When Will 4g Be Phased Out?
If we are to talk in technological terms then what we are going to do is press the factory reset button and go down history lane, to unravel how long the previous technologies took to be fully implemented and how long, their gradual phase-out took. So back in 1983, around the 6th of March, a new mobile phone was released to the market (the Dyna TAC 8000x), which was a 1G network.
The overall development cost of the phone took about $100m and before being officially launched it took over a decade. Interestingly the phone had a talk time of about 30 minutes and it took an incredibly 10 hours before it could be fully charged. Important to note is that 1G technology had already been launched back in 1979 and offered voice-only analog service.
2G was the second technology and was launched as early as 1991, which is 12 years after the launch of 1G, now phasing out and fully implementing the 2G network took another good years, and in 1998 3G was launched, interestingly is that up to 2020 some devices and carriers were still using the 3G network technology but also phasing it out.
Carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT and T and Sprint, have been actively moving to free up the wireless spectrum among other resources by shutting down 3G CDMA, while slowly progressing to 4GLTE and the 5G network technologies. The above, therefore, should give you a rough idea of the planned 4G phase out and how long it will take.
When will 4g be phased out?
While we might not have an exact time, date, or year, you can be sure that the 4G LTE technology is still here at least for another decade. The widespread use of the 5g network might provide the impression that 4G LTE might soon be rendered redundant but that’s not the case because carriers are still going to be using the 4G LTE networks well into 2030.
Experts on the ground are, therefore, expecting LTE, which also stands for Long Term Evolution to be with us for at least another 10 years. The above is part of the reason why most of the 5G compatible phones can be used on the 4G/3G and 2G technologies. In essence, therefore, is that 4g phones will continue working even with the 5G network, however, to reap the full benefits of 5g, a user must upgrade, to the 5g device and a 5G Sim Card.
Features of the 4G technology vs. 5G
4G Technology |
5G Technology |
Latency is at 20-30 miliseconds |
Latency is at 10 miliseconds |
Average speeds are at 25mbps |
Averages speeds are at 200-400mbps |
Bandwidth is at 200mbps |
Bandwidth is at 1gbps |
What is 5G and how does it work
5G is 4G’s competition, and since its introduction, it has sort of made 4G an old network and that is why this small piece will discuss the future, which is 5G. The new technology uses a 5g new radio interface, among other new technologies that have been configured to use higher radio frequencies.
The latter are used to transmit more data, reduce congestion and latency, with the implementation of 5G more devices can be brought into a network and each of them will enjoy high speeds. And to make it clearer is that the 4G network has been configured to support only 4,000 devices, per square kilometer, while 5g the new technology can offer support to an amazing 1 million devices.
The problem with 4G and part of the reason why 5G is being fast-tracked is that 4G is currently unable to transfer massive data across blocks of spectrum. 5G on the other hand comes with a large capacity which conveniently obliterates the congestion. 5G has a lot of benefits for private devices and companies overall.
And the most significant are less interference, less latency, higher speeds, and a capacity for a huge number of devices connected within one network. And on a global scale, the smart cities, the smart houses, and the data-driven industries, among other innovative technologies, will experience revolutionary changes in how they work, because most of their operations will flow smoothly, which in the long run guarantees a high ROI.
Which phone should I purchase now, 4G or 5G?
They say change is the only thing that is constant, and maybe we should all progressively move towards the future by investing in the latest technology instead of waiting for the last-minute rush. What’s more, is that 5G is way faster than LTE and part of the reason why getting a 5G enabled device is the best decision.