

[[Software-defined radio|SDR]] is one form of open wireless architecture (OWA). Since 4G is a collection of wireless standards, the final form of a 4G device will constitute various standards. This can be efficiently realized using SDR technology, which is categorized to the area of the radio convergence.

==History of 4G and pre-4G technologies==
The 4G system was originally envisioned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} The DARPA selected the distributed architecture and end-to-end Internet protocol (IP), and believed at an early stage in peer-to-peer networking in which every mobile device would be both a transceiver and a router for other devices in the network, eliminating the spoke-and-hub weakness of 2G and 3G cellular systems.<ref>{{Citation | last1 = Zheng | first1 = P | last2 = Peterson | first2 = L | last3 = Davie | first3 = B | last4 = Farrel | first4 = A | year = 2009 | title = Wireless Networking Complete | publisher = Morgan Kaufmann}}</ref>{{Rp| needed = yes|date=October 2012}} Since the 2.5G GPRS system, cellular systems have provided dual infrastructures: packet switched nodes for data services, and circuit switched nodes for voice calls. In 4G systems, the circuit-switched infrastructure is abandoned and only a [[packet-switched network]] is provided, while 2.5G and 3G systems require both packet-switched and circuit-switched [[network node]]s, i.e. two infrastructures in parallel. This means that in 4G, traditional voice calls are replaced by IP telephony.

