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