4G technology has become a vital part of our daily lives as it provides a lightning-fast internet connection at any corner of the world. Moreover, it’s playing a huge role in making high-tech mobile devices popular and widely used. However, though we may use 4G in work and our personal lives daily, some people still are not entirely clear on the value of this technology and its purpose.

Therefore, read about our findings regarding “what does 4G mean,” and “how fast it is.”

What is a 4G Network?

Fourth-generation mobile technology follows on from 2G and 3G technology, which preceded it. For the time being, the 4G network offers faster speeds over legacy 3G networks. 4G may alternatively be called 4G LTE if you want to avoid confusion about the many types of 4G. For the majority of mobile network service providers, it is the most modern technology currently in use. But as you may have already discovered, 5G is now in use alongside 3G and 4G networks.

While 4G was new when it initially came out, it transformed how we utilize mobile internet for the better. Although 3G network connections were speedy, 4G connections allowed smartphone users to browse the web and stream high-definition videos on their devices, making smartphones into modern-day computers.

On smartphones, tablets, and similar devices, you can do most of the tasks that you might on a desktop or laptop computer. 4G networks mean you can almost always maintain reliable speeds, even if you need a lot of data.

How Fast is 4G?

4G networks are considerably faster than 3G. Compared to its predecessor, the 3G network, the current 4G offering delivers download rates of almost five times quicker, delivering 14 Mbps of data. While the top speed of 3G networks is 50 Mbps, 4G networks reach rates of up to 150 Mbps, which enables people to download gigabytes of data in minutes or even seconds instead of hours.

Furthermore, uploading data is significantly faster: 4G upload speeds max out at 8 Mbps, while theoretical maximum speeds range from 0.5 Mbps to 50 Mbps. Even if you consider it insignificant, there is a notable difference.

As data rates get cheaper, more and more people have merged mobile and local WiFi services to save money. There are several internet service providers (ISPs) that provide home-based 4G mobile hotspots for customers who want to use one while they are out and about.