But how revolutionary is 4G? Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin talked to The Times about how it could change mobile communication.
How much faster is 4G?
Most 3G subscribers today can expect about 1 megabit per second download speeds on average. 4G networks might deliver as fast as 6 or 7 megabits per second initially. Eventually, a 4G network hopes to be about 10 times faster than 3G.
Will 4G improve voice calls and texting?
The impact on traditional cellular services, like voice and text messaging, will be negligible because 4G networks are being designed for data.
However, because of the specific airwaves that AT&T and Verizon will use for their 4G networks, consumers will find that these networks provide better service indoors than some of today's networks.
What will 4G enable us to do on our phones that we can't do with 3G?
One thing you'll be able to do is watch a high-definition video stream on services like Hulu.
It will also be possible to take information from the Internet and interact with the real world in ways that maybe weren't dreamt of a few years ago. For example, if you were traveling in a foreign country, you could hold up your phone and look at anything written in another language, and the phone would show it to you in real time as if it were written in your own language.
A car is going to be very much connected in the future. Many cars have navigation systems today, but many of those navigation systems are offline. But tomorrow, as 4G networks expand, that navigation system will be updated in real time with traffic information, changes in new roads or streets becoming one-way.
