3G and 4G for No Contract Verizon Wireless Phones

Verizon Wireless Phones come in a variety of makes and models, most running on 3G technology even as the carrier is busying installing their 4G network. BlackBerry Cell Phones for Verizon are among the most popular of brands available, with a feature set that defines it as, more properly speaking, a smartphone.

2G technology is the most widely used network technology for mobile phones. More than 80% of cellular phone users around the world use 2G technology at present. One disadvantage that 2G technology has compared to 3G is that data rates are limited - it is relatively slower than 3G. Lower data transfer speed means slower music and video downloads, problems when making a video conference call, or long waits for sending/receiving large media messages.

That is the main reason for the development of newer network technologies such as 3G that offer a data transfer speed of up to 2Mbps (2 Mega Bits per second). Anyone using a 3G phone knows that that is far from being true; in fact, it almost never exceeds 384Kbps, at most.

A new technology being developed these days, 4G, will supposedly allow data transfer speeds as high as 100Mbps (50 times faster than today's 3G!) outdoors, and a blasting 1Gbps indoors.

So what are the main features of 4G technology?

- Wireless internet with a bandwidth much wider than the 2G or the 3G - 100 MHZ.
- Much higher data transfer speed - up to 1Gbps.
- Video conference calls - with more than 2 callers, and due to the faster data transfer rates, less problems; also, will not get stuck as often as it does with 3G.
- Improved security features to prevent frauds and theft.
- On account of the wider bandwidths, data transfers will be relatively cheap

There are not enough details about 4G technology to compare with other technologies. Without a doubt it will be better, faster, and probably cheaper, but all users would have to get the new devices, meaning compatible devices (which probably aren't going to be cheap), and wait for the new networks and antennas that will go with this newest technology.

Anyway, NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese company working on devloping 4G technology in association with HP, estimates that 4G services will be launched (in Japan only) somewhere between 2010-2016, and it will probably take a couple more years after that for it to get to the United States so that we still have plenty of time to adjust and get ready.