* In 2002, the strategic vision for 4G—which [[ITU]] designated as IMT-Advanced—was laid out.
* In 2005, [[OFDMA]] transmission technology is chosen as candidate for the [[HSOPA]] downlink, later renamed 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) air interface [[E-UTRA]].
* In November 2005, [[KT (telecommunication company)|KT]] demonstrated mobile WiMAX service in Busan, South Korea.<ref name="kt demo">{{cite web|title=KT Launches Commercial WiBro Services in Korea|url= http://www.wimaxforum.org/news/831 |publisher=[[WiMAX#WiMAX Forum|WiMAX Forum]]|date= 2005-11-15| accessdate= 2010-06-23| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20100529182700/http://www.wimaxforum.org/news/831 | archivedate= 29 May 2010 | deadurl= no}}</ref>
* In April 2006, [[KT (telecommunication company)|KT]] started the world's first commercial mobile WiMAX service in Seoul, South Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:j1mm0J_8YhUJ:siteresources.worldbank.org/INFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/Resources/D2S3P1-HansukKim.ppt+korea+telecom+world+first+wimax&hl=en&gl=ca&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjp3_duwO7obczd0MFmjzaRQaxh1R_TRKXfnyz1WC7RZEc8KXYPGgkGqC0ajxRoX3cNeTxaae3Plbw7tmnfOeRItEUvjYsrbrs6sEXNBH_KfFuxXdywbpNvHWMioQTqkwNXio2A&sig=AHIEtbSPR12ZSd0r6y4ayO0ypW1xpUn7xQ |title=KT's Experience In Development Projects|date=March 2011}}</ref>
* In mid-2006, [[Sprint Nextel]] announced that it would invest about US$5&nbsp;billion in a [[WiMAX]] technology buildout over the next few years<ref name=sprint>{{cite web|title= 4G Mobile Broadband|url = http://www2.sprint.com/mr/cda_pkDetail.do?id=1260 |publisher= Sprint | accessdate= 2008-03-12| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080222022426/http://www2.sprint.com/mr/cda_pkDetail.do?id=1260| archivedate= 22 February 2008}}</ref> (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|5000000000|2006}}}} in [[Real versus nominal value (economics)|real]] terms{{Inflation-fn|US}}). Since that time Sprint has faced many setbacks that have resulted in steep quarterly losses. On 7 May 2008, [[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]], [[Imagine Communications|Imagine]], [[Google]], [[Intel]], [[Comcast]], [[Bright House Networks|Bright House]], and [[Time Warner]] announced a pooling of an average of 120&nbsp;MHz of spectrum; Sprint merged its [[Xohm]] WiMAX division with [[Clearwire]] to form a company which will take the name "Clear".
* In February 2007, the [[Japanese company]] [[NTT DoCoMo]] tested a 4G communication system prototype with 4×4 [[MIMO]] called [[VSF-OFCDM]] at 100 [[Mbit]]/s while moving, and 1 [[Gbit]]/s while stationary. NTT DoCoMo completed a trial in which they reached a maximum packet transmission rate of approximately 5&nbsp;Gbit/s in the downlink with 12×12 MIMO using a 100&nbsp;MHz frequency bandwidth while moving at 10&nbsp;km/h,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2007/001319.html |date=2007-02-09|publisher=[[NTT DoCoMo]] Press|title=DoCoMo Achieves 5&nbsp;Gbit/s Data Speed}}</ref> and is planning on releasing the first commercial network in 2010.
* In September 2007, NTT Docomo demonstrated e-UTRA data rates of 200&nbsp;Mbit/s with power consumption below 100&nbsp;mW during the test.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2007/09/14/42179/ntt-docomo-develops-low-power-chip-for-3g-lte-handsets.htm |title=NTT DoCoMo develops low power chip for 3G LTE handsets|last=Reynolds|first=Melanie|work =[[Electronics Weekly]]|date=2007-09-14|accessdate=2010-04-08}}</ref>
* In January 2008, a U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) [[spectrum auction]] for the 700&nbsp;MHz former analog TV frequencies began. As a result, the biggest share of the spectrum went to Verizon Wireless and the next biggest to AT&T.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=auctions_sched |title=Auctions Schedule |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]|accessdate=2008-01-08| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080124164231/http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/default.htm?job=auctions_sched| archivedate= 24 January 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref> Both of these companies have stated their intention of supporting [[3GPP Long Term Evolution|LTE]].
* In January 2008, EU commissioner [[Viviane Reding]] suggested re-allocation of 500–800&nbsp;MHz spectrum for wireless communication, including WiMAX.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62021021,00.htm |title=European Commission proposes TV spectrum for WiMax |publisher=zdnetasia.com |accessdate=2008-01-08| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071214014416/http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62021021,00.htm| archivedate= 14 December 2007 | deadurl= no}}</ref>
* On 15 February 2008, Skyworks Solutions released a front-end module for e-UTRAN.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-33896688_ITM|title=Skyworks Rolls Out Front-End Module for 3.9G Wireless Applications. (Skyworks Solutions Inc.)|date=February 14, 2008|work=Wireless News|accessdate=2008-09-14|format=free registration required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wirelessweek.com/News_Briefs021508.aspx|title=Wireless News Briefs&nbsp;— February 15, 2008|date=February 15, 2008|work=WirelessWeek|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-33869434_ITM|title=Skyworks Introduces Industry's First Front-End Module for 3.9G Wireless Applications.|date=11 FEB 2008|work=Skyworks press release|publisher=Free with registration|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref>
* In November 2008, [[ITU-R]] established the detailed performance requirements of IMT-Advanced, by issuing a Circular Letter calling for candidate Radio Access Technologies (RATs) for IMT-Advanced.<ref>ITU-R Report M.2134, “Requirements related to technical performance for IMT-Advanced radio interface(s),” November 2008.</ref>
* In April 2008, just after receiving the circular letter, the 3GPP organized a workshop on IMT-Advanced where it was decided that LTE Advanced, an evolution of current LTE standard, will meet or even exceed IMT-Advanced requirements following the ITU-R agenda.
* In April 2008, LG and Nortel demonstrated e-UTRA data rates of 50&nbsp;Mbit/s while travelling at 110&nbsp;km/h.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080606063700/http://wireless-watch.com/2008/04/06/nortel-and-lg-electronics-demo-lte-at-ctia-and-with-high-vehicle-speeds/ Nortel and LG Electronics Demo LTE at CTIA and with High Vehicle Speeds :: Wireless-Watch Community] (Access through web.archive.org)</ref>
* On 12 November 2008, [[High Tech Computer|HTC]] announced the first WiMAX-enabled mobile phone, the [[Max 4G]]<ref>{{cite press release |title=Scartel and HTC Launch World's First Integrated GSM/WiMAX Handset|url=http://www.htc.com/www/press.aspx?id=76204&lang=1033 |publisher=HTC Corporation |date=12 November 2008 |accessdate=1 March 2011}}</ref>
* In 15 December 2008, [[San Miguel Corporation]], the largest food and beverage conglomeratein southeast Asia, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar Telecom QSC ([[Qtel]]) to build wireless broadband and mobile communications projects in the Philippines. The joint-venture formed wi-tribe Philippines, which offers 4G in the country.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090218064947/http://sanmiguel.com.ph/Articles.aspx?ID=1&a_id=748 San Miguel and Qatar Telecom Sign MOU] San Miguel Corporation, December 15, 2008</ref> Around the same time [[Globe Telecom]] rolled out the first WiMAX service in the Philippines.
