The International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector has completed its assessment of submissions for the 4G (or “IMT-Advanced”) standard.
According to the group, only carriers utilising one of two technologies can say they offer 4G, and those technologies are not commercially available at present.
The two 4G technologies are LTE (Long-Term Evolution)-Advanced and WirelessMAN-Advanced (IEEE 802.16m, the base of WiMax Release 2). LTE and WiMax, as they stand now, do not make the cut.
The ITU says 4G must offer worldwide functionality and roaming, compatibility of services, networking with other radio access systems and enhanced peak data rates (100Mbps downstream for high-mobility, 1Gbps for downstream for low-mobility) in order to qualify as 4G.
While the latest commercial technologies - LTE and WiMax - do revolutionise mobile communication by being more data-oriented and using Internet Protocol from end-to-end, they have been deemed merely improved 3G, as the change in performance is not of great enough magnitude to qualify as a new generation.
Earlier this month, Cell C was ordered to remove “4Gs” from its new advertising campaign when the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the term was misleading and dishonest.
While Cell C argued that the “4Gs” logo stood for “4 Great Service” and “4 Great Speed” as a marketing term and not a technical one, the ASA said the meaning was ambiguous.
Carriers internationally have also used the term “4G” incorrectly in order to promote their services. Clearwire and Verizon, in the US, have been offering 4G products and services, which officially are no more than advanced 3G.
LTE-Advanced and IEEE 802.16m are only expected to come into common use in 2015.
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