subject: Clarifying The Hype Behind 4g Wireless [print this page] The big hype when 3g wireless came out was that it would be able to support media and images that 2g just couldnt handle. People were super excited, and the technology really lived up to expectation. Now that the next generation of mobile internet has been released, referred to fittingly as 4g wireless, people are hearing a lot more hype about it than with 3g. They are hearing that it will bring high speed internet to the masses, including rural areas and third world countries. They are hearing that it will bring new advances in medicine and international communications. People are going so far as to say that everything from remote surgeries to disaster relief recovery will be changed forever by the technology. How much of this is true, however, is the question on the lips of many. Sometimes people can get a little carried away with their expectations for new technologies, and this seems to be no exception. How many of the hype claims are true? Heres a bit of a run through.
Rural and Remote Connectivity. Some of the initial test runs for WiMax networks were done in rural communities in the UK where high speed internet had never been delivered before. It makes a lot of sense because in the past there was no broadband in the area due to difficulties and costs laying the wires and cables necessary for terrestrial high speed internet service. This new system uses a different infrastructure, however, which makes it easy to install one tower and provide internet to an entire community in a rural or remote area. The reality right now is that the internet service is going to where the customers are first, which tends to be big urban areas. As it becomes more popular, those in rural and remote zones of the world can expect to see better connectivity, but this could take years.
Disaster Recovery. A big problem when trying to save thousands or even millions of people after a natural disaster is that communication systems are down. There really is no good way to get mass amounts of information out instantly, and the ability to do so really could save lives. So far, WiMax technology proved itself helpful after the Boxing Day Tsunami where networks were easily set up and used as a form of communication. If such networks were already in place in the future, they could be a top way of maintaining communications and contacting rescue efforts for those who are trapped or stranded, and coordinating for rescue workers and volunteers. As of right now it will take some development to get the full benefit, but the potential certainly exists.
Medicine. Being able to send a high definition video from anywhere on the planet to anywhere else on the planet that can be viewed in real time clearly could be helpful in the medical profession. The long story short is that right now the robotic technology to perform a surgery remotely, no matter how great the video quality, is probably not something that every towns hospital is going to be able to afford.
International Communications. Picking up any old mobile phone and calling someone with live picture and sound in high definition clearly is great for international communications, and its something anyone could be doing today just by signing up for 4g wireless!