* On 3 March 2009, Lithuania's LRTC announcing the first operational "4G" [[mobile WiMAX]] network in Baltic states.<ref>{{cite press release |title=LRTC to Launch Lithuania’s First Mobile WiMAX 4G Internet Service |url=http://www.wimaxforum.org/news/837 |publisher=WiMAX Forum |date=3 March 2009 |accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref>
* In December 2009, Sprint began advertising "4G" service in selected cities in the United States, despite average download speeds of only 3–6&nbsp;Mbit/s with peak speeds of 10&nbsp;Mbit/s (not available in all markets).<ref name=sprint4g>{{cite web |url=http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/stores/popups/4G_coverage_popup.shtml |title=4G Coverage and Speeds |publisher=[[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]] |accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref>
* On 14 December 2009, the first commercial LTE deployment was in the Scandinavian capitals [[Stockholm]] and [[Oslo]] by the Swedish-Finnish network operator [[TeliaSonera]] and its Norwegian brandname [[NetCom (Norway)]]. TeliaSonera branded the network "4G". The modem devices on offer were manufactured by [[Samsung]] (dongle GT-B3710), and the network infrastructure created by [[Huawei]] (in Oslo) and [[Ericsson]] (in Stockholm). TeliaSonera plans to roll out nationwide LTE across Sweden, Norway and Finland.<ref name=Wallstreet>{{cite news|url = http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091214-707449.html |date=2009-12-14 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |title=Teliasonera First To Offer 4G Mobile Services |deadurl=yes}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref><ref>[https://netcom.no/mobiltbredband/4g/4Gengelsk.html NetCom.no] - NetCom 4G (in English)</ref> TeliaSonera used spectral bandwidth of 10&nbsp;MHz, and single-in-single-out, which should provide physical layer [[net bitrate]]s of up to 50&nbsp;Mbit/s downlink and 25&nbsp;Mbit/s in the uplink. Introductory tests showed a [[Transmission Control Protocol|TCP]] [[throughput]] of 42.8&nbsp;Mbit/s downlink and 5.3&nbsp;Mbit/s uplink in Stockholm.<ref name=dailymobile>[http://dailymobile.se/2009/12/15/teliasonera%C2%B4s-4g-speed-test-looking-good/ Daily Mobile Blog]</ref>
* On 25 February 2010, Estonia's [[EMT (mobile operator)|EMT]] opened LTE "4G" network working in test regime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e24.ee/?id=229584 |title=EMT avas 4G testvõrgu |last= Neudorf |first=Raigo |date=25 February 2010 |work= |publisher=E24.ee | language =[[Estonian langugae|Estonian]] |accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref>
* On 4 June 2010, [[Sprint Nextel]] released the first WiMAX smartphone in the US, the [[HTC Evo 4G]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/3791/the-sprint-htc-evo-4g-review|title=The Sprint HTC EVO 4G Review|author=Anand Lal Shimpi|publisher=''[[AnandTech]]''|date=June 28, 2010|accessdate=2011-03-19}}</ref>
* In July 2010, [[Uzbekistan]]'s [[Mobile TeleSystems|MTS]] deployed LTE in [[Tashkent]].<ref>[http://company.mts.uz/uz/news/5817 МТS kompaniyasi O’zbekistonda 4G tarmog’i ishga tushirilishini e’lon qiladi] (in [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]])</ref>
* On 25 August 2010, [[Latvia]]'s [[Latvian Mobile Telephone|LMT]] opened LTE "4G" network working in test regime 50% of territory.
* On November 4, 2010, the Samsung Galaxy Craft offered by [[MetroPCS]] is the first commercially available LTE smartphone<ref>[http://investor.metropcs.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=177745&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1491638&highlight= MetroPCS].</ref>
* On 6 December 2010, at the ITU World Radiocommunication Seminar 2010, the [[ITU]] stated that [[3GPP Long Term Evolution|LTE]], [[WiMax]] and similar "evolved 3G technologies" could be considered "4G".<ref name=ITUSeminar/>
* On 12 December 2010, VivaCell-MTS launches in [[Armenia]] a 4G/LTE commercial test network with a live demo conducted in [[Yerevan]].<ref>[http://www.vivacell.am/index.php?lng=2&menu=1&page=news&newsID=18542 VivaCell-MTS launches in Armenia 4G/LTE]</ref>
* On 28 April 2011, [[Lithuania]]'s [[Omnitel]] opened a LTE "4G" network working in the 5 largest cities.<ref>{{cite web|title= "Omnitel" skelbia pirmoji Lietuvoje pradėjusi tiekti 4G LTE ryšio paslaugas |url= http://mokslas.delfi.lt/technology/omnitel-skelbia-pirmoji-lietuvoje-pradejusi-tiekti-4g-lte-rysio-paslaugas.d?id=44866433 |publisher= [[delfi.lt]] |date=2011-04-28|accessdate=2011-04-28 | language = Lithuanian }}</ref>
* In September 2011, all three Saudi telecom companies [[Saudi Telecom Company|STC]], [[Mobily]] and [[Zain]] announced that they will offer 4G LTE for USB modem dongles, with further development for phones by 2013.<ref name=SaudiMac>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudimac.com/2011/09/mobily-announces-4g-lte-service-in-saudi-arabia/ |title=Mobily Announces 4G LTE Service in Saudi Arabia (STC and Zain too)|publisher=SaudiMac|accessdate=26 September 2011}}</ref>
* In 2011, [[Argentina]]'s [[Claro Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay|Claro]] launched a 4G HSPA+ network in the country.
* In 2011, [[Thailand]]'s [[True Corporation|Truemove-H]] launched a 4G HSPA+ network with nation-wide availability.
* On March 17, 2011, the [[HTC Thunderbolt]] offered by Verizon in the U.S. was the second LTE smartphone to be sold commercially.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2011/03/16/verizon-launches-its-first-lte-handset/ |title=Verizon launches its first LTE handset |publisher=Telegeography.com |date=2011-03-16 |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-ThunderBolt-is-officially-Verizons-first-LTE-handset-come-March-17th_id17455 |title=HTC ThunderBolt is officially Verizon's first LTE handset, come March 17th |publisher=Phonearena.com |date= |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref>
* On 31 January 2012, [[Thailand]]'s [[Advanced Info Service|AIS]] and its subsidiaries [[Digital Phone Company Limited|DPC]] under cooperation with [[CAT Telecom]] for 1800&nbsp;MHz frequency band and [[TOT (Thailand)|TOT]] for 2300&nbsp;MHz frequency band launched the first field trial LTE in Thailand with authorization from [[National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission|NBTC]].<ref name=AIS4G>{{cite web|url=http://www.ais.co.th/4g/ |title=4G Thailand : First 4G field trial of Thailand|publisher=AIS|accessdate=31 January 2012}}</ref>
* In February 2012, [[Ericsson]] demonstrated [[mobile-TV]] over LTE, utilizing the new eMBMS service (enhanced [[MBMS|Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ericsson.com/news/1589080 |title=demonstrates Broadcast Video/TV over LTE |publisher=Ericsson |date= |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref>
* On 10 April 2012, [[Bharti Airtel]] launched 4G [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] in [[Kolkata]], first in [[India]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/bharti-airtel-launches-indias-first-4g-service/articleshow/12607018.cms | work=The Times Of India | title=Bharti Airtel launches India's first 4G service | date=10 April 2012}}</ref>
* On 20 May 2012, Azerbaijan's biggest mobile operator [[Azercell]] launched 4G [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]].<ref>{{cite web|author=1st news |url=http://www.1news.az/economy/tech/20120524122914330.html |title=Azercell объявил о запуске 4G |publisher=1NEWS.AZ |date=2012-05-24 |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref>
* On 10 October 2012, Vodacom (Vodafone South Africa) became the first operator in South Africa to launch a commercial LTE service.
* In December 2012, Telcel launches in [[Mexico]] the 4G LTE network in 9 major cities
* In the republic Kazakhstan on December 26, 2012 4G LTE is launched in the entire territory in the frequency bands 1865-1885/1760 - 1780&nbsp;MHz for the urban population and in 794-799/835-840&nbsp;MHz for those sparsely populated

