3G networks (UMTS FDD and TDD, CDMA2000 1x EVDO, CDMA2000 3x, TDSCDMA, Arib WCDMA, EDGE, IMT-2000 DECT)

are newer cellular networks that have

data rates of 384kbit/s and more.
The UN's International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard requires
stationary speeds of 2Mbps and mobile speeds of 384kbps for a "true" 3G.
4G technology refers to the fourth generation of mobile phone communication
standards. LTE and WiMAX are marketed as parts of this generation, even though
they fall short of the actual standard.

Re-assignment of 3G Spectrum and the Spectrum Utilisation

Fee
The Communications Authority ("CA") decided to adopt the hybrid approach to re-assign the
paired spectrum in the 1.9 - 2.2 GHz band ("3G Spectrum"). On enquires from the media about
the implications of the hybrid option on service quality and tariffs, the Office of the
Communications Authority ("OFCA") has the following responses.
The existing term of assignment for the 3G Spectrum totalled 120 MHz will expire in October
2016. Under the hybrid option, the CA will re-assign one-third of the 3G Spectrum ("Reauctioned Spectrum") through auction, which will be open for bidding by all interested parties
including the incumbent 3G operators. This 40 MHz of 3G Spectrum represents only 7% - 10%
of the total spectrum holdings of the individual incumbent 3G operators.
"The incumbent 3G operators are free to participate in the auction to acquire the Re-auctioned
Spectrum. If any of the incumbent 3G operators are unable or choose not to acquire the Reauctioned Spectrum, they will have two years after the auction in the second half of 2014 to
adjust their network and business plans to address any changes to their holdings of 3G Spectrum,
so that satisfactory customer services will be ensured," OFCA's spokesman explained.
On the comments that the re-auction of one-third of the 3G Spectrum would lead to high
spectrum utilisation fee which would eventually be passed onto consumers, the spokesman
pointed out, "the spectrum utilisation fee paid by the incumbent 3G operators for the Reauctioned Spectrum is estimated to account for only about 0.5% of their total annual operating
cost. A total of eight spectrum auctions have been conducted since the assignment of the 3G
Spectrum through auction in 2001, and so far we have not found any correlation between the
spectrum prices as determined by auction and service charges."
"Mobile service charges are determined primarily by demand and supply in the market as a result
of competition, not the fee paid for the spectrum by the mobile network operators. As a matter of
fact, the mobile market in Hong Kong is keenly competitive. Mobile service charges in Hong

Kong remain highly affordable and competitive by international standards," added the
spokesman.
"On service quality, we would like to point out that there is currently ample capacity available in
the 4G networks of the incumbent 3G operators. If the incumbent 3G operators which are unable
or choose not to acquire the Re-auctioned Spectrum could use their 4G network capacity
efficiently, they would be able to ensure that customer service quality would not be affected in
any manner when the 10 MHz of 3G Spectrum is handed over in October 2016," the spokesman
further elaborated.
According to the finding of the consultancy study commissioned by the Government, the 3G
service quality in busy locations such as the Mass Transit Railway ("MTR") is less than
satisfactory during busy hours, and this point was acknowledged by some of the incumbent 3G
operators in their submissions to the second consultation on 3G Spectrum re-assignment.
"There is an imminent and continuous need now for mobile network operators to upgrade their
networks and improve their service quality at the congested hotspots as soon as possible. The
CA notes that the 200 MHz of 4G spectrum released to the market since 2009 have yet to be
deployed in busy locations such as the MTR. Mobile network operators should make efficient
use of their 4G spectrum and deploy them in these locations in order to provide satisfactory
service to their customers," the spokesman said.
"We are confident that the hybrid option adopted for re-assignment of the 3G Spectrum is best to
achieve the multiple objectives of spectrum re-assignment, viz. ensuring customer service
continuity, efficient spectrum utilisation, promotion of effective competition, and encouragement
of investment and promotion of innovative services,

How much faster is 4G compared to 3G and what applications run better on 4G?
3G and 4G are standards for mobile communication. Standards specify how the airwaves must
be used for transmitting information (voice and data). 3G (or 3rd Generation) was launched in
Japan in 2001. As recently as mid-2010, the networks for most wireless carriers in the U.S. were
3G. 3G networks were a significant improvement over 2G networks, offering higher speeds for
data transfer. The improvement that 4G offers over 3G is often less pronounced. Analysts use the
analogy of standard vs Hi-Def TV to describe the difference between 3G and 4G.
Comparison chart</> Embed this chart

Data
Throughput

3G
4G
Up to 3.1Mbps with an Practically speaking, 2 to 12 Mbps (Telstra
average speed range
in Australia claims up to 40 Mbps) but
between 0.5 to 1.5 Mbps potential estimated at a range of 100 to

3G

4G
300 Mbps.

Peak Upload
Rate

5 Mbps

500 Mbps

Peak
Download
Rate

100 Mbps

1 Gbps

Switching
Technique

packet switching

packet switching, message switching

Network
Architecture

Wide Area Cell Based

Integration of wireless LAN and Wide area.

Services And
Applications

CDMA 2000, UMTS,

EDGE etc

Wimax2 and LTE-Advance

Forward error
3G uses Turbo codes for Concatenated codes are used for error
correction
error correction.
corrections in 4G.
(FEC)
Frequency
Band

1.8 2.5 GHz

2 8 GHz

What is 4G?

The definition of 4G has changed over the years. Current commercially available technologies
LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and WiMax claimed that they are sufficiently advanced from 3G
and thus claimed the right to call their technology 4G. However, in October 2010, the global
standards group International Telecommunication Union declared that after long study, it had
determined which technologies truly qualified for its IMT-Advanced label i.e. 4G (fourthgeneration). The target speed was at least 100 Mbps to qualify for the 4G label. Only two
systems made the list: LTE-Advanced, an emerging version of LTE technology, and Wireless
MAN-Advanced, the next version of WiMax, also called WiMax 2. Neither is commercially
available yet.

4G Speed vs. 3G

How much faster is 4G compared to 3G? Unfortunately for consumers, the answer to this
question is more nuanced than one would like. The speed of a 3G network depends upon how it
is implemented. In the US, by 2010 Sprint and Verizon (both CDMA networks) had reached the
limits of how fast they could make their 3G networks. Upgrading to 4G networks allowed them
to offer data transmission speeds up to four times faster than their 3G networks. However, the 3G
networks of GSM carriers AT&T and T-Mobile were designed such that there was room to
upgrade 3G speeds. As of mid-2010, it is anticipated that when AT&T and T-Mobile upgrade
their 3G networks, their speeds will become comparable to 4G from Sprint and Verizon.
Speed Test Results

Results from a speed test comparing Sprint's 4G and 3G networks (using a Samsung Epic 4G
phone) and AT&T's 3G network (using a Dell Streak) show that Sprint 4G is considerably faster
than both Sprint 3G and AT&T 3G. These test results were posted in October 2010
Design Principle and Applications

Both 2G and 3G networks were designed primarily for voice communications rather than data.
On the other hand, 4G is designed especially for data transmission rather than voice. So 4G
offers faster access to data using mobile phones. For example, streaming video works better with
4G, with less stuttering and a higher resolution. Similarly, video conferencing and multi-player
online games work better with the faster data transmission offered by 4G