1:40 PM '4G-like' WiMax and LTE now require air quotes

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

October 22, 2010

1 Min Read
ITU Says '4G' Isn't

1:40 PM -- WiMax and Long Term Evolution (LTE) are certainly faster than 3G, but they aren't fourth-generation wireless networks in the true sense of the term. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said today that only 802.16m WiMax 2 and LTE-Advanced are technically 4G -- and those won't be deployed until 2015.

Everything else gets air quotes.

Light Reading Mobile has been saying that since the term was coined, but the ITU makes it more official that the networks Telia Company , Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S), MetroPCS Inc. (NYSE: PCS), and others have rolled out are quite literally not up to speed. Those are only 3.9G, the ITU says. (See Las Vegas – Mobile Broadband Capital of the US and ITU Approves New 4G Specs.)

All that really means is that the carriers should stop using the term 4G in advertising or fall back to T-Mobile US Inc. 's favorite expression, "4G-like speeds." (See 4G World: Faster 3G in US – Charting HSPA+, 4G World: AT&T to Go to 21Mbit/s HSPA+ in 2011?, and T-Mobile's HSPA+ Rivals Clearwire, US LTE Speeds.)

Probably won't matter much as most consumers have no idea what "G" their phone is anyway.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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