===Deployment plans===

====Afghanistan====
Telecom giant Etisalat Afghanistan, the first telecom company to launch 3.75G services in Afghanistan on 19th Feb, 2013 announced the commencement of test of its Long-term Evolution (LTE) 4G mobile network.

====Africa====
Safaricom, a telecommunication company in East& Central Africa, began its setup of a 4G network in October 2010 after the now retired Kenya Tourist Board Chairman, Michael Joseph, regarded their 3G network as a white elephant. Huawei was given the contract and the network is set to go fully commercial by the end of Q1 of 2011 but was yet to establish the network by the end of 2012.

====Australia====
[[Telstra]] announced on 15 February 2011, that it [[4G Australia|intends to upgrade]] its current Next G network to 4G with Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in the central business districts of all Australian capital cities and selected regional centers by the end of 2011.<ref>[http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/announcements/telstra-to-launch-4g-mobile-broadband-network-by-end-2011.xml Telstra to launch 4G mobile broadband network by end 2011] Telstra, February 15, 2011</ref>

[[Telstra]] launched the country's first 4G network (FD-LTE) in September 2011 claiming "2&ndash;100&nbsp;Mbps" speeds and announced an "aggressive" expansion of that network in 2012.<ref>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/telstras-4g-plan-to-reach-14-million/story-e6frgakx-1226460236854</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/4g/?ti=TR:TR:August12:telstra4g:4g:vanity |title=4G Network - Mobile Phones & Plans |publisher=Telstra |date= |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

Telstra will use a mixture of 10MHz and 15MHz bandwidth in the 1800MHz band.

Optus have established a 4G (FD-LTE) network using 15MHz bandwidth in the 1800MHz band and added the 2.3&nbsp;GHz band for 4G TD-LTE after acquiring Vivid Wireless in 2012<ref>[http://www.optus.com.au/aboutoptus/About+Optus/Media+Centre/Media+Releases/2012/Optus+to+build+faster+4G+network+with+acquisition+of+Vividwireless]</ref>

Vodafone Australia have indicated their roll out of 4G FD-LTE will use 20MHz bandwidth and initially support Cat 3 devices at launch, then quickly move to support Cat 4 devices.

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will auction 700&nbsp;MHz "Digital Dividend" and 2600&nbsp;MHz spectrum for the provision of 4G FD-LTE services in April 2013. Telstra and Optus are expected to participate in both, while Vodafone has stated it will only participate in the 2600&nbsp;MHz auction.

====Belgium====
On 28 June 2011, [[Belgium]]'s largest telecom operator [[Belgacom]] announced the roll out of the country's first 4G network.<ref>[http://www.belgacom.com/be-en/newsdetail/ND_20110628_fon.page Roll-out of the first 4G network in Belgium and strategic partnership with Fon]</ref> On 3 July 2012 it confirmed the outroll in 5 major cities and announced the commercial launch to take place before the end of 2012.<ref>[http://www.belgacom.com/be-en/newsdetail/ND_20120703_4G.page Belgacom extends 4G network in five more cities]</ref>

====Brazil====
On 27 April 2012, [[Brazil]]’s telecoms regulator Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações ([[Anatel]]) announced that the 6 host cities for the [[2013 Confederations Cup]] to be held there will be the first to have their networks upgraded to 4G.<ref>[http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2012/04/25/anatel-will-begin-reviewing-4g-tender-proposals-and-reveal-auction-date-on-5-june/ Anatel will begin reviewing 4G tender proposals and reveal auction date on 5 June]</ref>

====Canada====
[[Telus]] and [[Bell Canada]], the major Canadian [[cdmaOne]] and [[EV-DO]] carriers, have announced that they will be cooperating towards building a fourth generation (4G) LTE wireless broadband network in Canada. As a transitional measure, they are implementing 3G [[UMTS]] network that went live in November 2009.<ref name="TELUS.com">{{cite web| url = http://www.telusmobility.com/network/ | publisher = TELUS| author = TELUS | title = Next Generation Network Evolution| date = 2008-10-10}}</ref>

====France====
On 22 November 2012, Orange launched the first 4G business plan in [[Marseille]], [[Lyon]], [[Lille]] and [[Nantes]]. Then, on 29 November 2012, SFR launched 4G in [[Lyon]], extending to [[Montpellier]]. It was the first 4G commercial launch in [[France]].

====India====
[[Bharti Airtel]] launched India's first 4G service, using [[Time-Division Long-Term Evolution|TD-LTE]] technology, in [[Kolkata]] on April 10, 2012.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Airtel-launches-4G-in-Kolkata/articleshow/12617622.cms | work=The Times Of India | title=Airtel launches 4G in Kolkata&nbsp;— The Times of India}}</ref> Fourteen months prior to the official launch in Kolkata, a group consisting of [[China Mobile]], Bharti Airtel and [[SoftBank Mobile]] came together, called Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]] and they signed the commitment towards TD-LTE standards for the Asian region. It must be noted that Airtel's 4G network does not support mainstream 4G phones <ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-11-19/news/35203785_1_lte-true-4g-data-plans | work=Economic Times | title=4G remains a pipedream in India as LTE faces major hurdles}}</ref> such as [[IPhone_5|Apple iPhone 5]], Samsung Galaxy S III, Nokia Lumia 920 and others.

