Will 4G Wireless Overtake Traditional Broadband One Day?

Technology evolves to become more efficient and productive for everyday usage. It also becomes more affordable as production is cheaper, allowing everyday citizens, rather than merely the elite, to access this technology. While cellular phones originally were toys of the wealthy, it has become so widespread that even people in impoverished villages of Sub-Saharan Africa have access to mobile phones. Just as telecommunications has become increasingly mobile and widespread, it is likely that the 4G mobile internet connection might soon overtake traditional broadband internet connections as the dominant provider of internet access.

Whereas just a decade ago, to call someone, you had to use a payphone or a landline phone, nowadays, even young children have their own personal mobile line. Because of the conveniences attached to having this mobility and technology, it has become widespread not just in the United States, but also throughout the world. When you are running late to meet a friend, you can simply send a text message or make a phone call to inform them that you will indeed make it to the meeting spot, but you are simply running late. That way, your friend will not think that you have stood them up and leave after waiting for a few minutes. Moreover, instead of family members fighting over the usage of one common household line, since all members have their own mobile phone, they can make calls as they wish.

The mobility and convenience of having a mobile phone can be seen in having a mobile internet connection. While the 3G network provided smart phones with this mobility and reliability, its slower speeds ensured that this connection was not a competitor against traditional forms of internet access. The 3G network allowed people to surf the web and check their emails on their phone; however, the speeds were slower, you could not do everything that you would be able to on the cable or DSL connections that you enjoyed at home or at the office. Thus, you would not be able to replace the traditional broadband connection that you had at home.

However, with the 4G network, you are able to do everything that you are accustomed to doing on the connections you have at home. Its data transfer speed is much faster than the 3G network, and is thus, comparable to traditional broadband internet. You can now download and upload large files, stream videos, and even video chat. Moreover, this 4G network allows its users to access the worldwide web from both smart phones and laptop computers, rather than simply smart phones like the 3G network. Thus, with a simple mobile air card, you can log onto the internet on the laptop computer, making it a much more likely competitor with traditional broadband internet. Because it is comparable in speed and efficiency, why would you pay for two services when the mobile one sufficed? In 2009, cellular phones surpassed landlines as the dominant form of telecommunications. Perhaps, one day in the near future, the 4G mobile internet connection will similarly surpass traditional forms of internet.

The Threat of 4G Wireless Against Traditional Broadband Internet

As technology advances, it tends to become even more convenient and user-friendly, providing its customers with many new features that make their daily usage much simpler. Mobility is another feature that consumers look for in a product. Just as telecommunications has become more compact and mobile within the last decade, internet technology is moving towards a similar trajectory. With the advent of the 4G network, people are able to enjoy the mobility granted to them by this mobile internet technology without sacrificing the quality and speed of the internet connection.

The 4G network provides its users internet access from both their smart phones and their laptop computers, differing from its predecessor, the 3G network. With the 3G wireless connection, you could only access the worldwide web from just your smart phone, resulting in a much slower internet connection. While you could rely on it for consistent internet access, its slow speeds prevented you from fully utilizing all that the internet had to offer. The heightened speeds of the 4G network grants you an internet connection comparable to the internet access you have at home, such as cable or DSL. With a much more reliable internet connection on your smart phone and laptop computer, you can do a lot more, including video chatting, video streaming, and file uploads and downloads.

Essentially, you have the quality of internet connection and access that you would with your cable or DSL connection; however, you also maintain the freedom to move around the city without being tied down to a desk or geographical vicinity. Internet connections have come a long way from dial-up connections, where your computer needed to be connected to not only a bunch of cords, but also the telephone line. Cable and DSL connections operated faster; however, they also required cords to access the internet. With the advent of wireless routers, you could have limited mobility within general vicinity around your home or office, allowing you to access the internet on your laptop without being tied down to your desk. Now, with the 4G network, you can access this same high speed internet anywhere in the city from your smart phone or laptop computer.

Telephones have also become increasingly mobile, resulting in cellular phones overtaking direct phone lines as the most common and relied method of communication. The year 2009 marked the first time in which there were more subscriptions to cellular phone plans than basic telephone lines. It proves much more convenient for someone to have their direct line that can be reached wherever they may be rather than a shared family phone line. Similarly, this 4G wireless internet connection might soon overtake traditional broadband connections as the dominant form of internet. For most people, the wireless connection provides you enough speed and power for what you are accustomed to doing on the internet. So, why pay for two connections when the wireless format provides you with access when you're at home and when you're on-the-go?