Article Contents
What mobile generations mean
When people talk about 3G, 4G or 5G, the letter "G" stands for generation of mobile technology. It's not just about whether the new generation is faster. Each new "G" brings various changes: different protocols, different technical standards, new speed requirements, and often new frequencies. Typically, a new generation appears approximately once every 10 years, which means carriers need to acquire new equipment for their transmitters.
3G was for many people the first network they became interested in, partly thanks to the iPhone 3G. When 3G started, typical speeds were around 200 kb/s, which is very slow by today's standards. Over time, however, 3G improved – versions labeled as 3.5G or 3.75G emerged, which can reach speeds of dozens of Mb/s. Still, it's simply called 3G because different labeling in advertisements would probably just confuse people.
What is 4G
The next major shift came with the fourth generation (4G). It's a set of specifications established by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union). These state that ideally, a 4G network can download at speeds up to 1,000 Mb/s (1 Gb/s) and upload data at up to 500 Mb/s. However, the minimum requirement caught the most attention: 4G should be capable of at least 100 Mb/s for downloading.
When 4G began to take hold, carriers were building new transmitters but weren't immediately able to achieve speeds of 100 Mb/s. They needed a transition phase during which network equipment and capacity would gradually improve – and that's exactly why the term LTE was created.
What is LTE and why it's not immediately "true" 4G
LTE is an abbreviation for "Long-Term Evolution" and indicates that it's a long-term development of the fourth generation. In the beginning, LTE was faster than 3G, but still didn't meet the 100 Mb/s that 4G requires. That's why it was often labeled as 4G LTE, even though technically it meant "4G, but not yet at full strength."
Later, an improved version 4G LTE-A (LTE Advanced) came along. In many cases, this already meets (or even exceeds) the required speeds. For marketing reasons, however, the name "4G LTE Advanced" is commonly used even where you could essentially just say 4G. You might occasionally encounter names like LTE+ or LTE Plus, which is yet another designation for the enhanced variant of LTE.
Confusion in labeling
Because most people think of 4G as any fast mobile network, carriers tend to go with the name 4G LTE. It suggests something better than outdated 3G, without having to explain in a complicated way that "true" 4G should have a certain minimum speed.
In some cases, mobile companies try to appear as progressive as possible to customers. For example, one American carrier began labeling its 4G LTE Advanced network as 5G E (5G Evolution), although it wasn't a real fifth generation, but rather 4G LTE Advanced.
Difference between 4G and LTE
- 4G is the original standard with a minimum speed of 100 Mb/s and a theoretical ceiling of up to 1 Gb/s.
- LTE (4G LTE) is the practical way to achieve this. Initially, it couldn't meet all the requirements of full-fledged 4G, but it was faster than 3G.
- LTE Advanced (LTE-A) can now usually deliver true 4G speeds. However, in advertisements and on phones, the labels "LTE", "LTE+" or "4G LTE" are still used.
The result is that in the real world, when 4G is mentioned, people are often talking about different versions of LTE. From a marketing perspective, it's also advantageous to maintain the LTE brand because it clearly communicates to people that it's high-speed mobile internet.
So if you see 4G LTE, LTE Advanced, or LTE+ written, it's always referring to the fourth generation, just at different stages of maturity.