* [[Airtel]] 4G services are available in [[Kolkata]], [[Bangalore]] and [[Pune]]. [[Airtel]] is currently launching 4G services in [[Chandigarh]], [[Mohali]] and [[Panchkula]]; in [[Punjab]].
* [[Reliance Industries|RIL]] is launching 4G services through it's subsidiary, Jio Infocomm. RIL 4G services are currently available only in [[Jamnagar]], where it is testing the new TD-LTE technology. RIL 4G rollout is planned to start in [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]], and expand to cover 700 cities, including 100 high-priority markets.

====Italy====
Since the first half of December 2012 all of Italy's ISP have been offering 4G services in some of the major cities:
*TIM: Rome, Milan, Torino, Naples, Ancona, Brindisi, Baldissero Torinese, Bari, Bormio, Catanzaro, Cortina D'Ampezzo, Courmayeur, Canazei, Carano, Casavatore, Cavalese, Como, Crispano, Forlì, Frattamaggiore, Frattaminore, Genoa, Madonna Di Campiglio, Montoggio, Novate Milanese, Noventa Padovana, Orbassano, Padova, Palermo, Perugia, Pisa, Pozzuoli, Prato, Predazzo, San Mauro Torinese, Selva Di Val Gardena, Sesto San Giovanni, Taranto, Trento, Tesero, Treviso, Udine, Vicenza, Villabate.
*Vodafone: Rome, Milan, Torino, Naples, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Genoa, Ivrea, Livorno, Modena, Padova, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Taranto, Trento, Venice, Verona.
*3 Italia: Rome, Milan, Acuto.
*Wind: 4G services will be available in the second half of 2013

====Kazakhstan====
By the end of 2012 the national telecommunication operator JSC Kazakhtelecom launched 4 G services in both Astana and Almaty. It is expected that by the end of 2013 the service will be available across the whole country.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

====Middle East====
In mid September 2011, [http://www.mobily.com.sa/ ] Mobily of [[Saudi Arabia]], announced their 4G LTE networks to be ready after months of testing and evaluations.

In  2012, Alfa and Touch in Lebanon, announced their 4G LTE networks to be ready after months of testing and evaluations. And 4G LTE was officially launched in April 2013.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}

In December 2011, [[UAE]]'s [[Etisalat]] announced the commercial launch of 4G LTE services covering over 70% of country's urban areas.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} As of May, 2012 only few areas have been covered.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}

In February 2013, [[Oman|Oman's]] [[Nawras]] launched 4G LTE commercially.<ref>http://nawras.om/nawras/mediacentre/pressreleases/tabid/250/vw/1/itemid/998/life-gets-even-faster-with-the-launch-of-4g.aspx</ref><ref>http://nawras.om/Business/Connect/4G.aspx</ref>

In April 2013, [[Qtel]], (now called Ooredoo) is set to launch its 4G LTE commercially in Qatar.<ref>http://blog.marhaba.com.qa/2013/03/14/ooredoo-announces-4g-lte-commercial-launch-for-april/</ref>

====Pakistan====
Recently, on 5 May, the leading telecom company 'Telenor Pakistan' announces that its gearing up for 4G to be launched soon here in Pakistan. Koller, the one of top executive of company expressed “We call the project ‘highly complex’ because live network equipment modernisation with 30 million active subscribers is not an easy task, and it requires extremely efficient processes and very competent teams.” He also added, “A network upgrade of this nature involves meticulous planning to avoid any potential degraded user experience”. <ref>{{cite web|title= Telenor Pakistan Already Gearing Up for 4G |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/544479/a-step-ahead-telenor-pakistan-already-gearing-up-for-the-4g-era|publisher=Tribune Pakistan}}</ref>

====The Netherlands====
After the multiband spectrum auction in Q4-2012 [[KPN]] announced that 4G services will start in Feb-2013 and nation wide coverage will be delivered in the fall of 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title= KPN rolls out 4G in the Netherlands |url=http://www.kpn.com/corporate/aboutkpn/Company-profile/KPN-rolls-out-4G-in-the-Netherlands.htm|publisher=KPN}}</ref>
Vodafone is stating its roll out in the summer of 2013 and T-Mobile announced only the roll out.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

The expectation is that KPN and Vodafone will reach nation wide coverage in 2014. T-Mobile and Tele2 as low budget providers will probably never reach a nation wide coverage. As this is also the case for their existing 2G and 3G networks. Tele2 is only rolling out a 4G network and will stay a MVNO on the T-Mobile network for 2G/3G Services and a MVNO on the KPN network for 2G/3G Business Services (Old Versatel).<ref>{{cite web|title=Tele2 Stays MVNO for 2G/3G on T-Mobile network (Dutch Article)|url=http://www.telecompaper.com/nieuws/tele2-blijft-mvno-op-netwerk-t-mobile--914695}}</ref>

The exact plan from operator ZUM is not known, only a small 2.6&nbsp;GHz LTE network is required to meet regulatory requirements. {{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

