4G vs 3.9G: “The G’s Confusion” – Part 1


Introduction

Are you part of the 4G Confusion and don’t know exactly where to turn to? This article represents the first part of the entire “G’s Confusion” and it will help you to decide exactly which GSM company to subscribe with. I have been caught up with numerous of telephone calls and emails from some of my clients, friends and family members regarding the new generation technologies that has gripped the attention of the technology consumers in Liberia – the Cellcom 4G and the Lonestar 3.9G Confusion. 

In this First part of this article on the “G’s Confusion”, I am going to restrict my discussion of Cellcom 4G USB device and the Lonestar 3.9G USB device base on the following: 

         Payment Term
         Connection Speed
         Stability & Availability.

Clarification of Terms

Before I expand this article 4G vs 3.9G: The G’s Confusion – let's first define what constitute a 4G and a 3.9G from an end-user prospective. There are other technical factors of both 4G and 3.9G as it relates to the download and upload peaks, transmission technology and signal strength, etc.

In telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cell phone mobile communications standards. It is a successor of the third generation (3G) standards. A 4G system provides mobile ultra-broadband Internet access to laptops with USB wireless modems, smart phones, and to other mobile devices. 

On the other hand, 3G stands for the Third Generation and 3.9G falls within the 3G series. It is a term used to represent the 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology. This is a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunication services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, Fixed Wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

What is the difference between 4G and 3.9G?

From the definitions, a 3G absolutely does everything a 4G is capable of doing. However, there is a slight difference between the two; the 4G comes with a high speed that is faster than the 3G. Like I said, there are other technical factors or equipments requirement that constitute a 4G and a 3G which I hope to discuss in much more detail in Part 2 of this article.. 

4G vs. 3.9G: The "G" Confusion

There have been many opposing views concerning the status of "G". Which is which? Who is fooling the public concerning the "G” status? To clarify this issue, we will discuss three important points making references to Cellcom and Lonestar.

Payment Term:
Cellcom 4G

Currently, Cellcom is charging users based on the bandwidth consumed which they referred to as “data plan”. 

Cellcom has various prices for their “data plan” but this article will focus specifically on the 3GB bandwidth “data plan” which cost 79USD for a 30 days validity period. Cellcom initially started with a 1.5GB data plan for the first month before increasing the bandwidth to 3GB. Cellcom added additional 1.5GB bandwidth to the package which took it to 3GB. The 3GB data plan means, after you should have downloaded and uploaded up to 3GB of data using the internet, your device will be disconnected. Does it worth it? Accordingly to W3C web standard, the average size of a web page is 12KB. Now, if we convert 3GB of bandwidth to kilobytes to be able to calculate how many web pages can be view with a 3GB bandwidth, the formula would be 3GB x 1024MB x 1024KB = 3,145,728KB. Therefore, if we divide the 12KB per web page; users will technically be able to download a 12KB web page 262,114 times. Don’t get carried away by the numbers because it is not as big as you see it when it comes to the web world.  If you have to read your email and each email is 100KB, you will only be able to view 2,612 emails excluding other web pages and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ that consume much more bandwidth. During my test, I was able to use the 3GB bandwidth for only 13 days as an ordinary user.


Lonestar 3.9G

Lonestar – on the hand is providing a flat fee to its customers for a lower amount, 69USD. Users do not have to worry about if they are using more bandwidth or the types of file that they can download or amount of emails they can read. In short, they are providing unlimited “data plan” for the period of 30 days which is the same validity period provided by Cellcom.

A Big Question for You!

Why would you want to pay 79 USD for a 13 days bandwidth if you can get it for 30 days for a lower amount? Continue reading and you might find out why.

Connection speed

It is always difficult to get the actual speed of a connection due to the complex nature of mobile telephony. To compare the connection speed of Cellcom 4G and Lonestar 3.9G networks, I have both the Cellcom HSPA+ USB Stick and the Lonestar Wimax USB sticks. They are all modems that were used at 3 different locations in Montserrado county: 

(1)   McDonald Street, Center Monrovia,
(2)   Old Road
(3)   Duport Road, Paynesville

 I did use a Window 7 Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop. I am currently conducting the speed test at other location and will provide the detail soon.

I used the Speedtest.net utility to measure latency, download and upload speeds to yahoo mail server located in California, Sunnyvale City. Finally, I watched a 30 minute movie and listened to an Internet radio station for 20 minutes. 

