Recently MTN, GLO and Etisalat Upgraded their Network
Services to 4G LTE . You’ve heard, probably seen it plastered across billboards, and read about it on your cellphone . But the
question remains, what is 4G LTE, and how do its speeds
and coverage compare to other 3G and 4G networks?

A History of 3G and 4G

In order to understand what LTE is–beyond “a really fast
network”– we have to take a little step back in time.
When the 3G, or 3rd generation, standard was the best
thing in the early 2000s–it made accessing the internet on your
phone significantly faster and more convenient.

3G is required to meet IMT-2000 (International Mobile
Telecommunications-2000) technical standards, which
means a peak download rate of 200 Kbps, or 0.2 Mbps. This will
obviously seem slow to you now, but at the time, it was enough to get your email in a timely fashion.
So logically, the next step after 3G–the third generation of
wireless mobile communications technology–would be 4G,
or the fourth generation. The the ITU Radiocommunications
Sector (ITU-R) set some requirements as to what would
constitute a 4G network: it must provide peak 100 Mbps
downloads if you’re using a mobile device such as a
phone or tablet.

Stationary devices, such as mobile hotspots,
should be able to provide peaks speeds of 1 Gbps.
In recent years, 3G has really made some admirable
advancements. High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), for
example, can give theoretical speeds up to 7.2 Mbps, and is often called 3.5G or Turbo 3G.

Then came 4G, in the form of Evolved High Speed Packet
Access (HSPA+), and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). Only
HSPDA+ was marketed as 3.75G while LTE
was marketed this as “4G”, even though both didn’t meet
the ITU’s standards–neither reached that 100 Mbps download
rate.

LTE, however, wasn’t just another improvement of 3G. It
was meant to be more of an umbrella term given to the
technologies designed to get us to the 4G standard. In
other words, it’s what 4G will be be when the technology evolves
enough to provide those speeds. It’s 4G-Eventually.
Despite the high standards they set earlier , the ITU-R
decided that mobile carriers could market LTE (and HSPA) as 4G , since they represented a significant improvement over 3G and paved the way for true 4G speeds.




How LTE Stacks Up in Speed and Coverage


Okay, I'm done with the history lesson. Let’s tackle the
question that truly matters: What kind of speeds does LTE
actually offer right now? Frankly, it depends on where you
are and who you are using for your wireless service.
According to a speed test by a YouTube Vlogger , the
average MTN LTE download speed is 5.5 Mbps while the global
average is 13.5 Mbps. That’s far off the ideal 100 Mbps
4G standard, but a marked improvement over old 3G speeds.
Remember, that’s an average. Your speed may be faster, or
it could be slower.



But it’s not just about speed: coverage matters too. After
all, if you never see that “LTE” icon in the menu bar of your
phone, you won’t ever get those highly-advertised speeds.
Coverage depends on your carrier. Each of the Nigerian
carriers–MTN , GLO and ETISALAT ,–utilize
different frequency bands, which is how they separate their
signals from one another.

A frequency band is a group of radio frequencies mobile carriers thus use to communicate with clients.
Network coverage at lower frequencies, particularly the
700Mhz range, will provide LTE access in more locations
such as buildings and sheltered areas. In fact, in terms of
coverage–measured by how much time subscribers are
able to get an LTE signal, the top 3 carriers haven't reached
parity.



The Future: LTE Advanced and 5G

That’s the present. So what does the the future hold ?
Mobile broadband speeds will no doubt continue to
advance and gain speed. LTE Advanced is the new standard some companies are hyping, which promises to finally deliver “True 4G” speeds.So basically, LTE Advanced is what 4G was supposed to be all along. 5G , meanwhile, will be the next logical step up from 4G.



As you might guess, 5G stands for fifth generation, and is
supposed to promise speeds up to 10 gigabits per
seconds– enough to download a full HD movie in mere seconds.
Unlike LTE, which occupies lower frequency bands, 5G
can occupy both lower frequency bands and ultra-high
bands. Using these higher bands means 5G won’t travel as far as 4G LTE and will need to be throttled to make it practical to a
wide audience.
None of this matters much at this point however, as the
technical standards are still being worked out and won’t
be finalized until 2020.


For right now, 4G LTE is good enough for the vast majority
of mobile users, and will be for some time. Logically, if or
when True 4G or LTE Advanced becomes the norm, it will suffice
for a time while mobile providers roll out 5G and so on.



Considering how long it took the top network providers to
upgrade to 4G LTE. I don't know when Nigeria will get to
4G LTE Advanced or 5G. However most people still fear
that once there's a drastic increase in people using 4G
enabled smartphones, the speed would reduce. Let's keep
our fingers crossed and leave the top OEMs to decide.

Source : http://www.naijatechguy.com/2016/10/from-3g-to-4g-lte-what-lies-ahead-for.html

Very Educative Lalasticlala Come and See This ooo

Thank you op

hooged:
Thank you op

Fp please
people need to know about this lala where you dey.

A nice read even though I only understood like half of the technical details.
My major take on this educative piece is that our network providers should not rush to reel out services that would not conform to international standards because they are in competition with each other.
If it is not 4G then let it not be packaged as such!

stellx:
A nice read even though I only understood like half of the technical details.
My major take on this educative piece is that our network providers should not rush to reel out services that would not conform to international standards because they are in competition with each other.
If it is not 4G then let it not be packaged as such!

You get it right. that what the op means.

When friends are on 4G and there's still no 3G in your area

please when will etisalat reduce their data bundle?

A great read @OP

nice one OP
this is what I was Trying to explain to someone that there's no true 4G, we just have some marketers marketing their hardware/technology as 4G even though they didn't meet up with the standard.

Nice.. Lalasticlala fp

luigiajah:
Nice.. Lalasticlala fp

Your works are always scattered.

lalasticlala:


Your works are always scattered.

Handiwork of ctrl C + ctrl P

ritababe:
please when will etisalat reduce their data bundle?

When Jesus comes back

ritababe:
please when will etisalat reduce their data bundle?

after recession

HQuadreal:
Very Educative
Lalasticlala Come and See This ooo

Who's this "Lalasticlala" everybody keeps calling

Very educative. Weldone OP!
Airtel should just patiently wait and put the necessary technology in place before rolling out a distinguished 4G option for us.
It's not how far but how well.

Answer to your question OP, 5G

Bookmarked

dukeo:


Who's this "Lalasticlala" everybody keeps calling

He is a super moderator who push relevant post to front page on on nairaland.

HQuadreal:
He is a moderator on nairaland.

lalasticlala:

Your works are always scattered.

Kai.. Make I arrange am no vex ..

lalasticlala:


Your works are always scattered.

Work Organized Now.. I'll work on any other new posts I make now.. # Scouts Honor

barackodam:
Answer to your question OP, 5G

lol..

dukeo:

Yeah.

Hmm