After the auction the frequency allocation in the Netherlands is as follows:<ref>{{cite web|title=Dutch multiband spectrum auction ends with four winners|url=http://www.telecompaper.com/news/dutch-multiband-spectrum-auction-ends-with-four-winners--914279|publisher=Teleccompaper|accessdate=30 December 2012}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Operator !! Band || Spectrum !! Band || Spectrum !! Band || Spectrum !! Band TDD || Spectrum !! Band || Spectrum !! Band TDD || Spectrum !! Band || Spectrum
|-
| KPN || 800&nbsp;MHz || 2x10MHz || 900&nbsp;MHz || 2x10Mhz || 1800&nbsp;MHz || 2x20MHz || 1900&nbsp;MHz || 1x5MHz || 2100&nbsp;MHz || 2x19,8&nbsp;MHz || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 1x30MHz || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 2x10MHz 
|-
| Vodafone || 800&nbsp;MHz || 2x10MHz || 900&nbsp;MHz || 2x10MHz (eGSM) || 1800&nbsp;MHz || 2x20MHz || 1900&nbsp;MHz || 1x5.4&nbsp;MHz || 2100&nbsp;MHz || 2x19.6 ||  ||  || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 2x10 MHz
|-
| T-Mobile ||  || || 900&nbsp;MHz || 2x15MHz || 1800&nbsp;MHz || 2x30Mhz || 1900&nbsp;MHz || 1x24.6&nbsp;MHz || 2100&nbsp;MHz || 2x20MHz || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 1x25MHz || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 2x5MHz
|-
| Tele2 || 800&nbsp;MHz || 2x10MHz || || || || || || || || || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 1x5MHz || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 2 x 20&nbsp;MHz
|-
| ZUM || || || || || || || || || || || ||  || 2600&nbsp;MHz || 2 x 20&nbsp;MHz
|}

====New Zealand====
In [[New Zealand]], the first 4G network has been introduced for some parts of Auckland by [[Vodafone New Zealand|Vodafone NZ]] on 28 February 2013. 4G will be live in parts of Christchurch in May, and parts of Wellington in August/September 2013 .<ref>{{cite web|url=http://community.vodafone.co.nz/t5/Press-releases/4G-launches-in-NZ-first-on-Vodafone/m-p/82378 |title=4G launches in NZ – first on Vodafone |publisher=Vodafone NZ |date= |accessdate=February 28, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vodafone.co.nz/4g |title=Vodafone 4G |publisher=Vodafone NZ }}</ref>

====Phillippines====
As part of its massive network upgrade, Globe <ref>url=http://network.globe.com.ph/fourG/index </ref> has launched its 4th Generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) network for mobile and broadband. To date, Globe has completed over 2,700 4G LTE network sites, with the number expected to rise to over 4000 by the end of 2012.

In September, Globe launched its 4G LTE network covering key commercial as well as residential areas in Makati, with more sites following shortly in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and other select regions. As more key activations are completed in the coming months, Globe subscribers will soon enjoy best-in-class mobile and broadband services across the Philippines.

====Romania====
On 31 October 2012, [[Vodafone]] has launched 4G tests.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://economie.hotnews.ro/stiri-telecom-13522016-vodafone-permite-testarea-tehnologiei-lte-4g-10-orase-din-romania-internet-viteze-pana-75-mbps-poate-incercat-modem-usb-tableta-hotspot-mobil.htm | work=hotnews.ro | title=Vodafone permite testarea tehnologiei LTE/4G in 17 magazine din 10 orase din Romania/Internet la viteze de pana la 75 Mbps poate fi incercat pe modem USB, tableta si hotspot mobil ;— hotnews.ro}}</ref> Now 4G connectivity is available in several cities: [[Otopeni]], [[Constanta]], [[Galati]], [[Craiova]], [[Brasov]], [[Bacau]], [[Iasi]], [[Cluj-Napoca]], <<link:0>> and [[Timisoara]].<ref>[https://www.vodafone.ro/personal/servicii-si-tarife/alege-vodafone/harta-de-acoperire/index.htm Vodafone Romania covering map]</ref>

====Scandinavia====
[[TeliaSonera]] started deploying LTE (branded "4G") in Stockholm and Oslo November 2009 (as seen above), and in several Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish cities during 2010. In June 2010, Swedish television companies used 4G to broadcast live television from the [[Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling|Swedish Crown Princess' Royal Wedding]].<ref>[https://www.vodafone.ro/personal/servicii-si-tarife/alege-vodafone/harta-de-acoperire/index.htm]</ref>

====South Korea====
On July 7, 2008, [[South Korea]] announced plans to spend 60&nbsp;billion [[South Korean won|won]], or US$58,000,000, on developing 4G and even 5G technologies, with the goal of having the highest mobile phone market share by 2012, and the hope of becoming an international standard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unwiredview.com/2008/07/08/korea-to-start-working-on-5g/|title=Korea to Begin Developing 5G|publisher=unwiredview.com|date=2008-07-08|accessdate=2010-04-08| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100327055227/http://www.unwiredview.com/2008/07/08/korea-to-start-working-on-5g/| archivedate= 27 March 2010 | deadurl= no}}</ref>

====Sri Lanka====
On December 30, 2012, [[Dialog Axiata|Dialog Broadband Networks]] Launched Sri Lanka's first fixed TD-LTE service.<ref>[http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2012/12/30/new04.asp Dialog launches first fixed 4G-LTE service in Sri Lanka]</ref>
 On April 2, 2013, [[Dialog Axiata]] launched South Asia's first FD-LTE service in Sri Lanka.<ref>[http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/04/02/bus20.asp Dialog Launches First Mobile 4G-LTE Service in Sri Lanka]</ref>

