4G wireless service arrives in Delaware

In an August 2010 press release, Wilmington, Delaware was one of a small handful of cities that according to Sprint, would be receiving 4G service.

Wow, 4G is now available, so what exactly does that mean?

4G is simply an abbreviation for Fourth Generation, it is a term used to describe the next complete evolution in wireless communications.

While the 4G network is a complete overhaul, or better yet, a complete replacement of the existing wireless communications systems, the measure of the system that will be used to compare it to older systems will be in the bandwidth, the amount of data that the system will transfer. The 4G working group has defined one of the objectives of the 4G wireless communication standard as a data rate of at least 100 Mbps between any two points in the world.

In December 2009, Sprint began advertising 4G service in selected cities in the United States, despite average download speeds of only 3 to 6 Mbps with peak speeds of 10 Mbps.

The August 2010 press release by Sprint does not mention any specific download speeds, but states that this new wireless technology boasts download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G. The other interesting point is when looking at a 4G coverage map on the Sprint web site, the 4G coverage area follows along the I-95 corridor. If you live in North Wilmington, or just a few miles to the south of Wilmington, it does not appear you will get 4G coverage. Coverage in Delaware will be very limited.

As far as Sprint's competitors, Verizon is working on a late 2010 release of any 4G products. Verizon will have a significantly larger coverage area at launch, but the coverage area will be far from as comprehensive as the carrier's current 3G network.

AT&T does not seem to be concerned with getting into a race for fastest as it has stated a 2011 time frame for any 4G network roll-out.

So technically, yes, Sprint is the first phone company to offer phones using the fourth generation, but being first is not necessarily any benefit of its own. The current 4G system is a long way from the true potential of the fourth generation of wireless. Based on various articles by international telecommunications regulatory and standardization bodies such as IEEE and ITU don't expect full commercial deployment of 4G networks until at least 2012.

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