I measured each result three times using the 4G and the 3.9G network; I returned to each location at three different times over a 10-day period and repeated all the tests on both 3.9G and 4G networks. My finding wasn’t consistent so I had to average it accordingly. Here are my findings:

Lonestar 3.9G

On McDonald Street using the 3.9G, I was able to connect at a maximum of 288ms latency with a 250kbps download and 110kbps upload. And on the old road, I was able to connect at a maximum of 210ms latency with a 230kbps download and 70kbps upload. For some reason, my device did not connect at the Duport road so I have no test result for that area. I visited Lonestar Broad street branch and the customer service representative told me that the 3.9G coverage is all over Monrovia and its environ. I had to review the map to make sure if Duport road was part of Monrovia environ; anyway, the button line is, I didn’t get the device to work over at Duport road. I was surprised with the download and upload rate because the latency rate was pretty okay. Technologically, the lower the latency rate – the faster it is. For Lonestar, I am sure that they have a maximum download of 250kbps because all my download tests did not exceed the 250kbps. I was able to watch the 30 minute movie within 100 minutes and the internet radio was okay though there were some outages in the connection. The overall average latency is 249ms with a 240kbps download and 90kbps upload rate -– sorry but the above are technical information are meant for you to verify. For the ordinary end users, if you were to download a 10MB file, it will take about 6 minutes and if you were to upload a 10MB file to a yahoo server, it will take you about 15 minutes.

Cellcom 4G

Cellcom on the other hand on McDonald Street, I was able to connect at a maximum of 550ms latency with a 630kbps download and 420kbps upload. On the Old Road, I was able to connect at a maximum of 750ms latency with a 530kbps download and 120kbps upload and on the Duport road, I was able to connect at a maximum of 790ms latency with a 690kbps download and 350kbps upload. The overall average for Cellcom is 696ms latency with a 650kbps download and 296kbps upload. Honestly, this is one of the best speeds I have even seen in Liberia. Lastly, I was able to watch a 30 minute movie within 55 minutes due to some delay with the internet and stable internet radio station for 20 minutes which were very incredible. Again, the data above are raw data which is intended for those doing research but not for non technical person. For the ordinary end users using Cellcom network, they can download a 10MB file in about 2 minutes and they can also upload a 10MB file to a yahoo server within 5 minutes.

A Big Question?

Why would you want to have an internet that will download 10MB file within 6 minutes and upload the same file within 15 minutes if I can have an internet speed that is 3 times faster than the other? Keep reading on and you might find out why.


Stability & Availability

Stability & availability is a key factor for every network. Users want to be guaranteed that their download will not disconnect when it gets in the middle, they also want to be able to access the internet anytime and anywhere. Therefore, stability & availability should be a core part for the 4G and the 3.9G offered by Cellcom & Lonestar respectively.

Cellcom 4G

During my test, I noticed that the 4G devices continuously disconnect unexpectedly after the first 4 days I bought it. The 4G network connection was available at all my test locations but it was never stable. The devices disconnect after every 5 minutes or when the user is downloading a large file. Up to now, Cellcom has not resolved this problem yet leaving their customers to figure out their own problem and have it resolve by themselves. What a shame?

The instability of the Cellcom network defects the purpose of its availability because it makes no sense for the network to be available in an area if the users cannot use the network for the intended purpose.

Lonestar 3.9G

Lonestar 3.9G network has proven to be stable and reliable during my entire test but a key issue is with its availability. During my test, I could only access Lonestar 3.9G within central Monrovia. Their customer service told me that the device should work in the entire Monrovia and its environs but to my surprise the device could not connect to some locations even within central Monrovia. What a disgrace?

General Conclusion

Why it is true that no one company provide all the requirements for a 4G or 3.9G network – Cellcom and Lonestar needs to improve on their deficiency by upgrading their services with the following key issues:

        Cellcom needs to have a flat fee option or provide a reasonable bandwidth – I would suggest 10GB for starter – 3GB is not sufficient.

        Cellcom needs to fix the unexpected disconnection of their network – this is annoying and frustrating; and if they are not careful, customer will start to leave.

     Lonestar needs to improve their 3.9G connection speed – like my boss said, 3.9G is almost 4G therefore, 3.9G should be able to do 90% of what the 4G does which is not the case right now.  

        Lonestar needs to upgrade their entire network, at least Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, Bomi for now. The fact that their devices only work in specific areas is also frustrating and annoying. I need to be able to use my device anywhere at any time – not everybody lives in Monrovia.

   Both companies, Cellcom and Lonestar should strive towards providing excellence, reliable and available to all services.

I want to stress that my article isn't a 100% scientific test article. Network performance can be affected by time of day, distance from the towers and the number of users in a given area, not to mention factors beyond our control, such as the ability of the carrier to ferry its users' data to and from the Internet. 

The purpose of this is not to tell you which company to subscribe to or which device to buy but rather to outline the advantages and disadvantages of both companies.

Watch out for PART II – What is the difference between 4G and 3.9G?

Disclaimer: This article reflects my analysis and test and it is in no way banding that whatever written here is true or false; however, it only provides ideas for those wishing to understand the realities behind these generational technologies in Liberia.

Comments

  1. You have a very inspiring way of exploring and sharing your thoughts.
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