====Thailand====
Thailand National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has earmarked 1.8GHz and 2.3GHz spectrum for 4G services. The 1.8 GHz will be available for auction around the 4th quarter of 2014 when the license for GSM service on the spectrum will expire. The 2.3GHz spectrum is currently held by TOT Corp, a state enterprise. Negotiation on refarming part of the band is ongoing.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

[[True Corporation|Real Future]] has launched Thailand's First commercial 4G LTE service on 8 May 2013 using 2100 MHz Band I.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

====United Kingdom & Ireland====
In May 2005, [[Digiweb]], an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] wired and wireless broadband company, announced that they had received a mobile communications license from the Irish telecoms regulator [[ComReg]]. This service will be issued the mobile code ''088'' in Ireland and will be used for the provision of 4G mobile communications.<ref>Press Release: [http://media.digiweb.ie/pr/2007/05/04/digiweb-mobile-takes-088/ Digiweb Mobile Takes 088]</ref><ref>RTÉ News article: [http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0405/digiweb.html Ireland gets new mobile phone provider]</ref> Digiweb launched a mobile broadband network using FLASH-OFDM technology at 872&nbsp;MHz.

In the [[United Kingdom]] and in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[O2 UK|O2 UK]] and [[O2 (Ireland)|O2 Ireland]] (both subsidiaries of [[Telefónica Europe]]) are to use [[Slough]] as a guinea pig in testing the 4G network and has called upon [[Huawei]] to install LTE technology in six masts across the town to allow people to talk to each other via HD video conferencing and play PlayStation games while on the move.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/6797198/Slough-accepts-the-call-to-be-4G-mobile-phone-trailblazer.html|title=Slough accepts the call to be 4G mobile phone trailblazer|last=Neate|first=Rupert|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2009-12-12|accessdate=2010-04-08 | location=London| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100402105822/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/6797198/Slough-accepts-the-call-to-be-4G-mobile-phone-trailblazer.html| archivedate= 2 April 2010 | deadurl= no}}</ref> On February 29, 2012, the first commercial 4G LTE service in the UK launched in the [[London Borough]] of [[Southwark]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/4g-lte-network-from-uk-broadband-goes-live-in-london-63676 |title=4G LTE Network From UK Broadband Goes Live In London &#124; TechWeekEurope UK |publisher=Techweekeurope.co.uk |date=2012-02-29 |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref> Ofcom is in the process of auctioning off the UK-wide 4G spectrum. This will use the airspace made available following the country's analogue television signal switch off.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/9140824/4G-mobile-phone-launch-before-Christmas.html|title=4G mobile phone launch ‘before Christmas’|last=Warman|first=Matt|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=2012-05-13|accessdate=2012-05-14|location=London}}</ref> In October 2012, [[MVNO]], [[Abica]] Limited, announced they were to trial 4G LTE services for high speed [[Machine to machine|M2M]] applications.

On 21 August 2012, the [[United Kingdom]]'s regulator Ofcom allowed [[EE (telecommunications company)|EE]], the owner of the Orange and T-Mobile networks, to use its existing bandwidth to launch fourth-generation (4G) mobile services.<ref>[http://forum.hostsurfuk.com/topic/974-4g-given-go-ahead-for-uk/ 4G Given Go Ahead for UK]</ref> The 4G service from EE was launched on 11 September 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burns |first=Judith |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19546206 |title=BBC News - UK universities take four of six top global rankings |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=September 10, 2012 |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref> In December, 16 UK cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast will have 4G networks live.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tripathi |first=Shruti |url=http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/business-news/tech/ee-by-gum-4g-almost-launches-qa-with-the-man-making-it-happen/3387.article |title=EE by gum! 4G (almost!) launches. Q&A with the man making it happen &#124; Features |publisher=LondonlovesBusiness.com |date=September 11, 2012 |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

Launched by Orange and T-Mobile owner EE, the new networks will be available in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. EE plans to roll out the service in further six cities including Belfast, Derby, Hull, Newcastle, Nottingham and Southampton. The group aims to cover 70% of the UK by 2013 and 98% by 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tripathi |first=Shruti |url=http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/business-news/its-live-ee-launches-superfast-4g-mobile-network-in-10-cities/3791.article |title=It's live! EE launches superfast 4G mobile network in 10 cities &#124; News |publisher=LondonlovesBusiness.com |date= |accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref>

On November 12, 2012 Ofcom published final regulations and a timetable<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/2012/11/ofcom-finalises-4g-auction-rules/ |title=Ofcom finalises 4G auction rules |publisher=ofcom.org.uk |date= |accessdate=November 12, 2012}}</ref> for the 4G mobile spectrum auction. It also launched a new 4G consumer page,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/4g/ |title=4G |publisher=ofcom.org.uk |date= |accessdate=November 12, 2012}}</ref> providing information on the upcoming auction and the consumer benefits that new services will deliver.

On November 15, 2012 the [[Commission for Communications Regulation]] (ComReg) announced the results of its multi-band spectrum auction.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/PR15112012.pdf
 |title=ComReg Announces Results of its Multi-Band Spectrum Auction
 |publisher=comreg.ie
 |accessdate=November 15, 2012}}</ref> This auction awarded spectrum rights of use in the 800&nbsp;MHz, 900&nbsp;MHz and 1800&nbsp;MHz bands in Ireland from 2013 to 2030. The winners of spectrum were [[Hutchison 3G|3]], [[Meteor (mobile network)|Meteor]], [[O2 (Ireland)|O2 Ireland]] and [[Vodafone Ireland|Vodafone]]. All of the winning bidders in the auction have indicated that they intend to move rapidly to deploy advanced services.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/30238-comreg-reveals-4g-auction/
| title=ComReg reveals 4G auction results - €450m instant windfall for Irish Govt
|publisher=www.siliconrepublic.com
 |accessdate=November 15, 2012}}</ref>

====United States====
On September 20, 2007, [[Verizon Wireless]] announced plans for a joint effort with the [[Vodafone Group]] to transition its networks to the 4G standard LTE. On December 9, 2008, Verizon Wireless announced their intentions to build and roll out an LTE network by the end of 2009. Since then, Verizon Wireless has said that they will start their roll out by the end of 2010.

