1a. Compare and contrast 3G wireless networks to 4G networks in terms of services and applications. Service and application, network architecture, data throughput and user perception. “Some examples of services offered by 3G wireless networks are CDMA2000 (also known as IMT MultiCarrier (IMTMC), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and EDGE as well as a long list of others while 4G offer Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax2) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE- Advance). 3G applications allows users the ability to stream video and audio, video conferencing as well as other multi-media applications within a mobile environment. 4G applications on the other hand offer gaming services, amended mobile web access, high definition mobile television, video conferencing, IP telephony and 3D television. The central switching office then connects the call or data request with the rest of the world 4G networks are an integration of wireless LAN and Wide Area. What are significant about 4G networks is they don’t use circuit-switched subsystems such as 3G networks. 4G is based on a purely packed based internet protocol (IP) system.
1b. Compare and contrast 3G wireless networks to 4G networks in terms of network architecture. The architecture between 3G and 4G are very different, 3G mobile network uses a Wide Area Cell Based network with a circuit-switched subsystem and “3G networks rely on large satellite connections that are connected to telecommunications towers”. (Turban, E. and Volonino, L, 2011) 3G allows users to make calls or open the internet, through signals which are sent to 3G tower antennas or cell sites. The data travels from the cell site to a central switching office by a wire-fiber optic network.
1c. Compare and contrast 3G wireless networks to 4G networks in terms of data throughput. The data throughput rate for 3G is up to