By: Jesse Cryderman
I hereby submit 4G as a victim of abuse.
Yes, not since HD has a tech term been so thoroughly misused. From asterisk-laden “4G” ads, to carriers who advertise 4G that only serves USB dongles, there is considerable confusion in the marketplace around 4G, and for good reason: according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard of 100 mbps, no one even offers true 4G yet.
Even the government is getting involved, and asking CSPs' to be more transparent about what exactly their “4G” networks are delivering. Championed by Sen. Al Franken (who also has been pressing for info at the heart of the Carrier IQ controversy), the Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act seeks to, “require accurate disclosures to consumers of the terms and conditions of 4G service and other advanced wireless mobile broadband service.”
Other than a victim of egregious marketing abuse, what is fourth generation, or 4G, wireless?
In March of last year, I tried to answer some of these questions in an article entitled “Demystifying 4G.” I was no less caustic in my summation of the 4G landscape then, writing, “Even though ITU has permitted networks whose evolution will reach the 4G standard to market themselves as 4G, labeling current next-gen networks “4G” is like calling a middle-school Little League pitcher a Cy Young candidate.”
However, that was then, and this is now. What has changed in the last year, who is doing 4G right, what needs to be done to sell 4G to a cynical public, and what are some benefits—beyond lightning bolts on billboards—that we can expect to see in the near future as 4G networks light up?
Market Confusion
One thing that hasn't changed in 4G is the market confusion surrounding the term. A sad example of this came from Analysys Mason in a survey released in December that found that 46% of iPhone 4 users thought they were already on 4G service, as you can see in figure 1.
Analysys Mason, 2011
Equally sobering is the fact that over 50% of respondents were unsure as to their network technology.
I interviewed a handful of consumers on the streets of Chicago as to their impression of 4G. Here's some of the gems:
“Battery drain.”
“4G is supposed to be faster downloads, isn't it?”
“My phone usually switches over to 3G on the highway and at home.”
“I don't get 4G service on my work cellphone in my office. What's the point?”