[[Sprint Nextel]] offers a 3G/4G connection plan, currently available in select cities in the United States.<ref name=sprint4g/> It delivers rates up to 10&nbsp;Mbit/s. Sprint has announced that they will launch a LTE network in early 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cheng |first=Roger |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20112095-94/sprint-to-launch-own-4g-lte-network-in-early-2012-scoop/?tag=mncol;txt |title=Sprint to launch own 4G LTE network in early 2012 (scoop) &#124; Mobile&nbsp;— CNET News |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=2011-09-27 |accessdate=2012-07-31}}</ref>

[[Verizon Wireless]] has announced that it plans to augment its CDMA2000-based EV-DO 3G network in the United States with LTE, and is supposed to complete a rollout of 175 cities by the end of 2011, two thirds of the US population by mid-2012, and cover the existing 3G network by the end of 2013.<ref>[http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/coverage]</ref> [[AT&T Mobility|AT&T]], along with Verizon Wireless, has chosen to migrate toward LTE from 2G/GSM and 3G/HSPA by 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/09/21/verizon.and.vodafone.4g/|title=AT&T, Verizon, Vodafone to share same 4G network|publisher=Electronista|date=2007-09-21|accessdate=2010-04-08}}</ref>

[[Sprint Nextel]] has deployed WiMAX technology which it has labeled 4G as of October 2008. It is currently deploying to additional markets and is the first US carrier to offer a WiMAX phone.<ref>{{cite press release |title=World's First 3G/4G Android Phone, HTC EVO™ 4G, Coming this Summer Exclusively from Sprint |url=http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1414 |publisher=[[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]] |date=23 March 2010 |accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref>

The U.S. FCC is exploring the possibility of deployment and operation of a nationwide 4G public safety network which would allow [[first responders]] to seamlessly communicate between agencies and across geographies, regardless of devices. In June 2010 the FCC released a comprehensive white paper which indicates that the 10&nbsp;MHz of dedicated spectrum currently allocated from the [[1700 MHz]] spectrum for public safety will provide adequate capacity and performance necessary for normal communications as well as serious emergency situations.<ref>FCC White Paper. [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-298799A1.pdf "The Public Safety Nationwide Interoperable Broadband Network, A New Model For Capacity, Performance and Cost"], June 2010.</ref>

==Beyond 4G research==
{{Main|5G}}
A major issue in 4G systems is to make the high bit rates available in a larger portion of the cell, especially to users in an exposed position in between several base stations. In current research, this issue is addressed by [[macro-diversity]] techniques, also known as [[cooperative diversity|group cooperative relay]], and also by [[Beam-division multiple access|Beam-Division Multiple Access (BDMA)]].<ref>IT R&D program of [[Ministry of Knowledge Economy|MKE]]/IITA: 2008-F-004-01 “5G mobile communication systems based on beam-division multiple access and relays with group cooperation”.</ref>

[[Pervasive network]]s are an amorphous and at present entirely hypothetical concept where the user can be simultaneously connected to several wireless access technologies and can seamlessly move between them (See [[vertical handoff]], [[IEEE 802.21]]). These access technologies can be [[Wi-Fi]], [[Universal Mobile Telecommunications System|UMTS]], [[Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution|EDGE]], or any other future access technology. Included in this concept is also smart-radio (also known as [[cognitive radio]]) technology to efficiently manage spectrum use and transmission power as well as the use of [[Mesh networking|mesh routing]] protocols to create a pervasive network.

==See also==
* [[Mobile radio telephone]] (also known as "0G")
* [[1G]]
* [[2G]]
* [[3G]]
* [[LTE (telecommunication)]] (4G LTE)
* [[LTE Advanced]] (4G)
* [[5G]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://sites.google.com/site/lteencyclopedia/ 3GPP LTE Encyclopedia]
* [http://www.nomor.de/home/technology/white-papers/progress-on-lte-advanced---the-future-4g-standard Nomor Research: White Paper on LTE Advance the new 4G standard]
* {{Cite conference |url= http://csdl2.computer.org/comp/proceedings/wetice/2001/1269/00/12690060.pdf |title= Research Directions for Fourth Generation Wireless |author= Brian Woerner |booktitle= Proceedings of the 10th International Workshops on Enabling Technologies: Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WET ICE 01) |location= Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA |date=June 20–22, 2001 |format=PDF}} (118kb)
* [http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/4g/ Information on 4G mobile services in the UK - Ofcom]

{{s-start}}
        {{s-bef|before=[[3G|3rd Generation (3G)]]}}
        {{s-ttl|title=[[Mobile telephony|Mobile Telephony Generations]]
        |years=}}
        {{s-aft|after=[[5G|5th Generation (5G)]]}}
        {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:4g}}
[[Category:Emerging standards]]
[[Category:Mobile telecommunications]]
[[Category:Software-defined radio]]
[[Category:Videotelephony]]

Edit summary:
This is a minor edit Watch this page

Cancel

Dab solver - 4G

Tools

Interaction